federal policy, partner spotlight & events

Local Food Purchasing Agreements In Alaska

By Rachel Lord, Advocacy and Policy Director, AFPC

Since 2022, in response to pandemic food supply disruptions across the country, the USDA has partnered with states and Tribes to invest more than $2 billion in a partnership with private industry to strengthen local and regional food economies. According to the USDA, the program goal is to “increase access to local domestic food and improve and maintain supply chain resiliency by building supplier partnerships with local and regional farmers…” and in Alaska, this has been a huge success. 

Alaska has benefited from significant investments in local food production through the USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Agreement (LFPA) programs. These initiatives—LFPA, LFPA+, Local Food for Schools (LFS), and Tribal LFPA programming—have provided business support to Alaska’s farmers, fishers, and other food producers while increasing access to fresh, locally sourced foods for schools, food pantries, and communities across the state.

According to data from the USDA, awards to Alaska include: 

  • LFS AK: Dept. of Education & Early Development –  $520,635
  • LFPA/LFPA+ : AK Division of Agriculture –  $1.47M
  • LFPA/LFPA+ : Tribal Governments –  $13.7M

The Alaska Farmers Market Association has worked closely with the Division of Agriculture to distribute LFPA funds. Since 2023, they have facilitated purchasing local foods from nearly 40 producers in Alaska, donating to 11 food banks, through 7 markets across the state.  

Expanding Markets for Alaska’s Producers

The LFPA programs have created new and stable markets for Alaska’s food producers, including farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food manufacturers. By leveraging federal funding in a public-private partnership, state and tribal governments have been able to purchase Alaska-grown and harvested food to distribute through food banks, schools, and other community-based organizations.

This investment has been especially meaningful in a state where food production faces unique challenges, including high transportation costs, a short growing season, and infrastructure limitations. LFPA and LFPA+ have helped local producers scale up operations, invest in necessary equipment, and expand distribution networks. 

“It seemed too good to be true,” said Glen Risse, Risse Greenhouse. “After years of taking our excess produce to the Rescue Mission, food bank, and Stone Soup Cafe and donating it, the food box purchase program has come through to help our dwindling income. We can now grow more food for market and for those who need it the most.” Megan Schulze of Frontieress Farm noted, “As a producer, this allows me more flexibility in my harvest window as well as in the ups and downs of farmers market revenue.”

Additionally, the Tribal LFPA program reinforces food sovereignty efforts, supporting Alaska Native communities in reclaiming traditional foodways while strengthening local economies. Cayley Eller, Tyonek Tribal Conservation District, spoke of the impact of their LFPA programs, purchasing from more than thirty producers and reaching every household in the community. She shared, “The opportunity to purchase food from the community farm, which produces nearly 4000 lbs of produce annually, and distributes back to community members meant that, as a food security program, this farm was able to honor the true cost of production in a remote area and reap a profit off of produce sales for the first time in its 12 year history. The opportunity to have continued these sales over the next 3 years would have had a profound effect on the ability of this program to scale and increase production capacity in future years.”

Addressing Food Insecurity with Nutritious, Local Foods

One of the most direct benefits of these programs has been the increased availability of nutritious, local foods for Alaskans experiencing food insecurity. The Local Food for Schools (LFS) program, for example, has allowed school districts to procure fresh, local ingredients for meal programs, ensuring students have access to healthy, Alaska-grown food. At the same time, LFPA purchases have strengthened the emergency food system, supplying food banks and pantries with local products instead of relying solely on imported goods.

For food producers, this program has been transformative. “The LFPA program is the most impactful program that the Alaska Division of Agriculture has had,” Brad St. Pierre of Goosefoot Farm explained. “Programs like this connect the dots between those in need and those who grow. If we are to have a strong food system in Alaska, it needs to be accessible to all, and this program helps us get closer to that goal.“

In rural and remote communities, where supply chain disruptions and high food costs create ongoing challenges, these programs have made a tangible difference. Emily Garrity, owner of Twitter Creek Gardens in Homer, noted, “Our farm has been donating fresh, locally grown produce to the food pantry for years. Since LFPA funding has been available, we have been able to more than double our donations every week throughout the growing season, supporting access to fresh, highly nutritious food for our most vulnerable population.”

In Fairbanks, the Alaska LFPA program supported many farms in providing significant donations to the Bread Line’s anti-hunger work. 

“The partnership that the Alaska Local Food Purchase Assistance program made possible between the Bread Line & local farmers was a wonderful example of the kind of domestic investment the federal government has prioritized since 1933. Small farmers feed Alaska. The LFPA paid local growers to get their produce to those without access to local fresh foods—it was a win/win… ” Hannah Hill, Executive Director at the Bread Line, stated. She continued: 

“From June through September 2024, the Bread Line served over 15,000 free hot meals across our anti-hunger programs. Most of these meals used locally grown foods, in large part, made possible through the LFPA program. This resource shaped the way our summer food service programs looked between our weekday soup kitchen and our weekly Community Meals project. It elevated our capacity both in the amount we have been able to serve and the quality of food we can consistently provide.“

By prioritizing local procurement, the LFPA programs help grow farm businesses and ensure that Alaska’s food resources stay within the state, benefiting both producers and consumers.

Looking Ahead

These programs have reinforced relationships between producers, government agencies, and community partners, fostering stronger collaboration in food policy and local procurement strategies. The momentum created by LFPA funding is setting the stage for continued policy development and investment in a more self-sufficient Alaska food system. Despite the success of these programs, the federal administration has announced the cancellation of funding for LFPA initiatives in 2025, which includes a loss of an anticipated $800,000 to Alaska. This decision raises serious concerns about the loss of a critical public-private partnership that has brought together USDA, the Alaska Division of Agriculture, and private-sector producers to strengthen our state’s food systems. Alaskans across the state have benefited from the momentum that has been built in local procurement, infrastructure investment, and food security efforts through this federal investment.

During a Tuesday, March 18 interview with Fox News, USDA Secretary Rollins was asked about the $1B cuts to the LFPA and LFS agreements. Her response largely spoke to other grants and focused on climate change, fundamentally missing the partnership with America’s farmers and ranchers to build and expand their markets and economic opportunities. She noted in the interview that  “if we are making mistakes, we will own those mistakes and we will reconfigure…” These programs are consistent with the President’s message of strengthening our domestic economy, and we encourage the Secretary to take a closer look at the return on investment through these partnerships with private businesses across the country. 

The momentum that began in Alaska should continue. Through these kinds of investments, long-term system improvements can be established. Tribal LFPA projects faced enormous hurdles in their execution due to the challenges of establishing new supply chains through difficult logistics and a lack of existing infrastructure to support these new distribution channels.  This reality means that many projects were just getting started when they learned in March that continued funding was terminated. Cayley Eller, Tyonek Tribal Conservation District, emphasized this point, “…this program felt like it was just starting to gain significant traction when we learned that future funding would be terminated. Even in Tyonek, the closest off-the-road system native village to Anchorage, access to Alaska-grown food products was essentially non-existent prior to LFPA due to lack of supply chain and cost-prohibitive transportation options. Through LFPA, we were able to launch a pilot program called Tyonek Gather, that allowed us to develop relationships with food producers and suppliers, and to start to conceive of what a consistent supply chain to Tyonek might look like….with the loss of the additional award and ability to request an extension, Tyonek Gather is projected to end on October 31st of this year.”

Farmer Emily Garrity spoke to the overall value of these programs, “LFPA allows that connection to be direct, and incredibly impactful to both the farmers, requiring full compensation for their hard work, and consumers, in need of access to fresh and nutritious products. The health benefits, local economic impact, farmer support, and commitment to community that are boosted by the LFPA affirm the need to continue funding this program.”

The Alaska Food Policy Council urges continued advocacy at both the state and federal levels to find solutions that sustain these programs. Whether through revitalizing the federal partnership, alternative funding mechanisms, state-led initiatives, or new partnerships, the need for strong local food systems has not changed. Now, more than ever, we must push for policies and investments that support Alaska Grown food and the resilience of our food economy.