Helping local farms more important than ever

Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s proposed supplemental budget includes funding to acquire prime Oahu agriculture land, invest in Molokai irrigation system improvements and the Waimea Homestead Community Agricultural Park, and fill state Department of Agriculture positions in pesticide, marketing and statistics programs.

Fortifying prime agricultural lands and infrastructure, and supporting local farming are critical elements for food security for our state. Agriculture must be a predominant theme in our sense of place.

We also must invest in people, by helping current producers find solutions for the challenges they face and equipping new farmers with both sound agronomic practices and business acumen.

One major goal of what the governor calls an "agricultural renaissance" should be to reduce our heavy dependence on outside sources for the food we eat.

Newly published work by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) faculty member PingSun Leung and Department of Agriculture economist Matthew Loke calculates the proportion of food in Hawaii that comes from local sources at just 11.6 per-cent, even below the widely cited 15 percent estimate. That compares to 37 percent in the 1930s — before the economies of scale on large offshore farms and efficiencies of shipping-container transport undercut smaller local producers.

Dependence on shipping makes Hawaii vulnerable to storms, not to mention disruptions stemming from human origins, such as rising fuel costs on shipping and the indirect, but long-term effects of climate change.

So how can we create a more resilient and food secure future? We must:

Invest more in research for conserving and efficiently using water and energy, while maximizing yields, promoting safety and fostering healthy soils.

Better communicate research findings to local producers through the Cooperative Extension Service and other outreach organizations.

Provide a mechanism to gather and assess the needs of our producers and consumers.

Coordinate efforts across the state with regard to crop and soil sciences and food systems education, curricula and training.

Form creative public-private partnerships to foster integrated approaches.

I am optimistic because I have seen promising partnerships emerge. VegiLab, for example, is a collaboration between CTAHR specialist Clyde Tamaru, commercial nursery Mari’s Gardens and Japan’s Horimasa Company to conduct research on aquaponics, the production of fish and plants together in a soil-less system. This approach has significant potential for increasing our capacity for food production on marginal lands, as well as in urban areas.

It is more important than ever before to support these efforts and the many others happening across our islands.