The Alaska AgrAbility (AKAgrAbility) team have been planning for spring workshops and assessments as Alaska sees daylight increasing. DeShana York has been working to plan workshops with the Alaska Veterans Affairs Health Care Division and the Anchorage Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans Program. The Anchorage Domiciliary is a residential public rehab program specializing in the treatment of alcoholism, opioid addiction, substance abuse, and dual diagnosis. They have expanded their programming at the facility around growing and have accessible raised beds and have recently acquired a greenhouse they are planning to have operational this summer.
On March 4th, AKAgrAbility program information was provided at a vendor fair in conjunction with the 51st Delta Farm Forum in Delta Junction, Alaska. This is a well-attended annual event that is coordinated by the Delta Junction District Office of UAF Cooperative Extension Service and the Salcha-Delta Soil & Water Conservation District. The forum is a community event combined with an update on local agricultural information. Producers, researchers, and representatives from businesses and agricultural agencies gave presentations. One of the highlights from this year's forum was when Claire Friedrichsen, research soil scientist, USDA ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, provided a presentation titled "Wellbeing from Working the Land."
Submitted by DeShana York