Alaska’s Division of Agriculture received $1.8 million in microgrants through the USDA’s 2018 Farm Bill to help address food security issues in the state.  

Alaskans have until February 15 to apply for a grant.

David Schade, director of the DOA, said the goal of these grants is to increase food production and storage on a local level to decrease Alaska’s dependency on the outside.

“We’re at the end of the food supply chain,” Schade said.  “Earthquakes didn’t quite get everyone to understand how food insecure we are, but COVID-19 did.”

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, only $70 million of the estimated $2 billion worth of food consumed in Alaska is grown in state.

An increase in production leads to an increase in the need for food storage, which is already an issue in rural communities.  Schade said despite there being food programs available to those in need, often - especially in rural communities - there is nowhere to store the food once it arrives. 

To address food security problems, the DOA is looking for small-scale, innovative ideas that have the potential to provide communities across the state with long-term solutions.  Schade said proposed projects should reduce the cost and consumption of energy in the production and transportation of goods, as well as help expand knowledge on effective ways to address these issues.  

A presentation posted to the DOA’s website notes individuals, tribes, tribal organizations, non-profit organizations, and federally funded educational facilities in the state are all eligible to receive funding.  Schade said the DOA expects to receive proposals from a wide variety of farmers and gardeners across the state all with varying backgrounds and degrees of expertise.      

“We’ve come up with, I think, a great program that will let everybody have an equal chance to get in on this,” he said.  

The presentation also provides examples of what items the grant money can be used to purchase, as well as what kind of projects qualify for funding.

While community processing stations and freezers for wild game, solar, hydroponics, and educational workshops were all mentioned, Schade said he didn’t want to limit people’s ideas by listing suggestions.

“We don’t want to waste money, but we’re not afraid to try things,” he said.  “I know that Alaskan ingenuity is going to solve our problems, and that is what we want to see.”

The grant money will be dispersed over a three-year period.  Individual applicants can apply for up to $5,000 in funding per year, for a total of $15,000.  Organizations, groups, and communities can apply for up to $10,000 in funding per year, for a total of $30,000.  

A 10 percent match of each award will be required by grant recipients.  While Schade said he thinks it is important for those receiving money to have a personal investment in their project, he also said individuals may qualify to have that fee waived.

To save applicants time, the selection process is divided into two rounds, pre-application and full application.  

In the first round, applicants must complete a two-page scoping application that identifies the applicant(s), the project, the impact it would have, and the budget.  The second round will require applicants to provide full proposals with more detailed information and documentation.

An independent review committee will evaluate the initial scoping applications and select which projects they want full proposals for by March 1.

Schade said his goal is to have the funds distributed for this year’s growing season.   

“We’re trying to move this along pretty fast … so that we can get these out for spring,” he said.  

The application, as well as instructions and guidance on filling it out, can be found at www.dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_grants.htm.

Article by Amanda Swinehart