Farming in Alaska all about food security

Despite soil perfect for growing more than 36 types of fruits and vegetables here in Alaska, much of it in the Mat-Su valleys, farmland is being lost to commercial and residential development at an alarming rate.

Considering that only about 5 percent of food consumed in Alaska is grown here, reliance on Outside support for the other 95 percent means our food system is insecure. Since 2005, the Palmer-based nonprofit Alaska Farmland Trust has worked across the state to change that by protecting farmland and helping to keep farmers farming on the most viable agricultural soils. In the process, it has protected 381 acres of prime agricultural lands in the state, while promoting the value of farms to the local community and to all Alaskans.

Farmland Conservation Director Phoebe Autry explained that even though Alaska is a big state, there is limited agricultural land to grow food. Most of the best farmland, with nutrient-soils, are located around population centers, such as Palmer.

“We continue to see such a rapid development of housing subdivisions and commercial development on our best soils,” she said. “Once that topsoil is removed and a parking lot is put in, it won’t be a farm again.”

That’s consequential in a state like Alaska, where one in five Alaskans is considered “food insecure”. The Trust believes that growing farms means strengthening the health of the community.

“Because Alaska is so cut off from the Lower 48, our state is incredibly vulnerable to food insecurity,” Autry said. “We need to preserve our best agricultural land so that we can grow food for Alaskans.”

The Mat-Su Health Foundation has been an essential supporter of this endeavor, Autry said. Since 2020, ATF has received more than $150,000, including a recent grant for $27,525. The grants have enabled the nonprofit to build staff capacity and increase the number of “farmland forever” projects in the Mat-Su Borough.

“The health foundation’s support of Alaska Farmland Trust has been incredibly important over the past few years,” Autry said. “We are fortunate that their support allows our organization to envision an Alaska with abundant protected and productive farmland, a thriving agricultural economy, and better farmland access.”

The Mat-Su Health Foundation has been a partner in community health and wellness since 2008, when its grant program started. As a minority owner of the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the nonprofit organization has invested more than $130 million throughout the Mat-Su in the last 16 years, while continuing to do its part to ensure that the medical center meets the needs of the Valley’s growing population.

The health foundation’s 2024 grant to ATF will support a thorough mapping project to analyze farmland loss in the Mat-Su. This kind of specific data had not existed before, but is important going forward as the next generation of farmers looks to grow or start their own operations.

“We are able to use this data to guide the work we do in preserving Alaska’s farmland and also weave it into the story of why this work is important,” Autry said.

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