With Alaska importing nearly 95 percent of its food, university researchers are racing to develop new grain varieties that could fundamentally shift the state toward self-reliance.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska — With Alaska importing nearly 95 percent of its food, university researchers are racing to develop new grain varieties that could fundamentally shift the state toward self-reliance.
Jakir Hasan, a research assistant professor of plant genetics at UAF, is spearheading a program to create updated strains of barley, wheat, and oats specifically adapted to Alaska’s warming climate and unique growing conditions. While farmers have long grown these crops in the state, the current varieties in rotation are nearly two decades old, leaving a critical gap in efficiency and yield that Hasan aims to close. The research focuses on the Delta Junction area, viewed as a potential “cereal hub” for the state due to its existing agricultural infrastructure. Hasan notes that grains serve as a foundational ingredient rather than just a food source, supporting essential secondary industries like flour milling, animal feed production, and even local breweries and distilleries. However, successful cultivation is only the first step; the state currently faces significant bottlenecks in processing infrastructure, including a need for industrial-scale seed cleaning, drying, and storage facilities to handle increased production. Collaborating directly with local farmers to test these new varieties across different microclimates, Hasan envisions a future where Alaska follows the model of Nordic nations like Finland and Norway, countries with similar climates but total food security.lecture on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Geophysical Institute, where Hasan will discuss the roadmap to transform Delta Junction into a central grain hub.Woman killed in early morning Fairbanks shootingFairbanks NAACP to hold fundraiser on UAF campus
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