People driven by misinformation are endangering local farming

Does Hawaii support local agriculture?

We support the ideals of sustainable agriculture, locally sourced ingredients and farm-to-table, certainly. But behind these faddish catch phrases and buzzwords are people — farmers — and without them those ideals will remain elusive.

We enjoy shopping at farmers markets, but the reality is that Hawaii imports about 85 to 90 percent of the state’s food supply. So a better question might be: Does Hawaii support local farmers?

Recent events suggest that despite our ideals, our actions indicate that we do not. Farmers struggle to overcome many challenges: inability to lease land at reasonable prices or qualify for loans when financial institutions are understandably reluctant to lend because of short, tenuous lease agreements; limited access to water for farming; and the cost of supplies and labor.

With extremist GMO opponents demanding laws that restrict how farmers can farm, and a majority of voters getting swept up by their misinformation, sustainable agriculture becomes even more of an elusive fantasy.

It’s time for reason to prevail. We must stop basing our actions, decisions and laws on fear and instead look at the facts. Do we need to spend taxpayer money conducting any more studies into the health and environmental impacts of growing GMO crops?

No, they are the most widely tested crops on the market. Federal and state laws already regulate the production of GMO crops, and companies that grow them have responsibly complied with all applicable guidelines and voluntary good-neighbor efforts.

Hawaii is at a new crossroads in agriculture. After the decline of sugar and pineapple plantations here in the 1990s, Hawaii proved itself resilient. Bouncing back from the effects of world competition, we diver- sified and reinvent-ed ourselves to make use of half of the 2 million acres designated for agriculture. Open, green space continued to define Hawaii for both local residents and visitors to our islands.

At the same time, innovation has thrived, placing Hawaii at the forefront of the global seed industry, with hundreds of millions of dollars of local economic impact.

All of this could change early next year if the ban on the production of genetically modified crops is implemented as law. The pride we have in being able to buy local produce and support local farmers may be a thing of the past. "Grown in Hawaii" exports to destinations around the globe may also become obsolete.

These aren’t gross exag-gerations. The papaya, genetically modified to be virus resistant, could become a target. Roughly 70 percent of all food in grocery stores contains genetically modified ingredients. Some local farmers contract with seed companies as a way to supplement their farm operations so that we can "buy local." That may become a thing of the past if we as a community continue to let the GMO extremists hijack the debate, and paint it as a battle between good and evil when it’s really an issue of choice.

And if we choose to ban GMO foods due to fears that have no scientific justification, we’re also choosing not to support local farmers and the ideals of sustainable, local agriculture that they make possible.

Do we want local agriculture to have a vital role in our state?

Perhaps the recent series of events involving voter initiatives and lawsuits points to the need for a much broader, inclusive discussion to determine the fate of agriculture and farmers in our state. It’s time for Hawaii’s people to take charge of their own destiny.