Addressing Alaska’s Hierarchy of Needs
(2021©donnliston.com)
Alaskans are generally stuck at the bottom of the 5-level pyramid of human needs defined in Abraham Maslow’s 1943 paper, A Theory of Human Motivation. His 1954 book “Motivation and Personality” expanded on this theory and remains a basic underpinning of modern sociology, psychology and management training. If humans are fulfilled in their needs--from the most basic to the most advanced--they ultimately reach some degree of self actualization.1
Some might argue that after more than 60 years of statehood it’s time our elected officials demonstrated how we can realize some self-actualization for needs of Alaskans. That is called “vision.”
Over my own life, reaching self-actualization has meant thinking about what is important and exploring how elevating my life from Physiological>Safety>Love and Belonging>Esteem can allow me to contribute to making Alaska a better place in which to live and share in the glory.
It’s an evolving process.
1: Physiological needs are
the lowest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. They are the most essential
things a person needs to survive. They include the need for shelter, water,
food, warmth, rest, and health. A person’s motivation at this level derives
from their instinct to survive.
And then there is the matter of food.
As kids we Alaskans drank milk made from powder and ate a lot of cereal with sugar. Every magazine in the store had ten cents added on the cover cost for “shipping.” When we ordered something from the catalog it sometimes had some production flaw but couldn’t be shipped back because of the cost of shipping. Workers at the Sears warehouse in Chicago obviously knew that. Shipping costs inflate everything included on the Alaska Hierarchy of Needs.
So now, a half century after it began, our oil bonanza is becoming another part of the state portfolio of income-producing commodities; furs, gold, fish, game, timber, minerals, Alaskans share the bounty of under the constitution. It’s a given. But what if our elected officials could do something to directly increase Physiological Needs of all Alaskans? Does the State of Alaska have something that would contribute qualitatively to everyone’s Hierarchy of Needs?
What about Food?
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Ray Nix discussed Alaska Agriculture needs over coffee in Palmer |
“The State of Alaska is the key player in natural resource development for agriculture,” explained Ray Nix, former Natural Resource Manager for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Nix also worked 24 years with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, over 10 years at the Division of Agriculture. “For the amount of land available, we have little agriculture production. The challenges for a successful agriculture operation are sufficient infrastructure, viable products, and viable market. If any one of those elements are lacking successful commercial agriculture cannot succeed. Small operations can be successful, can succeed, but expansion is limited if they don’t have a road to the farm or power. Infrastructure is key.”
Eking out a subsistence living on 640 acres is not commercial agriculture. It is labor intensive and subject to the whims of nature. 700,000 Alaskans require more than what is currently available by valiant efforts for consistent nourishment. Resource managers have known this for a long time but how to spend money from natural resource development is much easier for elected officials to imagine than to determine how to invest wisely in Alaskan food sustainability for the future. Targeted investments to increase food security need to be addressed by the Department of Natural Resources.
Alaska spends some $3 Billion per year for imported beef, pork and chicken to feed Alaskans. Needs for true Alaska Food Security were previously discussed here: https://donnliston.blogspot.com/2020/06/how-can-alaska-gain-food-security.html
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The New Nenana Bridge to Totchaket |
“It’s not that the state doesn’t have agriculture land, the challenge is making that land available to support commercial agriculture.” Nix continued. “What we need is ag land at a reasonable rate to produce commercial agricultural food production.
One of the largest parcels of land left--just connected by a bridge across the Nenana River—is about 148,000 acres of state-owned ag land. That land currently doesn't have power or a road into the project area. There is a bridge across the river but no real road into the project. The state has some plans to develop it but I think when they do it is important that commercial food production operators gets an opportunity to participate, because for commercial agriculture to succeed—especially anything for livestock—will require significant amounts of acreage. You aren’t going to find commercial operators willing to invest the amount of money it will require; there’s no road, no railroad, no power, so the price of the land needs to be such--and enough of it available--to support a sustainable commercial food operation.”
At our same general latitude in Canada a lot of the farms are 10-, 20-, 40-thousand acres dedicated to a single product—Livestock, according to Nix, “That’s a model that works. The Alaska model of 640-acre plots for ag land is not a successful model for a large livestock commercial operation. Alaskans need their legislators to engage and develop a mechanism whereby sufficient land is available to attract the amount of investment it will take to produce this product we say we want to produce.”
“When you have two legs of the stool it is a lot easier to get the third leg,” continued Nix. “If you have the market, and you have the product, all you need is the infrastructure. We have to solve that problem.”
Where can this Happen?
Four decades ago former Nenana Mayor, state senator, and Lt Governor, Jack Coghill was among the group who began the push for access to the rich natural resource area west of Nenana known as the Totchaket. In 2008 construction began on a road to the Nenana River and a bridge over a nearby slough. But seven years and $9 million later, the project ground to a halt at the riverbank. Pilings had been sunk into the riverbed, but the city had run out of money to build the bridge and the state had stopped funding the project. Two years ago the local Native association stepped-up to help finish it and July 6, 2020 a celebration was held for the new bridge.2
The bridge will improve access to hundreds of thousands of acres west of Nenana, including the 133,000-acre West Nenana Agricultural Project. (Graphic courtesy Alaska Rep. Dave Talerico)
Local leaders hope the bridge over the Nenana River will boost the area’s economy through land sales and resource development, and provide more access to hunting and fishing, according to this report. Some 148,000 acres of state ag land will also be ready for development with sale beginning in 2022. How that land is distributed should be a major concern to the coming Alaska Legislature.
“Some small farms are needed
in an area like this,” explained Nix. “We need a community to establish an
agribusiness; that’s what I like to call it. It’s not just an agriculture
operation, it an ag business. An ag business for livestock includes everything
from growing your own feed, to feeding your own animals, to slaughtering your
own animals to putting them on the market. Alaska needs big, commercial ag
businesses that have enough land to graze the animals, to finishing the
animals. They must be able to do all the business required. You could put
several large farms like that together and I think they complement the small
farmer, the 20-acre farmer or the 40-acre farmer.”
Among the resource development options to make more money at Totchaket, what could be better use of this newly available land than to feed Alaskans?
This challenge will be on the plate for newly elected Sen. Robert H. Meyers, Jr. of Fairbanks/Salcha and Nenana Rep. Mike Cronk from this region, along with Sen. Click Bishop, hopefully beginning this coming session. They won’t have any baggage from past legislatures--where the majority circled the wagons and fired inward. This is a project all Alaskans will realize benefits from for the next century if infrastructure construction can be started now.
Over recent years Alaskans have taken steps to develop agriculture with gardens, and farmer’s markets and associated activities, but the demand for beef and pork is too great to supply solely in-state.4
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The Alaska Division of Agriculture in mid-January announced a new "micro-grants for food security" program, funded by a $1.8 million appropriation from the 2018 US Farm bill placed by the Alaska Congressional delegation. The goal of the program is to increase the quantity and quality of locally grown produce through specialty farming funded by small grants.
http://dnr.alaska.gov/ag/ag_grants.htm
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Another critical area for increased agriculture production can happen in Southcentral Alaska with investment in infrastructure on land between the Little Susitna and Big Susitna Rivers. Known as the Fish Creek Management Area, the Mat-Su Borough owns about 8,000 to 10,000 acres of good agriculture land here. North of that the State owns some land as well. Again, a bridge across the Little Su will be necessary to get to it. Once in production the option of another bridge across the Big Su will provide access to the state ag land.
A study by the state, called the West Susitna Access Project, has brought attention to this area.4 The Legislature needs to consider funding this agriculture project, not just the big project going on there for resource extraction. With a road into the borough land another 8-10 thousand acres extending over to the Big Su becomes available.
From the ADOTPF Report:
While nearly the size of Vermont, the Study Area has a
diverse natural resources base. These natural resources include hardrock
minerals, placer gold, coal, oil and gas, forestry/timber, agriculture, alternative
energy options, and recreational resource opportunities, such as sportfishing
and hunting. Surface access to most of this area, however, is minimal or
non-existent. This study aims to identify locations that may benefit from a
proposed surface connection and evaluates the potential access routes. The
objectives of this study report are to:
• Identify resource development opportunities west of the
Susitna River.
• Identify one or more potential crossings of the Susitna
River.
• Identify one or more potential transportation corridors
to access identified resources
“They developed the plan for what
was originally called the Fish Creek Ag Project back in 1982,”
Nix continued. “It changed over time and went in a different direction. At the Borough
we changed it back to identify those ag parcels that are important for the
Southcentral Region because there aren’t many more. We also talked about those (state) parcels on the other side of the Big Su, they are important, too.”
Mat-Su area legislators, and a governor from the Mat-Su, could do something really important in the coming session for the benefit of all Alaskans. Availability of Alaskan produced food enough to sustain all residents is something worth working for.
“We’re doing what can be done,” concluded Nix. “We can haul livestock in, or we can bring meat in boxes, but when the boxes aren’t coming and the trucks aren’t running--as happened in the pandemic--what do you do then? Some grabbed toilet paper! Frankly speaking, toilet paper was the least of MY worries.”
References:
1Corporate Finance Institute
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/
Learn how psychology relates to financial analysis.
Corporate Finance Institute offers a behavioral finance course for those
interested in how psychology affects investing decisions!
https://www.knba.org/post/new-bridge-opens-access-land-and-economic-opportunity-west-nenana
https://donnliston.blogspot.com/2020/09/who-dares-to-farm-in-alaska.html
https://donnliston.blogspot.com/2020/12/who-is-making-difference.html
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