Editorial: Help for small farms

Hawaii’s agriculture sector has long struggled to expand from small farms and low profit margins to something more viable: a larger market share and more efficient operations, with access to support networks to fuel growth.

To that end, there’s some good news. A new program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aims to give small and midsize farming operations some help with the business side.

The agency announced last September its $400 million initiative to set up Regional Food Business Centers around the country. One of them, the Islands and Remote Areas USDA Regional Food Business Center, would support Hawaii as well as Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The centers “will provide coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building to help farmers, ranchers, and other food businesses access new markets and navigate federal, state and local resources, thereby closing the gaps or barriers to success,” USDA said in a press release.

The Hawaii-based center would be administered through the Hawaii Good Food Alliance, a hui of individuals and organizations trying to support local food production. The alliance is a finalist for the job, pending administrative review.

It’s hoped that having access to the business center will help Hawaii’s small farmers persevere.

Most Hawaii farms are less than 100 acres and generate less than $10,000 in income, according to federal statistics. And the University of Hawaii reports that the real value of agricultural sales has dropped significantly since 1982. Given the combined pressures of scarce, expensive land, labor shortages, the high cost of transportation and equipment — not to mention pest control in a tropical climate — Hawaii farmers need all the support they can get.

A federal regional business center, working alongside initiatives by state and local government programs and private groups, could keep our local crops growing.