Grace Van Vessem: Sustainable Farming Initiative in Alaska

During my time in Alaska, I had the opportunity to work with like minded individuals on a small, organic sustainable farm. I learned about sustainable, small-scale farming and harvesting practices while working during harvest season. Work consisted of harvesting, weeding, pruning, and selling the produce on market days. Our farm went to a variety of locations for markets, including areas that otherwise would have been food deserts.

We operated types of tractors, including solar powered ones, and learned about the best practices for harvest season and crop rotation to increase yield. We also learned about when to let a field fallow and helped prepare field for fallow. Finally, we maintained a compost pile which including tilling the pile and sorting various waste to ensure it would not go to rot so it could provide the farm with nutrient-rich soil. Throughout this process, we debated food waste solutions and the impact of climate change and industrial farming on sustainability and food production.

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