Institute director to host session on Alaska agriculture

Alaskans in agriculture often talk about how the state’s population is too small to offer big economic opportunities, said Jodie Anderson, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Institute of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Extension. Instead, she said, Alaskans need to think globally to thrive locally. 

Join Anderson at noon on Oct. 17 for a lunch-and-learn session and discussion, “Circumpolar Food Security: Alaska Isn’t Out Standing Alone in Our Field.” The talk will focus on how Alaskans can work together toward a more robust food system, based on Anderson’s observations from the Circumpolar Agriculture Conference in the Faroe Islands in September.

“On this trip, I saw very independent farmers coming together to overcome their obstacles,” she said. “I saw public-private partnerships working, and I saw successful agriculture in very difficult conditions.”

Anderson said participants shared concerns about farmed fish, climate change, loss of farmland, aging farmers, the high cost of input for beginning and established farmers, and decreased interest in agriculture. They also discussed the need to engage politicians on the importance of a robust food system and the complexity of this multifaceted issue.

“We have to stop thinking we are the only ones who can get it done — we must work together,” Anderson said. “Let’s do this with intention. Let’s figure this out. Let’s help each other. Let’s teach and learn from each other.”

Meet Anderson in person at BP Design Theater, Room 401 in the Usibelli Building on the Fairbanks campus, or register in advance to join virtually via Zoom. 

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Julie Stricker at 907-474-5406 or jestricker2@alaska.edu.

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