In a coastal hub town above Alaska’s Arctic Circle, even summer temperatures are too cold for northern-growing forests to take root.
Yet a creative kind of farming is sprouting up in the largely Inupiat community of Kotzebue.
A subsidiary of a local Native corporation is using hydroponics technology to grow produce inside an insulated, 40-foot shipping container equipped with glowing magenta LED lights.
Arctic Greens is harvesting kale, various lettuces, basil and other greens weekly from the soil-free system and selling them at the supermarket in the community of nearly 3,300.
The manufacturer of Kotzebue’s pesticide-free system says the venture is first of its kind north of the Arctic Circle.
The goal is to set up similar systems in partnerships with other rural communities.
