Alaska: The Last Frontier of Farming

UNITED STATES

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit Text Set.

Discussion Ideas

What makes Alaska’s physical geography ideal for farming?
- Alaska’s geologic activity has created rich soil. “Thanks to built-up organic matter and ash from nearby volcanoes, locals say that Homer has some of the best soil in the Northern Hemisphere.”
- Water is plentiful, with precipitation and snowmelt supplying rivers and lakes with stable and abundant sources of freshwater.
- Alaska is the biggest state in the U.S. with the lowest population density; there’s a lot of land.

How is climate change supporting the growth of agriculture in Alaska? Read through the fantastic High Country News article for some help.
- “Alaska is warming twice as fast as the rest of the country, with winters some 6° warmer than they were 60 years ago.” Milder winters and longer summers have resulted in two positive outcomes for Alaskan agriculture:
  - longer growing seasons. The growing season in Alaska’s interior has increased by a whopping 45% over the last century. This allows farmers to harvest and sell more crops than ever before.
  - wider variety of crops. According to HCN, crops such as apples and other plants that were once unable to survive Alaska’s freezing winters are now thriving.

Why are Alaskans hungry for local produce?
- affordability. “Wild game, fish and shellfish are staples of the Alaskan diet, but vegetables, perishables and store-bought meat are usually imported from far away, at tremendous cost.” The HCN article reports that a half-gallon of milk can cost $10. Locally grown food is less expensive, as it does not have transportation costs, such as upkeep of long-distance infrastructure (roads and bridges), labor (drivers), or gasoline (which can cost $7 a gallon).
- food security. Alaska’s isolation puts it at risk if a natural disaster reduces residents’ access to healthy foods. “After Hurricane Katrina, it took two weeks to get food into parts of New Orleans,” says Arthur Keyes, director of the Alaska Division of Agriculture. “And they’re connected to the rest of the country. We’re over 2,000 driving miles from Washington state. If we have a major crisis like an earthquake or fire or we lose a port, can you imagine how long it’ll take food to get here?”

How is the business of agriculture different in Alaska than it is in California or the Midwest, the “salad bowl” and “bread basket” of the nation?
- Alaska agriculture overwhelmingly consists of family- or community-owned farms. “Alaskans have tried commercial-scale agriculture in the past, and learned that growing food to export makes little sense in a state where transportation costs are high and shipping routes limited.” (In California, on the other hand, commercial-scale agriculture—agribusiness—makes billions of dollars of financial sense.)