Food Systems Network Gatherings, afpc events & conferences
Recap: April 2026 Alaska Food Systems Network Gathering
April 29, 2026
By Sundance Visser, Operations & Finance Director, AFPC
Our second Alaska Food Systems Network Gathering of 2026 took place virtually on Thursday, April 23 from 11:30 AM–1:00 PM, bringing together farmers, food system practitioners, community leaders, and partners from across the state. These quarterly gatherings help us stay connected between conferences, share timely updates, and learn from one another as we work toward stronger, more resilient food systems in Alaska.
These meetings are not recorded but we do share slides with all who registered and here in the recap blog.
Highlights from the April Gathering
The gathering opened with introductions and answering the question “What food feels like spring to you?” Nettles, fiddleheads, spruce tips, and birch water hit the chat, and, especially relevant given the day’s mariculture focus, “freshly harvested kelp” was mentioned several times.
AFPC Updates
These quarterly gatherings provide a platform for the Alaska Food Policy Council to share program updates. This quarter, we shared the dates for the upcoming Alaska Food Festival and Conference (October 16-18) in Fairbanks. We are excited to return to the Interior for the first time since 2017. Our theme this year is Cultivating Community, Harvesting Hope, and if you’d like to get involved, consider joining our planning committee! Registration and our session submission form will open in late May, and we’ll share all updates on our website, social media, and newsletter (sign up here).
Rachel Lord, AFPC’s Advocacy Director, shared advocacy updates, starting with a review of their trip to Juneau during the 2026 Food Security Fly In Week. She shared a number of valuable resources:
- AFPC’s Cross-Sector Policy Framework
- AFPC’s State Bill Tracker
- On the Menu legislative update emails – only a 4 more weeks left this session
AFPC is tracking 35 bills this session as well as the Operating and Capital budgets. Rachel went over seven of the bills, including their status at the time and other info. She also reminded everyone that Alaskans can find their representatives and even follow bill updates via SMS at akleg.gov.
Native Movement
Our 2026 Alaska Food Festival & Conference co-hosts, Native Movement, joined the gathering as well. Jennifer Adams, Native Movement’s Nankat Holdings Director, shared a presentation about Native Movement’s work.
Native Movement is a state-wide Alaska-based non-profit organization dedicated to building people power, rooted in an Indigenized worldview, toward healthy, sustainable, & just communities for ALL. Native Movement supports grassroots-led projects that align with their vision, that endeavor to ensure social justice, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and the rights of Mother Earth.
Nankat means “on the land” in the Gwich’in language. Jennifer’s presentation included a YouTube video of the Nankat Farm. The goals for the space include youth and elder garden projects, Traditional plant walks and harvests, workshops, Traditional food processing, and more.
As we continue to collaborate on the upcoming conference, we will share more updates and information from Native Movement.
Guest Speaker – Jason Lessard, Executive Director of the Alaska Mariculture Alliance
At this gathering, we were fortunate to be joined by two members of AFPC’s Governing Board. Jason kicked off this section of the gathering with an overview of the Alaska Mariculture Alliance (AMA), including their history and initiatives. Then he spoke about the challenges and potential of the mariculture industry in Alaska.
AMA’s mission is to develop and support a robust and sustainable mariculture industry for the long-term benefit of Alaska’s economy, environment, and communities. In 2025, AMA was awarded the administration of the $5M Mariculture Incentive Grant Program, a matching grant intended to develop and expand mariculture in Alaska. To date, approximately $2M has been distributed, representing $4M of investment!
Mariculture includes much more than just oysters and kelp. Other species include king crab, sea urchins, and more! Market development is one challenge for mariculture industry growth in Alaska and another is infrastructure development and modernization. Some potential uses for kelp beyond direct consumption include cosmetics, plastic alternatives, construction materials, and organic biostimulant (agriculture).
Guest Speaker – Evie Witten, co-founder of Regeneration North and Spring Tide Ocean Farm
Evie Witten shared a presentation full of photos including work on her family farm as well as the Kachemak Kelp Innovation Hub in Homer. The Kelp Hub is a pilot community-scale seaweed processing and marketing hub and hosts a number of ongoing research projects. Last summer, they fermented kelp on a large scale and created a biostimulant for agricultural use, in collaboration with the Chugach Regional Resources Commission and other partners. It was tested on several Alaskan farms. They also have several delicious ready-to-eat products like their kelp chili crisp (lots of comments in the Zoom chat about how good it is!) and furikake seasoning available on their website and at local retailers.
Evie and the rest of the Kelp Hub team are in the middle of the 2026 harvest season and we can’t wait to hear more about what they produce this year!
What’s Next
Sign up here for the 2026 Alaska Food Systems Gatherings Series!
We have one sign up form and one Zoom link for all four meetings.
- July 23rd, 11:30-1:00pm: Chef Marisa Peña from the Bread Line will share a cooking demo (stock and pesto from food scraps!)
- October 1st, 11:30-1:00pm: Conference Preview
