KOTZEBUE — Though farming outside in the tundra of the arctic isn’t an option, an Alaska Native company is working to grow fresh produce for rural villages with hydroponic technology.
Alaska Native Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation’s new subsidiary Arctic Greens is growing new spinach, kale and types of lettuce inside shipping containers in Kotzebue with the hopes of providing produce year-round to the Northwest Arctic Borough city, KTUU-TV reported.
“A lot of people have their own little gardens to grow things for themselves in the summertime, but in wintertime the cost of produce is high, and not everyone can afford something green from the store,” corporation President Will Anderson said.
In Kotzebue, it can take four days to two weeks for vegetables to make it to the Alaska Commercial grocery store after being picked from the ground. Most of the produce comes from the Lower 48 and can be expensive and in poor condition by the time it hits Kotzebue’s shelves.
“By the time it gets out to the Native stores and the villages, who knows what kind of condition it’s going to be in, and the price could be who knows how high,” Kotzebue resident Annabelle Alvite said.
Alaska Commercial has agreed to buy hydroponic produce for its 28 rural grocery stores if Arctic Greens can produce enough. Anchorage-based AC director of sales and operations Jeff Cichosz said he is excited to see better quality produce available in villages.
When fully operational, Anderson said he expects the hydroponic farm to deliver up to 550 pieces of produce each week, even when the weather drops to 60 degrees below zero. If the Kotzebue yield sustains through winter, he said the company will expand to other villages across rural Alaska and northern Canada. The business has working models in Anchorage, Dillingham and Kotzebue.
