UAF researchers use technology to grow food during Alaskan winters

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – Growing food during the Alaskan winter requires a lot of energy use, but research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) aims to use existing technologies to make the process more efficient and allow more gardeners to cultivate plants year-round.

This research ultimately comes with the goal of increasing local food production in the Interior, leading to greater food security.

“We don’t want to be dependent on other regions because you never know what can happen. We can be cut off and then food security becomes really important that we can sustain ourselves with what we can grow locally,” said Professor of Horticulture Meriam Karlsson.

UAF is hosting an hourlong seminar starting at noon on Tuesday to show members of the community where their research into light-emitting diode (LED) technology has taken them.

“There is a lot of technology and new innovations that are being developed, but not necessarily for growing plants,” Karlsson explained, “so we need to be observant and take advantage of what’s being developed in other areas, engineering and marketing, and all these other areas as well.”

These lights, which are able to be purchased by anyone, tend to be more efficient than older technology in generating light, which is a necessity for many plants to grow.

“Of course, up here, we don’t have much natural light at this time of the year, so we do need to have supplemental lighting, and that has become much more affordable… In the past, it really cost a lot of money and took a lot of energy,” Karlsson said, who is presenting the seminar.

She added that LED lights also allow for more control of the quality and spectrum of light emitted, and the university has been researching which factors are ideal for plant growth.

“It’s very different for plants depending on if we are trying to find crops that will produce… leafy greens or microgreens or just have the vegetative parts or the leaves versus reproductive and flowering because flowering often have very specific requirements, both in form of light quality and the day length,” Karlsson explained.

Currently, the university is growing fruits, vegetables and flowers at its Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station Greenhouse, attached to the Arctic Health Research Building.

With the knowledge gained, Karlsson hopes the growing season in the Interior could be expanded for both those in the industry and those who grow in their home.

“We can do it commercially, but also there is a lot of applications and a lot of opportunities for gardeners or those who want to grow something in the winter, even in their kitchen or their garage or their basement, because some of this technology can be adapted and used in all kinds of different sizes of production,” she said.

The seminar, part of a monthly series covering issues with agriculture in circumpolar regions, is open to UAF students as well as the general community, with both in-person and online attendance provided, and is expected to be available online sometime after it is completed.

Karlsson said the university is also planning a conference for a couple of years from now, dealing with agriculture in polar regions to expand collaboration with other arctic nations.

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