Every summer students can sign up to learn how to grow their own food from peer mentors that work under the guidance of a horticulture professional - for free! Participants meet 1-2x per week to work together in the Nanook Grown experiential garden at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm. Excess produce grown by the program is used at a weekly market tables on campus or donated to programs that feed community members experiencing food insecurity. Produce staples grown by the students have include potatoes, peas, lettuce, broccoli, corn, strawberries and onions. Optional field trips are arranged to local farms, foraging walks, local nonprofits addressing food insecurity. Once student spots have been filled employees may apply for a small fee. 

Nanook Grown events are held throughout the year. Weekly market stands are hosted during the summer at Music in the Garden and the Wood Center's Ice Cream Thursdays. A large farm-to-table dinner and beer pairing featuring student grown and other Alaska grown produce is held in September to celebrate the end of the harvest season. Other events like hydroponic workshops, Alaska grown dinners, seed giveaways and planting events may be held during the academic year.

All events are listed on Nanook Engage with the tag 'sustainability'.

The Office of Sustainability is proud to be a member of the Alaska Harvest Collaborative. The AHC program has been in operation since 2020 with a mission to build food resilience and food systems awareness through donating locally grown produce to those in need, and empowering a new generation to be change-makers for food sovereignty. Learn more by clicking the button below.