Russell Kokubun

The sides taken in the debate over the Ho‘opili project are well defined, and it comes down to how farming advocates weigh the residential and commercial development of 1,554 acres of prime farming land in Ewa.

D.R. Horton’s Hawaii Schuler Division, the developer, has drawn some to its side, while opponents have been making the case for preservation of the agricultural acreage in hearings that are grinding on before the state Land Use Commission.

And among the influential voices here: Russell Kokubun, the former politician and now director of the state Department of Agriculture who was himself a Big Island farmer, going back a quarter century.

In the transition to the administration of Gov. Neil Abercrombie, the agency’s position on Ho‘opili has shifted to one of support. It’s hard to overlook the potential of industry influence in politics — names of some executives with the Horton enterprise do turn up on the list of the governor’s campaign contributors.

But Kokubun maintained that what really tipped the scales toward the state’s pro-development position is the availability of more land and opportunities for Oahu farming. Primary among these, he said, is the Galbraith Estate, 1,720 acres of former pineapple fields that are soon to come online for diversified agriculture. There’s also progress, he added, in the statewide designation of "important agricultural lands" (IAL) to help revitalize the state’s ag industry.

"I really think people need to take a long-term view of where we’re going with ag," Kokubun said.

Besides boosting Hawaii’s overall ag production, Kokubun’s priorities include securing funds to hire inspectors in the ongoing battle against invasive species.

The most hopeful aspect of his job? Seeing the next generation of farmers turn up at the department’s workshops.

"They are so bright, they are so engaged in agriculture," he said. "I’m very optimistic about the future. I’m encouraged by that."

QUESTION: Why did the department change positions on the Ho‘opili project?

ANSWER: I have not talked with the previous director specifically about their position; I talked with staff, though. … I think the main issue for the previous administration was that there be additional land set aside for this purpose. And at that point the requirement really was for the developer to go get this additional land, and make it available.

Q: You mean to be used for farming?

A: Correct: If you’re going to take some good stuff out, that there be more good stuff replacing that. What I think didn’t happen at that time, one of the major factors that changed our position, is that now we have access to more land, really good land.

So, has there been a replacement? Yes, and more so. And now is there even more of an effort to make more good agricultural land available for that purpose? The answer is yes.

Q: Where is this replacement land?

A: The biggest piece is the Galbraith Estate. … The (state) Agribusiness Development Corp. is going to assume management and responsibility for the Galbraith lands. A hui of funders got into that, including OHA (the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs).

Q: What was there before?

A: Pineapple.

Q: No structures?

A: There’s a well, and there are some ag roads, just rough infrastructure. … So that’s one piece that came on the table.

The other piece, a little bit of history on this: Back in 2005  — my fingerprints are kind of on this — the Legislature wanted the ag lands that are under DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) control. They also have the ability to lease ag lands. But their focus is not ag. They don’t have the expertise to do ag.

So the legislation said, all of those lands that are currently being used for ag purposes should go to the Department of Ag, for their management, for their leasing laws. Because our leasing laws are much more flexible than DLNR’s.

Q: Where are these lands?

A: They’re all over the place. But one of the key pieces, there’s a piece off Kunia, west of Wahiawa and Schofield, that encompasses about 500 acres. We just executed the executive order for that land to come to the Department of Ag. So we have great prime ag land in Kunia.

Q: So the 2005 law enabled the land transfer?

A: It didn’t just enable it; it was a mandate that the lands come over, so DLNR was to do an inventory.

The problem is … the ag district was just used as kind of a dumping ground for land that wasn’t conservation or urban. They just dumped it all in ag. There are some really important conservation lands under the so-called ag designation. So DLNR is looking at those and figuring out which ones they want to maintain control over that are labeled ag, but they want to convert to conservation. So that’s why it’s been kind of piecemeal coming over. …

The third leg of that stool is, there’s 150 acres also on Kunia Road, but closer to the freeway, that’s already been set aside as an agricultural park, and we will develop it as such.

Q: Some say there’s a qualitative difference in the Ewa land. True?

A: I don’t think it’s qualitative in the sense that one’s better than the other. I think what it really provides, because of the different elevations, are different opportunities to grow different kinds of commodities.

Q: So, temperature … ?

A: Temperature, rainfall … that Ho‘opili site is flat. That was sugar, right? And there is water.

One of the complaints was Ho‘opili is setting aside lands that are unusable, junk for farming, because they’re gullies and all that. You know, farmers don’t necessarily only look at flat land as being the ideal. Take Kona coffee, for instance. It’s growing on a slope; it’s rocky. Very different. Farmers are very good at figuring out what grows best.

And the prime example for the Ho‘opili site was that Ho Farms now has said they’re going to lease land, right? They’ve already struck a deal. And one of the places they wanted was the gulch, because they’re going to build a greenhouse, and that protects it from the wind. So there are lots of factors that I think people need to talk to farmers about, what’s suitable and what isn’t. …

Q: Don’t some intimate that developers used their money and influence to sway the department? How do you respond to that?

A: Well, I’m not seeing any money from it. (Laughs.) But what I do see is there are going to be agricultural opportunities maintained.

Certainly there is a loss of good arable land, no doubt about it. But to me the point isn’t just that. It’s where are we going to make more land, good land available for people to farm?

Q: Any political, financial pressure associated with this policy change?

A: Not for me.

Q: The governor?

A: You know, actually he never weighed in directly with me or staff.

Q: At what point did you decide to make the change?

A: For me, the turning point — and this is in conversation with Horton folks — was their trying to incorporate these concepts of urban agriculture. … There always to me needs to be a transition between urban and ag. I used to think that the rural district was the right transition. …

Q: And now you think it’s what?

A: I think it can be direct. Because of the proliferation of farmers markets, with the community intent that they support ag, I see that as being much more productive.

Q: You don’t worry about complaints from residents, about ag operations?

A: Maybe pig farms and condominiums? Yeah, maybe asking for trouble. I think the way this was formulated, at least to me, allowed that kind of appropriate interface.

Q: What about other developments, such as Koa Ridge? Will the developer Castle & Cooke offer some ag land in replacement?

A: Yes. My understanding is they’ve already been working with Aloun Farms to provide replacement lands.

Q: How is the effort going to define the state’s “important ag lands”?

A: There’s a couple phases going on. First phase is a voluntary designation, and the large landowners are looking at that. … If you voluntarily designate so much land, then only 50 percent of your holdings have to be in IAL, and more cannot be taken, essentially, and put into that.

Say I’m a large landowner, I’ve got 10,000 acres. I’m going to say … “I’ll give 5,000 to remain in ag, and don’t touch my other 5,000. Give me the property rights to do whatever is appropriate there.”

Q: So, beyond the voluntary dedications of land, how does the ag land get set aside?

A: That’s exactly what the counties are required to do, by developing these maps. They will be utilizing whatever criteria will identify, and submit that to the Land Use Commission.

Q: How much has been declared “important” so far?

A: We’re at 90,000 (acres) statewide … I think it’s about 900 on this island. Big Island had the largest piece so far, 56,000. Maui has about 27,000, and Kauai, I think they’re at 16,000. … One of the criteria we’ve been holding them to is that there be irrigation, water available, so it’s not just land.

Q: How is the county mapping going?

A: The most definitive work has been done on Kauai. They’ve actually hired a consultant, and they have gone through the process, which the County Council is considering. …

One of the complaints from the counties was that, “Hey, you guys, it’s like an unfunded mandate. The Legislature says, ‘You guys go identify.’ Give me the money to do the mapping, you know?” That has not been forthcoming.