How Can ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Become More Food Secure?

How Can ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Become More Food Secure?

Food security is more important now than ever in ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥. ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ agriculture provides only 5% of the food we consume; the rest is flown, barged or driven in.

created by ACEP’s chief storyteller, Amanda Byrd, explores some of the challenges ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ farmers must overcome to produce food for their communities. These include wind, bison, moose, energy and water.

Only a fraction of the carrots that ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ consumes are actually grown in the state, even though ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ carrots have the highest sugar content due to the high latitude. Most carrots are imported from California. Peonies are ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥â€™s largest agricultural export, and climate change is changing the risks associated with the flower crop. Only one U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved dairy remains in the state.

Growing more food in the state could ensure food is always on the shelves, especially during a natural disaster like an earthquake or a global pandemic like COVID-19.
The documentary was funded by and the .

 

Lynn Mayo and friends harvest carrots at Spinach Creek Farm in Fairbanks. Screenshot taking from the ÀÖ»¢Ö±²¥ Grown documentary by Amanda Byrd.