Local food sustainability group!

[Alasgun]

In our every changing world, food sustainability has come into focus as people have concerns about shortages etc. Locally a group was recently formed, comprised of concerned citizens from all sectors with a desire to learn, share and or provide what they can to a common cause. Pretty cool actually!
I’ve been asked to share at todays meeting, a privilege i will enjoy. Going into a group of 40 some souls i do not know is somewhat intimidating especially when you realize they cover the full gamut, master gardeners down to complete novices.
My goal (and prayer for today) is to give each of them a take away, something they can build on and hopefully something they can pass along to others.

Un certain times are a great opportunity to pay it forward, if you have an opportunity to become involved in something like this I’d encourage you to do so. Or if you are already involved and have any advice for “stupid here”, im all ears!

We meet weekly and i’ll stay with this post a bit, reporting back for any that are interested.

 

[digitS']

Try to rely on your experience and present ideas outside of that very carefully.

Here's my example: I once stood in front of the group and told a fairly large group of gardeners that I could toss my cotton string used for trellising into the compost. I had wooden stakes and heavier material like baling twine and wire but the cotton string was used in addition.

My composting is often in the growing beds themselves. Piling "compostables" in a trench and leaving them. The next spring the bed could just be planted to things like squash, pumpkins, sunflower. The year following, I can till the bed. The problem was that 18 months after I had thrown the string in there - it hadn't decomposed! Even the following year it was tangling in the rototiller tines!!!! (I'd spread the idea of composting cotton string to about 20 - 30 gardeners without realizing how long it would take to decompose .)

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

other than a desire to make sure everyone there is keeping enough distance and there is good ventilation, etc. give them all a mix of beans and peas to plant. i'm a super-spreader that ways...

 

[Zeedman]

A commendable endeavor, @Alasgun . The photos & comments you post here are evidence of the success of your garden techniques in a harsh climate... bring a lot of photos with you to help illustrate the comments made in your presentation. Make a list of the varieties which have done well for you too. And don't be afraid to admit mistakes you've made, and what you've learned from them... it puts your successes in perspective.

 

[Alasgun]

The meeting went well yesterday. I’m amazed at how far they’ve come in the few month’s they’ve been active.
currently they have a legislative arm, a communications arm, a transportation/ construction arm and the food sustainability group. Each separate entity meets weekly and the bigger group monthly!

My interest wont go beyond the food group but im excited to see what a group of concerned citizens can pull off.
Our members run the gamut and include farmer descendants of the pioneers who settled Alaska at statehood, folks with large scale meat and vegetable processing capability, numerous master gardeners etc.
Then there’s a bunch who just want to learn gardening, canning, butchering skills, root cellaring And to pass that on to the younger generation.

Alaska only produces 2% of our food, the rest coming thru the port in Seattle, which raised some concern last spring when they considered shutting our port down out of covid concerns! This groups main function is to heighten awareness of where that leaves us, promote community gardens, larger home gardens etc. And to implement a network of capable storage facilities, processing plants and the means to deliver these locally produced good to where they’re most needed.

My allotted time was directed at seed starting. Covering the necessary supplies, soil formulas, lighting, timing etc. Later today i’ll be working with a reputable seed source to gain “commercial grower” status, hoping to gain better access to that all important element, Seed’s!

I find them to be a refreshing mix of folks who are not shy to Pray to open and close meetings And yesterday after one lady pointed out the flags in the meeting hall, we all stood and recited The Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag. Couldn’t get any better than that!

 

[Alasgun]

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[IMG alt="Alasgun"]https://www.backyardherds.com/data/avatars/m/21/21451.jpg?1609546312[/IMG]

Alasgun​

(copied over from TEG)​

Yesterday’s meeting went well. I had invited a gal who works for the Alaska state fair, running an experiment station of sorts right on the fair grounds. They have a large poultry barn, a goat barn a greenhouse and several plots from 1/8th acre to 1 acre that get used for community gardens up to lessons on cover crops etc on the larger pieces.
next week the whole group will take a farm tour and determine who’s interested in what and so forth and so-on. It’s starting to look like this thing has gained enough momentum to actually fly?

Apparently way back when, someone donated this plot of land to the state with the stipulation it would never be sold and that it would be made available for this very purpose!

“There still are some good people, toto!”

 

[Niele da Kine]

There's been some community talks between our local government and the rest of us about sustainability that have just started.

Hawaii is another non-connected state that relies on too many imports, so they're trying to figure out how to be sustainable again. We used to be, but then the food crops were switched to money crops (primarily sugar) starting around the late 1800's and that lasted about a hundred years. Sugar stopped abruptly in '96 when the government subsidy was pulled from sugar and they started importing cheaper sugar from other countries. But by that time the 'farmers' had become 'factory farmers' who only knew how to follow the luna's orders of when to plant, water, fertilize and harvest and only for one crop.

We don't have any support for variety crops since there's no processing facilities. Each farmer has to grow, process, package and sell their crop. But, they're at least starting to look into it. Some specific crops, such as papaya, have some processing facilities, Used to be, folks could plant macadamia nuts and then sell them to the mac nut place, but they've planted out enough for themselves now so I've heard they don't buy from other folks anymore. It can be pretty intricate to be sustainable.

 

[Alasgun]

Thursday’s meeting saw us taking a farm tour of the Raduchez property which is on the State fairgrounds. This family was part of the original Colony project back in the 30’s. They donated this property to the Alaska state fair, which operates an almost living history arrangement on the property. Currently restoration of the Almost 100 year old log cabin (farm house) and numerous out buildings is being undertaken.

This working farm houses a 60 ft. Poultry building, a goat barn and a 100 ft high tower greenhouse! Plots of land from 1/8th acre up to 1 acre are available for rent/ trade/ or work for food arrangements and all work is performed by community members participating in the various small animal and farming groups. This includes a group of adult mentors and a collection of students ranging from kids thru Wounded Veterans or displaced Women!

kinda makes you all warm inside when you learn something like this is going on right in your community! This tour was to introduce folks wanting to learn gardening to folks with available small plots plus experience and limited resources such as irrigation to the various plots, volunteer‘s to plow or till tracts of land etc.

Time will tell how it all shakes out but a big tip of the hat to these early pioneers with the foresite to look this far down the road. The stipulation placed on the land donation included a clause saying “the land can never be sold and must be used for educational purposes and an aid to community gardeners.”

 

[thistlebloom]

Thanks for keeping us updated. I think this is terrific.

 

[AMKuska]

Wow that's amazing! I'd love something like that around here.