MicroFEWs Explores Community Affected by AMHS Cuts
A new blog post from the MicroFEWs team examines the economic effects that cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway System have had on a coastal town. Researchers Jen Schmidt and Barbara Johnson discuss the ramifications of recent state ferry cutbacks for the seaside town of Cordova.
Read an excerpt of the blog post below.
“Fifty Cordova households participated in a survey to examine Food-Energy-Water connections
and security in rural communities. One question asked was, ‘Have the ferry cuts affected
you?’, and the almost unanimous response was a resounding ‘Yes.’ A word cloud of the
themes that emerged from the
interview highlights that people are encountering higher living costs, and, in general,
higher costs for everything since non-ferry travel is more expensive. Which, in an
off-road community like Cordova, impacts every aspect of life.”
This study was conducted in collaboration with ACEP researchers Erin Whitney, Daisy Huang, Rich Wies, Michelle Wilber and Chris Pike.
MicroFEWs an ACEP-led project funded by the National Science Foundation exploring the connections between renewable energy and food, energy and water security in remote Alaska communities.
A word cloud image taken from the blog post.