Planning For Food Security

This month, I am asking the following question, “how resilient is your community?”  If the planes are delayed for weather or other reasons, how secure is your community and household food supply?  Last year, due to extreme weather, the stores in Dillingham were practically devoid of fresh produce.  It was an eerie sight to see.  However, rather than panic and becoming a “doomsday prepper,” one might simply look at their own pantry and try to be a little more organized in how to address the issue of planning for your family.  Now that the days are getting longer, and some gardeners are starting to receive seed catalogs in the mail, this is the perfect time to make a household food budget for the year and to find ways to meet those food demands in a way that makes sense for you. 

Some regional and local organizations have really taken on the task of food security as a major goal.  For instance, the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Community Development Association (APICDA) has greenhouse projects starting in their communities.  Igiugig has demonstrated true leadership in the area of food security and community food planning.  They started with community chickens and have moved on to a community greenhouse heated with wind turbines for an extended season.

Additionally, some producers are discovering that there might even be money in food production.  Even if you don’t get into production as a business, you will find that planning for your family’s food needs will ultimately put you in a better position financially, as buying in bulk is typically a lot cheaper, and planning your food purchases will challenge you to source the best deals.  In the olden days it used to be called “being thrifty,” but in the bush, I like to think of it as just being smart. 

Although most of the food planning guides list primarily grains and vegetables, most of us living in rural Alaska have some idea of what our meat and fish needs are for the year.  If not, you can estimate your needs by looking at your existing meat and fish consumption patterns, and estimating for your annual food needs based on those patterns.  It might also be a good time to reconsider some of our eating decisions.  If you notice that you are consuming soda pop every day and if you stop to add that up for the year, it might make you reconsider whether that is a necessity or a luxury that should only be consumed on special occasions.  Often, what is good for the pocketbook is good for your health too.  

Here are a few resources to help you get started formulating your food plan for the year:

http://nchfp.uga.edu/ 

A Plan for Food Self-Sufficiency

Basic Food Storage (1 person for 3 months)

Financing Food Storage

Food Storage Calculator

Comments on the upcoming Annexation Vote

In terms of a "high majority" of residents in some of the villages fishing,
that is an exaggeration. In the Bristol Bay drift fishery, according to the CFEC 2009 statistics, the drift gill net permits held by local residents dropped from an initial 38% of the total at initial issuance (after passage of the Limited Entry Act) to 21% by the year-end 2008. Approximately 32% of set net permits were held by non-Alaskans in 2009. Of the remaining held by Alaskan residents, fewer and fewer of those are held by local watershed residents. So, the majority of the tax will be paid by non-resident fishermen.

I have fished for quite a few years in Naknek, as has my husband. There is a 3% raw fish tax over there that goes toward such improvements as schools, a community-owned and operated swimming pool, and an inclusive pre-school program for all of the 3- and 4-year old children in the community, not just those with disabilities or who are under income. The fisheries infrastructure that is supported by that fish tax has allowed for substantial gains in the ex-vessel price of the raw fish ­ far in excess of the 3% that supports it.

For instance, ice machines - that BBEDC purchased, that are operated and maintained by the municipality, increase the ex-vessel price paid to the fishermen based on a higher-quality fishery product. From 40 cents per pound a decade ago to over $1.35 per pound paid to fishermen for this raw fish is a much greater gain than the cost of the 3% raw fish tax in Naknek. A 2.5% raw fish tax paid in Dillingham would amount to $2,500 on a $100,000 season, which amounts to 12.5 loads of ice at $200/ton on the fishing grounds, versus 25 loads of ice purchased at the harbor at $100/ton. I couldn¹t verify the cost of ice at the harbor, but this is a fairly good
guess compared to the cost of ice at the Port of Bristol Bay in Naknek (currently $75/ton).

I grew up in a village, a village that had a raw fish tax. My mother fished, which allowed our family to afford many things that we couldn't have without the income from fishing. But, she also worked in the winter, as did my grandparents, who always did things in the winter - whether it was fur products, operating an inn, or making their own businesses.

Starts in the dirt - is it too early?

I started the following:

1/23/12 tomatoes, green peppers and basil (for Naknek greenhouse), milk thistle, lemon balm, cilantro,
2/24/12 leeks, more tomatoes and basil (for Naknek)

I've already started transplanting the tomatoes that I started in January. They are about 3-4 inches tall.

I planted the leeks in a mixture of mostly worm casings. I haven't seen any sign of them sprouting yet. I've been having difficulty getting Pro-Mix locally. The only local grower who carries it was sick when I tried to buy some more last week. I haven't heard from her since, but I hope that I can get more soon. I did send for some Cocolife blocks from Burpee's but it might take a while for that to arrive.

Garden Plan - 2011: Senior Center Community Garden

Garden Plan - 2011: Senior Center Community Garden

Indoor photos, but outdoors activities

Tonight was so much fun! A group of us went over to Liboffville to work on the pseudo-community garden over there. Our family (Chet, me, Noah and Lovina) arrived on the scene, with shovels, a rake, and gardening tools in hand, ready to get to work planting. Then, Lilly and Aria showed up - woo hoo! It was definitely a garden work party with those ladies. The kids had a great time, and we actually got a lot of work done. Chet and our garden helpers Lilly and Aria moved the compost bin to the perimeter of the garden (to prevent dogs and other pests from trampling through the garden to sniff something out). Lilly, Aria and I planted several more rows of veggies - turnips, beets, beetberry, radishes, and arugula. We've still got about 3 more rows to plant, and, of course, the back portion of the garden that we cleared this spring. That will be challenging! But, with the introduction of a Mantis roto tiller purchased by Mike Davis, the tilling part should go pretty quick. The garden extension is about as big as the garden that we put in last year, probably about 30 x 40 feet. Should be enough potatoes for 5-6 households this year. Last year we had enough potatoes for about 3 households.

I'm glad that I like the taste of salmon and potatoes, because if the cost of oil continues to rise and food prices follow suit, that might be our best option here in Southwest Alaska. I'm glad that we have access to Jerry's yard and have had the opportunity to grow a nice vegetable garden there.

On another note, here are some pictures of my indoor tomato plants, already bearing fruit! My secret? It's my free fertilizer source, of course! My kids simply pee in a bucket (they love it) and I dilute it down to about 20 parts water to one part pee. Don't be bothered by the human pee ick factor. Simply look up the main ingredient in Miracle Gro sometime - yep, urea. That is the chemical in pee. Plants love it.

Vegetable Garden Planner

Vegetable Garden Planner

Our 2011 crop plan - lots of veggies!

Composting on a municipal scale - easy and feasible!

Check this out - the feedstock was food scraps from U.C. San Diego. The city composts it's waste, diverting material from landfills, and creating useful compost.