OUR MISSION, HISTORY & FUTURE

OUR MISSION:

AFFECT empowers a new generation of Interior Alaskan farmers to enhance local food security and build sustainable, resilient food systems. Through hands-on training, farm partnerships, and business investment in Alaska's unique climate, AFFECT equips aspiring producers with the knowledge, tools, and community connections necessary to succeed. By expanding local food production, we aim to reduce reliance on imported produce, improve food access, and foster economic opportunities for Alaska.

OUR HISTORY:

AFFECT was initially conceived in response to the need for more food security in Interior Alaska with training of new farmers and increasing food production. AFFECT was initiated as a USDA Community Foods Project by a team of agriculture minded community members. In September 2020, Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District successfully acquired USDA funding to start the AFFECT project with partners such as UAF and the Fairbanks Food Bank. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the greater Fairbanks region experienced drastic disruptions in the food supply-chain. This was a wake up call to many that growing food and learning how to grow food was more important than ever. Since the USDA funding grant, AFFECT has exponentially grown and established immense community support. An advisory board has been formed to aid in the direction oF AFFECT’s future. Alongside this board, AFFECT continues to be supported by Fairbanks Soil and Water District and their dedicated staff. 

OUR FUTURE:

Although AFFECT’s short-term goal was to effectively train and ensure the success of the next generation of Interior Alaskan Farmers through classes and farmer mentorship, the long-term vision for AFFECT goes beyond that. AFFECT is designed to eventually become its own non-profit dedicated to increasing Fairbanks' food security.  

An advisory board has been formed to aid in the direction of AFFECT’s future. Alongside this board, AFFECT continues to be supported by Fairbanks Soil and Water District and their dedicated staff. In Summer 2024 AFFECT was provided  its own Americorps VISTA member to help actualize the long-term vision of AFFECT. The goal is for AFFECT to become a multi-program organization dedicated to increasing and supporting the local food system through three core programs: 

AFFECT Farmer Training 

AFFECT Farmer Incubation 

AFFECT Community Kitchen

How the Farmer Training Program is Currently Designed:

1st year:

Students access a Summer-long course teaching the fundamentals of successful farming in the Alaskan Interior. This course visits local farms, teaches business skills, and focuses on organic and sustainable farming methods. 

2nd year:

Following successful graduation of the first year, students are assigned an apprenticeship to a local farm for one season. Here they learn the nitty-gritty of operating a farm day in and day out.  

3rd year:

In the third year, AFFECT will offer students a small parcel of land (¼-½ acre) to start their business at a central location. The “incubator farm” model supports fledgling farmers by mitigating the initial risks of entering agriculture, such as costs of land, equipment, and lack of immediate mentorship. We are in discussions with multiple partners regarding potential locations. Programs like these have seen great success at increasing local food security, such as the Intervale Center in Vermont and Viva Farms in Skagit Valley. With enough students at a centralized incubator farm, adequate wholesale contracts can be made with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District to provide local food in school lunches. 

In summary, incubator farms give new farmers the experience and financial stability to successfully start new farm ventures, while creating opportunities for cooperative sales.

Community Kitchen:

AFFECT hopes to construct a community commercial kitchen and food storage facility that can be used by both students and local producers. This kitchen will bolster overall food production by providing a facility for food storage and processing, presently in high demand in Fairbanks. Secondary research has demonstrated extreme need:

1. The Alaska Food Policy Council’s Report on Potential Infrastructure Investments (2018) highlights the needed priority to support, “Food Storage in Climate-Protected Food Caches Across the State”, and “Shared Community Kitchens for Creating Value-Added Products”.

2. The Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District’s Report on Food Security in Interior Alaska (2018) interviewed 87 producers and buyers and recommended a local food distribution center business model.

3. The Governor’s Food Security Task Force Report (2022) states the primary infrastructure needed for producers as, “cold storage and other storage infrastructure.” For processing, the report highlights, “commercial kitchens and processing equipment,”.

Primary research we’ve conducted shows over 20 local food producers making value-added products that don’t have access to a safe DEC certified kitchen, can’t afford to build their own, and now no longer qualify under cottage law because they make over $25,000. As word spreads about our intentions, more producers have been reaching out with interest. This underscores there is likely larger demand than we know. Conversations we’ve had with shared kitchens across the country have led us to believe that a kitchen like this will not only improve local food and economic security but can be a viable source of earned income for the proposed AFFECT non-profit.

In all, the benefits of the AFFECT program have already begun to be felt in Fairbanks. AFFECT has successfully brought two groups of student farmers through the course, created over 27 weeks worth of curricula, produced hundreds of pounds of fresh local produce for the Food Bank and Breadline, and established a community food web that includes advocates, students, and mentors. We hope to continue training prospective farmers this coming year with your support. The potential of AFFECT is profound as AFFECT hopes to not only train fledgling farmers, but provide land at a centralized incubator farm close to the city center. As importantly, the emergence of an AFFECT Community Kitchen would help bolster the already present farmer population’s food production by providing a shared facility to store and process their yields. To conclude, our short-term goal is that AFFECT continues to train and educate another class of student farmers this coming year. Our long term goal is that AFFECT become a dedicated food security non-profit, able to additionally provide an incubator farm and community kitchen.