Greenhouse food to support Alaskan island community

A remote Alaskan island known for its seafood is to get state support to build a greenhouse and grow its own local vegetables.

The Pribilof Island community of St. Paul received $437,524 in federal grant funding from the Administration for Native Americans under its Social and Economic Development Strategies program.  This will help the community to develop their food production over the next three years.

The Tribal Government of the island, which is in charge of the money, intends to create a local agricultural enterprise which will use sustainable farming practices to grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables.

The project’s development stages will be the assembly of the greenhouse, recruiting and training volunteers, preparing for cultivation and phasing in plant cultivation.  Later there will be regular education of the community, cooking demonstrations and “tasting tours”.  The final year will see the enterprise incorporating a wind turbine into the greenhouse system to reduce energy costs.  The project’s aim is to achieve sustainability for the community, as opposed to profit.

For the full story, see http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/greenhouse-project-remote-alaska-island-gets-boost

Author: Robert Smith