Flagstaff’s Food System

Past, Present, & Future

Creating a local food system

A few questions:• How much of Flagstaff’s food is grown

locally?• Where does most of Flagstaff’s food

come from?• How much food was grown in the area

by prehistoric peoples and farmers in the last 100 years?

• Why did local agriculture decline after World War II?

• How much food could potentially be grown near Flagstaff?

• How much food could be obtained through regional trade?

• What can we grow in Flagstaff?

How much of Flagstaff’s food is grown locally?

Almost none!

Where does most of Flagstaff’s food come from?

Albertson’s supermarket, Flagstaff

Creating a local food system

Where COULD most of Flagstaff’s food come from?

Flagstaff Community Market Crooked Sky Farm

Farmer Frank© Debbie Leavitt Glendale, AZ Flagstaff

CSA

History of Farming in FlagstaffHow much food was grown by

prehistoric farmers?

Terrace-garden at Hotevilla. Everyone in this village has a small garden which is irrigated by the village spring. The women own and maintain these gardens. 1936. NAU Special Collections Call no.: HCPO.PH.2003.1.HA3.7

Moencopi — Hopi cornfields.NAU Special CollectionsCall no.: NAU.PH.96.4.14.10

Prehistoric Farming Techniques

• Dry Farming• Berm and swale

systems• Terraces and check

dams• Rocks and

microclimates• Variety and Diversity• Seed adaptation

History of farming in Flagstaff

Pre-WWII Farming in Flagstaff

Embach sheep grazing in ponderosa pine forest. NAU Special Collections Call no. NAU.PH.84.1.78Hay field after harvest, 1920

NAU Special Collections Call no. NAU.PH.412.2.

History of farming in Flagstaff

Pre-WWII Farming in Flagstaff

Museum of Northern Arizona Colton Collection, c. 1940 No.MS207-211-2 (31B-9)

History of farming in Flagstaff

Flagstaff — the Potato Capital of Arizona

Albert D. - Spuds - Norman D., 1920 NAU Special Collections Call no. NAU.PH.412.3.4

History of farming in Flagstaff

Pinto beans take over

Bean Field--Combine Thresher Operating near Flagstaff, Arizona, 1938

NAU Special Collections Call no. AHS.0770.00016

Red Lake2,500 acres

Black Bill Park7,000 acresCorley Park

500 acres

Kendrick Park2,000 acres

Doney Park8,000 acres

Munds Park1,000 acres

Oak Creek150 acres

Garland Prairie1,250 acres

Flagstaff Area Commercial Bean Farming Regions, 1930s

History of farming in Flagstaff

Pre-WWII regional trade: Mormon cooperation

Mormon farm field, Bluff, Utah, 1909NAU Special Collections Call no. NAU.PH.643.2.5

History of farming in Flagstaff

Why did local farming disappear after WWII?

Bean Field--Combine Thresher Operating near Flagstaff, Arizona, 1938

NAU Special Collections Call no. AHS.0770.00016

History of farming in Flagstaff

In the 1940s there were 16,000 acres (25 square miles)

under cultivation within a 10-mile radius of Flagstaff

The Bioregional Food Revival

How much food COULD be grown near Flagstaff?

A Harsh and Unpredictable Climate

A Harsh and Unpredictable Climate

A Harsh and Unpredictable Climate

• Short Growing Season: 90 days

• Great day to night temperature fluctuations

• Cold Winters• Dry, low precipitation:

~20”/year• Strong Winds• High Altitude Sunlight• Unpredictable weather—

snow in May, June, July?!• Poor soils

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