Project Overview
Information Products
Commodities
Practices
- Crop Production: high tunnels or hoop houses, low tunnels, no-till, season extension, varieties and cultivars
- Education and Training: demonstration, farmer to farmer, technical assistance, workshop
- Pest Management: mulches - general
- Soil Management: composting, earthworms, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: community development, food access and security
Proposal abstract:
Rural Alaska Community Action Program’s Growing Rural Opportunities for Wellness (GROW) proposes the Bering Strait Ag Leader’s Summit project. This project will host
12-15 ag professional leaders from different communities in the Bering Strait region of Alaska. The participants will convene annually to learn about sustainable agriculture practices. Topics will include building healthy soil, season extension, instruction on hosting seed starting workshops in rural communities, and local plant knowledge about regional gardening practices. The project will use culturally and bio-regionally relevant resources to disseminate information on sustainable agriculture practices. The program will collect feedback from participants after workshops to refine and develop subsequent meetings. Ag professionals from all corners of the Bering Strait region will meet, connect, and become long-term resources for one another to share information on agricultural practices. Participants will be empowered with the skills, knowledge and support to pass along knowledge of sustainable agriculture to other community
members. This project will effectively create a network of ag leaders, spread sustainable agriculture practices, and stimulate food security and employment in the region.
Project objectives from proposal:
The Bering Strait Ag Leaders’ Summit will promote sustainable, long-term local agricultural education in the Bering Strait region. Through the workshops, Bering Strait community ag leaders will learn and implement principles and practices of sustainable agriculture, including the use of local resources for soil creation, harnessing the waste stream for soil amendments, and simple technologies for warming soil and extending the growing season.
Participating ag professionals will be empowered with the skills, knowledge and support to pass along knowledge of sustainable agriculture practices to other community members. In-person meetings will create a space for the exchange of innovation and ideas and build a community of ag professionals. Knowledge will be passed on by community events, social connection, and supplemental educational materials produced by this project.
Bering Strait ag leaders will be supported in securing funding for their community gardens. Ideally, multiple new part-time gardening jobs will be created in the Bering Strait region, boosting employment in those areas. Participants will meet in person, exchange ideas and information, and maintain connections, effectively building a
regional network of ag professionals.
The project aims to train around 12-15 agricultural leaders in soil creation, composting, and basic season extension each year. Participants will return to their communities and host events on sustainable gardening topics including planting, soil development and care. Currently, the 15 villages in the Bering Strait region have no dedicated Cooperative Extension Agent. This project will begin to fill that gap in technical service by training a network of agricultural professionals.