It was a rainy summer in the native village of Port Lions.

But by late July, rows of vegetables were ready for harvest at a small farm nestled in the spruce trees.

Joe Kewan runs the two acre farm in the northeast corner of Kodiak Island.

A small team of volunteers helps him grow everything from radishes and cabbage to leafy greens and herbs.

There's a coop where a flock of chickens lay eggs, too.

But Kerwin has even bigger plans for growth.

We have four of these.

We've recieved one so far.

We have three more coming.

The wooden platforms will soon support <font color=#000000FF>hydroponic growing units,</font> <font color=#000000FF>each one made from 40 foot</font> <font color=#000000FF>long shipping containers.</font> <font color=#000000FF>The new additions</font> <font color=#000000FF>will be powered</font> by the island's wind turbines, and they'll be game changers, allowing the farm to grow more produce throughout the year.

We'll pretty much have year round production.

of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, those are the main ones.

We also want to do hydroponic watermelons.

Port Lions is one of five villages within the Kodiak archipelago that now have their own farms.

Another is in the city of Kodiak.

<font color=#000000FF> Each one is community</font> <font color=#000000FF>or tribally owned.

The</font> The Farm Network is called Alutiiq grown.

Village leaders started seriously looking at food security about ten years ago.

There weren't any agencies or folks that really seemed to be taking the lead on food security in the region, Besides being mayor Dorinda Kewan Who is Joe's mom is the Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute's project manager.

The organization tapped into federal grant funding for the farms.

95% of Alaska's food is imported from elsewhere.

That's before it gets shipped to the city of Kodiak.

All of the island's villages are off the road system.

So food needs to be flown by small plane or ferried over.

The weather's poor in the grocery sit in boxes for days waiting to come sometimes, but you get a spoiled or not as usable Frozen goods often thaw and all of the food that's shipped in is expensive.

Many of the villages, including Port Lyons, also don't have a store to pick up the basics.

History has also taught the villages nearly 170 residents the importance of being self-sufficient.

Port Lyons was established as a home for people displaced when the native village of Afognak was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in 1964.

More recently, supply chain issues caused by the pandemic made many people rethink how they got their food.

folks embraced the notion of the farm immediately.

Some were skeptic.

Popularity of the farm grew slowly over time.

But when COVID hit, I. I've seen a drastic change in attitude and And says while much of the state and country grappled with an egg shortage last year.

Port Lions residents had fresh eggs every morning.

But the farm is also part of a bigger goal to create <font color=#000000FF>a local food network called</font> <font color=#000000FF>the Qik'rtak Food Hub,</font> <font color=#000000FF>an online marketplace where</font> <font color=#000000FF>shoppers across the island</font> <font color=#000000FF>can place weekly orders</font> <font color=#000000FF>from Alutiiq ground farms.</font> <font color=#000000FF>Qik'rtak means Kodiak</font> <font color=#000000FF>Island in Alutiiq.

</font> <font color=#000000FF>The Port Lions Farm already</font> <font color=#000000FF>received its first orders</font> <font color=#000000FF>this summer.</font> The population of Port Lions has shrunk over the years.

It's a problem shared by many Alaskan villages.

But there's optimism that long term food security will give people a reason to stay.

Guy Bartels then has worked on the farm since the beginning.

He says coming here every day is like therapy.

and it's for a really good reason.

I'm trying to help feed our community.

These are my people.

My family and I have kids, grandkids and soon great grandkids here, and I want to make sure that they're taking care of, you Joe Kewan says that mission drives him to.

He was born and raised in Port Lyons, and the farm has given him a place to plan his future.

that's always been my goal, is to find something that I'm passionate about in my hometown His goal is to double the size of the farm.

There's been talk of opening a store for village residents, too.

It's going to take some time, he's excited to watch it grow.

In Port Lions.

I'm Kirsten Dobroth.