Creating a Northern Agriculture. I. An Agricultural Development Perspective

Abstract

Alaskans now face a time of decision with regard to agriculture. In the past, national and state bureaucracies have largely ignored agriculture. It has existed merely as a foreign intrusion into the northern ecosystem, with its scope and success pitifully limited. While rural areas have needed agriculture for subsistence, urban Alaska has had no such need, so it is easy for "natural status" environmental interests to hamper the genesis of an agricultural environment. The public must realize that a planned development based on a new perspective can prevent discordant effects on the Alaska wilderness.