Development Pressure in the Valley is a Threat to Our Food Security
Whether you are an occasional visitor to the Valley or have made the area your home for 50 years, you are probably enchanted by the sweeping views of farm fields against the backdrop of rugged peaks and glaciers, our small town feel, and the relaxed pace of life. At the same time, you’ve probably noticed the increasingly rapid pace of change in our communities. Every day for the past 5-10 years, I have seen construction when I leave my house near Palmer. And most days, that construction involves an excavator or a backhoe digging up 8-10 ft. of some of the richest and purest topsoil in the country. Where there were once farms, dairies, and hayfields now stand literally hundreds of houses with great lawns.
Let me be clear, I chose to live in Palmer because I know that the Valley is a wonderful place to be. But the secret is out and the biggest toll of this change is coming to our farmlands. Developers are drawn to the flat, already cleared farmland to build subdivisions because it’s easy and they are offering huge sums of money for the land. This inflates the cost of land per acre and makes purchasing a fee simple property unattainable for young people looking to start a farm.
This is not the only option for developers looking for potential home sites. The Valley has hundreds of acres of gravelly moraines that are perfectly suited to building foundations. You don’t need level, fertile soil to build a house but you do need it to grow food. We must encourage our developers and folks looking to call the Valley home to build on infertile grounds and make hilly-building a priority.
This may seem like a big request or lofty idealism, but what is at stake is our ability to feed ourselves. Alaska’s produce is fantastic. Our peas and carrots are sweeter, our spuds are heartier, and the variety of local food available to us rivals anyplace on the planet.
Alaskans are a self-sufficient bunch, so why should we be comfortable relying on the Lower 48 for something as fundamental as food?
The Valley once was Southcentral’s pantry with scores of farms and dairies and is now poised to expand its farming operations in a big way, with new farms popping up every year. We need to continue to encourage the agricultural industry by keeping our premium farmlands affordable for future farmers.
We can give those farmers a fighting chance by supporting organizations like the Alaska Farmland Trust who seek to preserve access to our amazing soils for generations to come. We can encourage new development on infertile soils. And we can buy local food at every opportunity. Because you can’t have local food if we don’t have local farms.
-Leslie Senden, AFT Director; pictured second from right in photo.
Leslie grew up in Alaska, is a resident of Palmer and makes her home on the Springer system. She recognizes the value of protecting farmland and wanted to ensure that the agriculture industry remains a viable choice for the next generation of Alaskans.