Food security needs long-term research

ÃÛÌÒµ¼º½ Agriculture and Forestry station researchers have been addressing food security in Alaska for more than a century, experimenting with various small grains, vegetables and fruits to see which do well in Alaska’s challenging climate, with the goal of easing Alaskans’ reliance on imported foods. Researchers at Alaska’s two experiment farms, one in Palmer and one in Fairbanks, have developed varieties of barley, wheat, sunflowers, potatoes and other vegetables that thrive in the far north. Other areas of study include invasive species, pesticide and herbicide persistence in cold soils and the effects of a changing climate on Alaska from an agricultural and natural resource perspective.

 
 

 

IANRE researchers study

  • Small grains variety development 
  • Vegetable variety development 
  • Peony and cut flower cultivation
  • Soil fertility
  • Composting
  • Climate change
  • Greenhouse crop production 
  • Food policy
  • Public health
  • Birch sap production
  • Pest management
  • Farming on permafrost
  • Plant light use 
  • Plant pathology 
  • Livestock nutrition 
  • Herbicide and pesticide use
a woman measures a squash plant in front of a high tunnel

State-wide study inventories Alaska soils to help expand, improve agriculture

When it comes to soil, location matters. Caley Gasch, a soil scientist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, has spent the last few years working with farmers, home gardeners and community and tribal agriculture projects across the state collecting soil samples to create an inventory of soil conditions. 

From farm visits and mail-in samples, Gasch has over 600 samples from areas on and off the road system. Each sample was analyzed for properties that show how healthy the soil is, including nutrient content, organic matter, pH level, nitrogen content and even electrical conductivity. This analysis allowed Gasch and her team to provide participants with individualized reports that gave practical advice on improving or managing soil conditions. 

While this dataset provides information on the chemical nature of the soil, Gasch also wants to understand the physical and biological properties. Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, gas and water. To get a more complete picture of soil properties, Gasch is resampling 20 farms that span Alaska’s agricultural regions, including the farm in Juneau. 

She is measuring components to better u