Despite budget problems, this legislative session offered bright spots for the local ag

The role that local farmers and agribusiness play in Hawaii’s quest for sustainability and resilience cannot be overstated. If anything, the ongoing pandemic has shown the importance of their role both for individual families struggling to get food on the table and for the islands as a whole.

During the 2021 legislative period, legislators faced difficult decisions to balance the state’s paralyzed budget, which inevitably led to cuts in departments and authorities. Important funds have been raised in the Ministry of Agriculture to cover the many budget deficits.

Despite these tight budget constraints, however, lawmakers have passed several significant bills that will have a profound and lasting impact on Hawaii‘s agribusiness and the state’s ability to meet its sustainability goals. It is worth recognizing lawmakers for their leadership in helping local farmers and agriculture in Hawaii through the passage of several key bills.

“Practice what we preach” also applies to the state

Led by Rep. Ty Cullen, House Bill 767 directs the Hawaii Department of Education to ensure that at least 30% of the food served in public schools is from local produce by 2030. The bill also puts the Hawaii Farm to School Program directly under the DOE for greater accountability and better alignment of resources.

Before the pandemic, the DOE served more than 103,000 lunches and more than 32,000 breakfasts a day, according to the DOE. However, based on the available data, less than 3% of these foods were sourced locally.

Pilot projects in Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island have successfully demonstrated how local grocery procurement can be expanded – and even saved – by engaging government leadership, schools, private and nonprofit partners, and the community as a whole. By creating a goal-oriented approach to introducing local foods into school meals, the state is making a clear statement about its priorities and setting the measures behind local nutrition goals.

Similarly, MP Scot Matayoshi has enlisted the support of multiple lawmakers to help pass House Law 817, which extends this practice to other agencies. The bill requires that a certain percentage of the produce purchased by all state departments be locally grown.

As the Civil Beat editorial board recently pointed out, “HB 817 is an asset to local farmers and brings Hawaii closer to independence from imported food from the mainland.”

Strong agriculture is resilient, and the Ulupono Initiative supports the state’s efforts to lead by example. By setting a “50% by 2050” target with benchmarks along the way, our state government is supporting local farmers and ranchers with a reliable market; help improve community access to fresh, healthy products; and circulate government funds locally. These efforts are vital to support our local food production goals while increasing Hawaii’s food security.

The legislature recognizes a humanitarian need, not just an economic one

This year, in the midst of a health, budget, and economic crisis, our lawmakers have worked tirelessly to help the hungry in our community.

With the passage of Senate Law 512, the champions in both chambers showed a strong commitment to the needy. Sens. Donovan Dela Cruz and Mike Gabbard, along with Reps. Sylvia Luke and Mark Hashem, recognized the value of this hugely impactful bill that would abolish the $ 10 per year visit per day cap for the dollar-for-dollar match that Received beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under the Hawaii Healthy Food Incentive Program, also known as the “DA BUX” Double Up Food Bucks program.

In difficult times, the best solutions often solve several challenges at the same time. This is the case with DA BUX. The program improves access to locally produced fresh, healthy food for those who need it most while helping our local food producers. Again, by keeping dollars in our local economy, it ultimately benefits our entire community.

Local ranchers have not been forgotten

When normal life came to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ranchers quickly adapted to continue operations while protecting their staff. The nature of raising livestock meant they had beef that was ready for the community. This is the kind of resilience we need in an island economy that is prone to shipping and supply disruptions. Strengthening the local livestock industry is part of our vision to increase local food production.

Under the auspices of Rep. Mark Hashem, House Bill 237 is providing funding to the DOA to mitigate the damage caused by the two-line saliva beetle and save grazing lands damaged by the invasive pest. The two-line saliva beetle was first spotted on the Big Island in 2016, where it damaged approximately 2,000 acres of grazing land in Kailua-Kona.

Since then, damage from infestation has left approximately 142,468 acres of grazing land on the island. In heavily infested areas, important pasture grasses such as Kikuyu and Pangola die off 100%. The rapid spread and death of this pest affects local livestock farming and poses a massive threat to production across Hawaii County.

Many in Hawaii’s ranching community also watched closely as House Bill 469 began the session to address longstanding inaction in the implementation of Act 90, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003. Act 90, passed nearly two decades ago, was passed to ensure the productive use of public agricultural land by transferring state agricultural leases from the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the DOA jurisdiction to reassure ranchers that they that their leases for further agricultural production are supported.

Now, 18 years later, many pasture leases are still waiting to receive the appropriate lease terms and management that will support local food production. In its final form, HB 469 is setting up a working group of legislators and administrative officials to finally determine the process and status of the fulfillment of this promise.

Honorable mentions among pro-ag measures

There have been several other bright spots in the legislation this year, and the following bills – along with the many lawmakers behind them – deserve additional post-session obituaries:

House Bill 247 amends certain land subdivision and ownership laws relating to agricultural land to ensure that CPR projects within the agricultural district are used for agricultural purposes. This bill will strengthen the link between the farming district and farming activity by allowing district enforcement and fines for any violation, and creating a more transparent project application process.

Senate Bill 336 increases the powers of the chairman of the Agriculture Committee to approve agricultural and aquaculture loans to up to $ 50,000, an increase of $ 25,000. This legal threshold has existed since 1982 and in the nearly four decades since then the costs and needs of doing business and running a farm have increased significantly. This bill represents a direct investment in Hawaii’s agricultural future by providing timely and optimized access to agricultural credit resources to meet capital costs such as land and water resources, agricultural inputs, equipment and infrastructure, contingency measures, marketing, technology and much more.

Senate Bill 489 increases the maximum area – up to 60,000 square feet – of agricultural structures that can be exempt from planning permission and building codes. As Hawaii’s local food problems become more complex and challenging, this bill expands the ability of local food producers to bypass an unnecessarily lengthy and costly licensing process and encourages new investments in agricultural infrastructure that directly result in stronger local food production and an economically robust, indigenous ag-industry .

The 2021 legislature followed an unprecedented year in the history of our state – not to mention our nation and the world. The passage of these bills and their relevance will not be lost to those in our community who appreciate the legislature’s determination to enforce these bills in recognition of the importance of local food production to the Hawaiian communities. We thank lawmakers for their commitment to a more sustainable, resilient Hawaii, and call on Governor David Ige to bring these bills into effect.