Kalb Stevenson Andy Kliskey Heidi Rader Lilian Alessa Alberto Pantoja Mark Clark Food Supply & Food Security in Alaska Subsistence foods comprise part of Alaskan’s.
Download ReportTranscript Kalb Stevenson Andy Kliskey Heidi Rader Lilian Alessa Alberto Pantoja Mark Clark Food Supply & Food Security in Alaska Subsistence foods comprise part of Alaskan’s.
Kalb Stevenson Andy Kliskey Heidi Rader Lilian Alessa Alberto Pantoja Mark Clark Food Supply & Food Security in Alaska Subsistence foods comprise part of Alaskan’s diets Rural Alaska: about 375 pounds per person per year (44 million pounds of wild foods per yr) Some residents are 90 - 100% subsistence Some residents are 0 - 10% subsistence About 60% of subsistence foods are fish, 95% of rural households eat subsistencecaught fish Urban Alaska: Only 22 pounds per person per year Source: State of Alaska, Fish and Game, Division of Subsistence Food Supply & Food Security in Alaska What comprises the rest of Alaskan’s diets? Imported foods From lower 48 contiguous states From foreign markets Represent and estimated 90-95% of agricultural products consumed in AK (Drew, 1977; UAF CES 2006; Helfferich, 2010; Consenstine, 2010) Local agriculture Personal gardens Small and mid-sized farms (680) Represent 5-10% of agricultural products consumed in AK Why this disparity between local food supply and demand? Are these levels sustainable? Number of Farms in Alaska (1900 – 2008) Sources: US Census Bureau; Shortridge 1976 Food Supply & Food Security in Alaska “I don’t know what we can do to persuade the American people. They want to believe Alaska is a land of snow and ice. When I talk with persons in the States about our wonderful agriculture up here, most of them smile and say with their eyes, ‘Poor fellow, he’s been away too long. Talks like a bad case of North Pole fever. There just can’t be farms in Alaska as he describes.’” - George W. Gasser, Alaskan Commissioner of Agriculture (1945) Stevenson, K. "Fresh from the tundra". Alaska. April 2009: pp.24-31. Food Supply & Food Security in AK Localized Sustainable Agriculture Becoming Increasingly Important Inadequate Local Food Supply • Only a 3-5 day food supply in AK • Alaska’ remote location leaves it susceptible to food shortage High Cost of Fresh and Healthy Foods • Implications for health, nutrition, affordability Food Supply & Food Security in AK AK relies heavily on expensive, imported foods despite an abundance of available natural resources (Stevenson et al., in press; Alessa et al., 2010) Freshwater Withdrawal in Alaska and the US Derived from USGS (2009) In order to improve food supply and food security in the North, the level of local sustainable agriculture must increase Our Aim: To provide a comprehensive review of data and information that will… Describe and delineate sustainable agriculture in the whole circumpolar region Review the history of successes and failures in Northern agriculture, especially Alaska Review and categorize the challenges to successful circumpolar agriculture, with special emphasis on AK Review potential solutions to these challenges Delineation of Circumpolar Agriculture • Three Distinct Regions for Circumpolar Agriculture • North American, Nordic, & Russian-Baltic • Strong Inter- & Intraregional Differences Exist in • Climate • Soil Characteristics • Native Flora and Fauna • History • Government Policy on Food Comparative Circumpolar Agriculture History Impacts Policy Norway vs. Alaska Old vs. New (1,000+ yrs. vs. 100+ yrs.) Millions of people vs. hundreds of thousands of people Different traditions of subsistence, fishing, and growing Natural Northward Progression vs. Expedited Colonization Important WWII events Invasions, Blockades, Concessions, and Self-sufficiency History of Alaskan agriculture is very different than most other circumpolar places Challenges to Circumpolar Agriculture • Environmental • Temperature, Precipitation, Day length, Growing Season Length, Wind, Water Quality, Climate Change • Geophysical • Soil Type, pH, Moisture, Slope • Biological • Weeds, Pests, Disease • Socio-cultural • Level of Experience, Knowledge, Tradition; Disagreements Over Land Use; Ideological Differences Challenges to Circumpolar Agriculture “It is all very well to talk about these wonderful Alaskan summer days and the long hours of sunshine. It sounds nice in the steamship folders and the various Chamber of Commerce literature. But to the poor homesteader it is merely pure bunk; the days are long alright but they are filled with fog and rain rather than sunshine” - Matanuska Valley homesteader (1917) “Alaska winter temperatures mean many plants that are perennials in other states must be grown as annuals here.” - Ann Roberts, Horticulturist, Fairbanks, AK (2000) Environmental Challenges • Shortened Growing Season • less year-round food • requires specific cultivars, season extension techniques Frost damage on juvenile cucumber • Cold Temperatures • Unpredictable frosts = crop damage • Indoor seeding required for many crops • Warm temperatures (Interior AK) • Overexposure to solar radiation in Alaska summers can cause • bolting, bitterness, tipburn, poor heading • Can make plant tissues tough, tasteless, bitter • Wind • Wind damage in tundra regions • Dessication, windburn stunt growth, fruiting Bolting lettuce in which the flower stalk is 2x the height of the head Regional Differences in Length of Growing Season in Alaska [Above] Plant hardiness zones in Alaska (from USDA, 1990) [At Right] A 1968 Estimate of Regional Variation in Length of Growing Seasons Throughout Alaska. (from Searby 1968) Generalizations Don’t Cut It • Strong variability between years, seasons, geographic regions, and microclimates • Examples • In Fairbanks, the number of frost free days varied from 86 in 1977 to 134 in 2001 (Matheke et al., 2008) • For perennial forage crops in Delta Junction, year-to-year snow cover is related to the % winter kill Effect of climate change on predictability of frosts, weather? Environmental Challenges Water Quality in Rural Areas Sometimes scarce Sometimes of too poor quality for agriculture Irrigation Difficulties & Cost of Efficient Irrigation Systems Environmental Challenges Aquaculture in the North… A good idea?? • Finfish aquaculture for commercial or personal use has been illegal in Alaska since 1990 under Alaska statute 16.40.210 • All Alaska salmon and other finfish are either wild or “ocean ranched” through state-run aquaculture • What are the tradeoffs and potential impacts of limiting this sector of agriculture for communities and sustainability in Alaska? Aquaculture for Alaska? Throughout the world, Aquaculture is a thriving multi-billion dollar per year industry 50% of Norway’s salmon consumption is aquaculture, and this level could hit 75% by 2030 The question: Are Alaska’s agricultural economy and its residents missing out by not having agriculture? Aquaculture… The Good, The Bad and the Ugly The Good Year-round source of energy and protein for residents, especially in rural, inland areas. Potential economic boost, especially for rural fish farmers Fish could be grown indoors, in basements, in geothermal greenhouses, and in combination with hydroponics Waste could be integrated into field agriculture as a good source of N and P, providing further food (Stevenson et al., 2010) Effect of Fish Effluent on Growth and Yield of Cotton and Barley in Maricopa, AZ Barley Yield Cotton Petiole N & P Cited from: Stevenson KT, Fitzsimmons KM, Clay PA, Alessa L, Kliskey A. 2010. Integration of aquaculture and arid lands agriculture for water reuse and reduced fertilizer dependency. Experimental Agriculture 46 (2): 173–190. Aquaculture…The Good, The Bad and the Ugly The Bad Potential economic impacts on comm. fish. industry Eutrophication in coastal areas The Ugly Impacts on human health and nutrition Farmed salmon can have a higher fat content and a less beneficial fatty acid composition than wild salmon (van Vliet and Katan, 1990; George and Bhopal, 1995). Farmed salmon can contain more dangerous chemical substances than fish that feed naturally in the wild (Easton et al., 2002; Jacobs et al., 2002). Escapement: Norway reported over 500,000 escapes in ‘09 Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges Efficient Use of Light at High Latitude Utilizing slopes and terracing to optimize solar radiation levels Season-Extension Techniques High & Low Tunnels – lengthen growing season, increase yields, improve crop quality, increase supply reliability, reduce pests and wind, higher soil temps, higher nighttime temps, offer frost protection (Wells and Loy, 1988, 1993; Wittwer and Castilla, 1995; Purser, 1996; Lamont et al., 2003; Waterer, 2003) Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges Plastic Mulches reduce weeds, warms soils Indoor Seeding & Interval Planting Extends season, Continual harvest and income Cost & Energy-Efficient Greenhouses geothermal, steel framed; artificial light for year-round production (UAF CES, 2006) Root Cellars Root crops, storage Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges More Efficient Irrigation Drip Systems Allow for the use of limited water sources Requirements are half of what is needed for sprinkler irrigation Leaves remain dry, reducing disease damage and insect infestation Water delivered directly to the crop and not to weeds nearby Reduces overall farm requirements for water soluble fertilizers, which can leach into groundwater Above Ground Water Storage tanks painted dark colors help heat the water via solar radiation Integrating Fisheries (bycatch) rather than finsifish aquaculture Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges “Even though lettuce is planted in intervals so that one crop is supposed to be ready for picking each week during the short growing season, this has rarely worked due to unpredictable weather and a fluctuating market. Several growers have invested in vacuum cooling and storage systems that quick-chill the produce immediately after harvest. This enables them to be more flexible, and extend the season by almost three weeks. The system also widened the farmers’ marketing field. The extended shelf-life capability makes it possible for the vegetables to be shipped anywhere in the state” - Matanuska-Susitna Borough (1983) Quoted from MSB,1983 Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges “Our greenhouse soil temperatures are 70 degrees F just by running a fan and insulating the floor. The structures are heated up quickly by the sun in the morning because of the plastic coverings and steel frames, and the earthen beds and ventilation system allow them to hold a lot of heat through the night… Raised beds and plastic lining elevate the soil temperature 8 to 10 degrees F and allow our outdoor produce to continue growing successfully… wire-framed plastic coverings are important for this region, which can have a large number of windy, rainy, and cloudy summer days. The coverings insulate the crops and provide protection from the elements that would otherwise negatively affect crop production.” - Tim Meyers, Rural Farmer, Bethel, Alaska Quoted from Stevenson, 2009 Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges Increasing Mariculture Production & Enhancing Dive Fisheries Investing further into oyster, cockel, and geoduck farming in coastal areas Growing sea cucumber as seed to enhance Southeast Alaska dive fisheries Impacts of Climate Change and Ocean Acidification on high-latitude shellfish and sea cucumber spawning? Geophysical Challenges Soil Quality & Distribution • Many AK soils too acidic, not ideal for most crops (except potato) - pH can be limiting factor • Soil moisture, draining • Nutrient content of soils can be low • Highly varied distribution for 1 state Cost of purchase and transport of inorganic fertilizers Frozen Soils & Permafrost USDA (NRCS) Land Capability Classification System Designed to rank the relative agricultural suitability of soils across the US. Soils within Land Capability Class 1, 2, 3 and a portion of 4 are best lands suited for agriculture Ranks soil components within soil map units on a scale of 1 (best) through 8 (worst) Based on the short growing season and limited diversity of crops suited for cultivation, there are No Class 1 Soils Recognized in Alaska. However, Class 2, 3, and 4 soils ARE present in Alaska Alaska’s First Agricultural Projections A 1910 Estimate of Potential Agricultural Land in Alaska. Source: Mitchell (1910) 2011 Estimate 2011 Estimate Sustainable Solutions to Geophysical Challenges Increasing Soil pH Tilling-in lime-based or other helpful products (e.g., ground shells, fire ash, or other items) Conservation Tilling Lowering Soil Moisture Raised Earth – drains, warms soils faster Plastic Mulch – warms soils Sustainable Solutions to Geophysical Challenges Increasing Soil Nutrient Levels Integrating fish-based fertilizers Fish-based fertilizers (from by-catch) Salmon, Pollock, Whitefish Salmon bone meal Fish compost (Himelbloom et al., 2010) Identify & Conserve Good Agricultural Land 2011 Estimate Other Challenges to High Latitude Agriculture Biological Challenges Socio-cultural Challenges Summary Improve Food Supply & Food Security Increase # of farms, diversity of crops Increase production, elongate the growing season Increase resilience by reducing reliance on imported foods Use our renewable resources Develop more specific cultivars Promote Sustainability Maintain farm size Responsible resource development conserve agricultural lands Preserve the pristine nature of the state A unique opportunity to direct the expansion of agriculture Questions?