Governor signs bill to help establish community seed banks

PALMER — Gov. Bill Walker signed HB 197 into law in Palmer on Monday at the Plant Materials Center in Palmer. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Johnston and carried by Sen. Cathy Giessel, and helps to establish community seed banks.

The knowledge of farming tools, tricks, and practices were vital to the colonists that originally inhabited the area and remain necessary as farming is one of the Valley’s most recognizable industries. Establishing banks for seeds which are known to have success in soil in the Last Frontier will help commercial and at home growers to grow their crops more efficiently.

“It has been said that when Alaska became a state, we grew approximately fifty percent of our food. Now, we grow less than five percent,” Walker said. “We have further to go for Alaska’s food security, and this bill will help us move the needle. Promoting and supporting Alaska Grown products is a win-win for our health and our economy.”

The isolated nature of Alaska’s geography relative to the rest of the United States makes shipping food from other sources by boat or plane a major expenditure that many Alaskans can ill afford. With more Alaskan customers shopping for Alaskan products, the local economy receives the boost rather than the Lower 48. The seed bank that will increase production helps ensure that Alaskans will be able to provide for themselves long into the future.