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2026 Food Security Week! Everybody Eats
February 25, 2026
Highlights from 2026 Food Security Week!
Collaborative partnership for food security in Alaska’s Capitol
by Rachel Lord
The second week of February is Food Security Week in Alaska. Dozens of advocates from different sectors descend on Juneau to share stories and advocate for policies that reduce hunger and support food systems.
Food is basic infrastructure. This was a key message to our legislators. As important as roads and runways, food security is critical for a thriving state. And while a lot of good work has been done, there is much left to do.
It’s easy to have a narrow focus when we talk about food. To different people, that can mean farms, fishing, hungry families, school lunches, subsistence rights, grocery prices, food waste – the list goes on. At AFPC, we know that food policy crosses all of these sectors and more, and Food Security Week embodies that reality. Increasing food security in Alaska is by definition a complex effort that requires an all-of-the-above approach, and our Food Systems Policy Framework provides a guide to this work.
AFPC Executive Director, Robbi Mixon, and AFPC Advocacy & Policy Director, Rachel Lord hit the Capitol building with a few key messages:
Rachel and Robbi, along with Tikaan Galbreath, AFPC Co-Vice Chair/Indigenous Foods Working Group Chair, and Dr. Mike Jones from UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, presented to the House Tribal Affairs Committee. AFPC’s portion of the presentation illustrated how Alaska’s food security challenges are systemic and require collaborative statewide action. We explained how AFPC aims to be a connector, advocate, and information hub focused on strengthening food systems for all Alaskans by gathering input, developing policy and investment recommendations, and sharing research and resources.
We shared about our current work, including the Alaska Food Systems Network and its statewide working groups, including Indigenous Foods, Advocacy, and School Nutrition. Tikaan provided an overview of discussions and concerns explored through the Indigenous Foods Working Group, including the need for partnerships that respect Tribal sovereignty, co-management opportunities between the state and federal governments, recognition of wild foods as central to food security, support for Tribal-led solutions such as the self-determination project for Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) led by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and more. There was robust committee discussion.
Alaska Native tribes continue to advance the health and well-being of sovereignty of people through stewardship of lands and water and food systems that have sustained us since time immemorial. In our working group, across nearly every meeting, we have tribal representatives that include dieticians, harvesters, coordinators, traditional knowledge holders, and policy advocates that consistently show up….through our collaborative work, we’ve had success in creating a bipartisan and inclusive advocacy rooted in Indigenous perspectives.
Rachel briefly shared AFPC’s Food Policy Framework for Alaska, which spans wild and traditional foods, local production, processing, distribution, access, waste, and broader supports like workforce and capital. Finally, we outlined our Regional Food Partnership Project’s two main goals: building an Alaska Food Systems Atlas and dashboards to create a shared “common operating picture,” and establishing a Food Value Chain Coordination Council to identify bottlenecks and improve how food moves across the state. (AFPC Presentation/ISER Presentation/Video)
Emily Garrity, owner of Twitter Creek Gardens, joined us and spoke to her challenges with the state’s leasing process for agriculture. She has a guest blog post here about the issue, and we talked with legislators about a few of the bills introduced addressing some of these challenges.
In addition to advocating for Market Match Program funding, the Alaska Farmers Market Association co-hosted a beautiful and delicious Alaska Grown dinner at the Governor’s mansion. The dinner featured oysters, root vegetables, salad greens, and carrot cake, made from ingredients sourced from farms, both land and sea, and farmers’ markets from around the state. Attendees included around 20 legislators, 6 candidates for Governor, many farmers, and numerous food systems advocates.
We co-hosted a legislative reception with the Alaska Farm Bureau, Alaska Farmland Trust, Alaska Food Coalition, Food Bank of Alaska, and the Alaska Farmers Market Association. This was a time to socialize with fellow advocates and legislators, and to continue conversations around food policy. The reception featured Alaska Grown products, including the crowd favorite bacon-wrapped carrots! The Alaska Mariculture Association also had a fantastic reception with the best decorations (kelp balloon sculptures!) and fresh oysters.
The week ended with the first meeting of the Legislative Food & Farm Caucus, a bipartisan, joint caucus of Alaska legislators focused on agriculture, food security, and related policy issues. It is an informal group inside the Legislature where lawmakers can coordinate around these issues. They regularly invite presentations from food systems stakeholders. This meeting gathered representatives from various food systems organizations, legislators, farmers, and more. We recapped the week, discussed concerns, and shared upcoming events.
