Dunleavy's empty Office of Food Security does not bode well for the new state food department

In September 2022, at the height of his reelection campaign, Gov. Mike Dunleavy claimed to have created an “Office of Food Security.”

In February of that year candidate Dunleavy had created a 22-member “Alaska Food Security and Independence Task Force” that was supposed to produce a detailed report by September 1, 2022. And in August 2022, Dunleavy signed a state law to create a second food task force.

“Like the Alaska Food Security Task Force I created earlier this year, the Alaska Food Strategy Task Force will help to support our agriculture industry and growing markets for locally grown and processed foods,” Dunleavy said on August 26, 2022 during an appearance at the state fair in Palmer.

About two weeks later Dunleavy announced the new Office of Food Security with a press release and a three-minute YouTube video that was indistinguishable from a campaign ad, paid for and distributed by the State of Alaska.

The administrative order that went with the video was larded with platitudes, buzzwords and jargon, calling for immediate action to study what needs to be done to grow more food in Alaska.

Standing in a green field, Dunleavy made big promises and bold pledges, saying that state corporations and state agencies would work together with the University of Alaska, farmers, tribes, nonprofit groups, etc.

“The Office of Food Security will unify this effort in pursuit of short-term, mid-term and long-term goals that will build a resilent food supply system in Alaska once and for all,” he said.

“Building secure food systems here in Alaska will also help diversify our economy and create new opportunities that take advantage of our abundance of clean air, water and land.”

“The Office of Food Security is but one step, but an important one in putting the full resources of the State of Alaska behind this effort. I’m looking forward to continuing the work we’ve already started and working with all Alaskans to turn this vision into reality,” he said.

The press release boasting about the new Office of Food Security received plenty of news coverage in Alaska, but there has been nothing in the past two years. The office was a charade.

It never had a phone number, website, budget, employee, email address, physical address, office or contact person for the public. There is no Office of Food Security listed in the state list of offices. There is no information for the imaginary office. There is no mention of it on the Division of Agriculture website or Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Dunleavy’s task force issued its report in early March 2023, but nothing came of it. The sense of urgency ended with the election. The Office of Food Security had nothing to say.

“The state infrastructure for support to farmers is lacking,” the task force wrote nearly two years ago. “The Division of Agriculture is small and limited.”

It called for “reliable funding for agriculture services, and a dedicated Food Security Department, housed independently of DNR.”

The second task force, this one headed by Sen. Shelley Hughes, finished its report a year-and-a-half ago, plowing the same ground as the first task force. It also said that elevating agriculture to a full state department should be a priority, but it will come at an unknown cost that will exceed $20 million.

The talk about an ag department goes back decades. In 2011-2012, the Legislature considered a plan to create the Department of Agriculture and Food, but it never made out of committee.

Last week, repeating some of the same phrases as he used in 2022 about his Office of Food Security, Dunleavy announced plans to create a new state food department in 2025.

He provided none of this information in his proposed budget, which already has a $1.5 billion deficit, and did not say how much the new department will cost.

Announcing the creation of a new department, with a cost exceeding $20 million, will do nothing for agriculture and food security unless there is leadership from the governor, backed by a larger financial commitment from the Legislature for research, marketing, farm development programs, business initiatives and infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the empty Office of Food Security is the clearest sign of what to expect.

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