Hawaii County Food Self-Sufficiency Baseline 2012

Hawai‘i County Food Self-Sufﬁ ciency Baseline 2012 Prepared for Hawai‘i County Department of Research and Development Prepared by University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Geography and Environmental Studies Department Jeffrey Melrose MURP Donna Delparte PhD. Hawai‘i County Food Self-Sufficiency Baseline 2012 Prepared for Hawai‘i County Department of Research and Development Prepared by University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Geography and Environmental Studies Department Jeffrey Melrose MURP Donna Delparte PhD. Baseline Study for Food Self-Sufficiency in Hawai‘i County - 1 Executive Summary The Hawai‘i County Food Self-Sufficiency Baseline study was commissioned by the County of Hawaii Research and Develop- ment Division to help inform the public and policy makers about the current status of food production on the island of Hawaii. It is intended to provide a context for shaping individual and collective initiatives to help increase the island’s capability to be more food self reliant. The report follows a recommendation in the Hawai‘i County Agricultural Plan to set a baseline from which to measure change in the islands local food system. It was prepared by the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s Geography and Environmental Studies Department in partnership with the Hilo based land use consulting firm of Island Planning. Food self-sufficiency on Hawai‘i Island has been in decline for over 230 years. Prior to 1778, Hawai‘i was 100% food self sufficient with no more than a dozen major food crops feeding a population arguably similar in size to the current resident population. The plantation era that followed was relatively food self reliant and saw the expansion of the islands’ food palette to accom- modate growing ethnic diversity. The introduction of transportation innovations such as refrigerated shipping containers after WWII helped to open Hawai‘i’s marketplace to fresh, mass produced foods from around the world. Today, Hawai‘i County’s food market place is dominated by a global food system and by consumer demands for crops that are not, and will likely not be, produced locally. Key findings of the Baseline Study include: Local Consumption • There are over 210,000 people consuming over 630,000 meals every day on Hawai‘i Island. Based on estimates of national per capita food consumption, this amounts to roughly 410 million pounds of food annually. • The State abandoned its historical efforts to monitor local farm production and imports in 2008, and complex food distribution channels make it increasingly difficult to access precise information to monitor local food self-sufficiency over time. • Within the context of available data, this baseline report suggests that Hawai‘i Island currently produces roughly 95% of the fresh milk, over 17% of the fresh beef, over 51% of the seafood, more than 34% of the vegetables, more than 32% of the fruit and none of the grain consumed on the island. (See Food Scorecard, p 26. and following pages for details) • There is also an informal food system that is even more difficult to measure but which has a significant impact on local food consumption patterns. Food sales at farmers markets, trade and sharing among neighbors, recreational fish catch, subsistence hunting, home gardening and animal husbandry are important, yet unmeasured, parts of the island’s rural economy and lifestyle. • A significant portion of Hawai‘i Island’s food consumption is done away from home in restaurants, fast food outlets, schools, hospitals, and other institutions that control a large portion of the island’s food procurement budget. Expanding the amount of local food being purchased by these food purveyors would help to expand the market place for local food producers and encourage new production. Local Food Production • There are over 42,700 acres in crop production on the island, half of which (21,000 acres) are in macadamia nuts, over 6,000 acres are in coffee and another 1,700 acres are planted in flowers and foliage crops. These crops are important to the agricultural economy of Hawai‘i though they play very minor roles in the island’s food supply. • Vegetable crops, taro, tropical fruits, banana, papaya, aquaculture and specialty food crops account for 10,400 acres of active agricultural land use. Local consumption of these locally produced crops varies as a significant portion of each crop type is exported to other parts of Hawai‘i and continental U.S. and global markets. Hawai‘i Island also produces a range of specialty products aimed at boutique markets which help to insure farm viability but do not necessarily contribute signifi- cantly to local food supplies. • Roughly 94% of all existing crop lands on Hawai‘i Island are located in 11 areas around the island and are referred to in this report as “Core Crop Lands.” These are the areas where the momentum of existing farming activity is most active and therefore most likely to support new agricultural production. • The patterns of post-plantation land ownership, supporting natural resources, available labor, weather conditions and other factors vary from region to region around the island. Understanding the specific needs and capabilities of each farming area on the island is important to understanding how to urge new food production in each region. The keys to new food 2 - Baseline Study for Food Self-Sufficiency in Hawai‘i County production are in the details of each producing region and not in a generic discussion of agriculture in abstract terms. The report contains detailed maps of existing agricultural region and a discussion of the factors that drive farm activity in each. • The existing settlement and diversified land ownership patterns on Hawai‘i Island present significant opportunities for small scale food production for both commercial and home use. There are 135,000 agricultural lots between 0.5 and 20 acres in size which encompass over 200,000 acres with varying degrees of food production capacity available to a diverse set of local landowners. • Surface water irrigation systems in four areas around the island present varying levels of opportunity for the expansion of new farm activity. These systems all require some form of external subsidy to operate in a sustained fashion. The Depart- ment of Water Supply is the largest and most expensive purveyor of agricultural water through its extensive distribution system that serves farms island-wide. Much of the island’s agricultural production relies exclusively on rainfall. • Ocean and forest resources are important parts of the local food system with unique stewardship challenges to insure that they remain long-term contributors to the island’s ecology and food supply. • Honey bees play an important role in pollinating certain food and export crops on the island. Bees are also one of many examples where Hawai‘i’s susceptibility to invasive species can have a devastating impact on the island’s ability to produce its own food supply. The Context for Change Building a more self-sufficient food system on Hawai‘i Island is not as simple as just adding new farms and additional acreage to the existing agricultural footprint. Successful food production is a function of commerce and markets. It also requires that producers are able to make a reasonable and sustainable return for their efforts. Some of the key issues currently shaping the terrain of increased food self-reliance are discussed in Chapter 8 and include: • Energy Costs • County Real Property Tax Programs • Food Safety Requirements • Land Use Regulation • Agricultural Labor • Food Data Collection • Access to Capital • Genetically Modified Organisms • The Price of Local Foods • Organic and Natural Farming Methods • Consumer Preferences Ways to Make a Difference Hawaii County real property tax policies provide important incentives for landowners to pursue agricultural uses. Over 11,000 parcels are enrolled in one of two programs that reduce the assessed value of lands that claim agricultural use. The programs reduce County tax revenues by $34 million dollars annually, though lack regular oversight to insure that agricultural uses persist once assessment adjustments are granted. Revisiting the policies and procedures for these programs could produce new incentives for increased food production and local distribution. Food self-sufficiency will not be achieved by government actions alone. It requires the actions of many people in many different roles. Chapter 9 provides a list of over 100 actions that could be taken by different types of stakeholders to promote increased food self sufficiency on Hawai‘i Island. These actions are broken into 16 separate action groups from parents and children to government agencies, landowners, farmers, ranchers and fishermen. Some steps are simple and involve actions that could be taken by individual consumers or groups of neighbors; others are more complicated and require collective effort and sustained political will to build a stronger, durable base for local food production. Baseline Study for Food Self-Sufficiency in Hawai‘i County - 3 Moving Forward Hawaii Island is a rich and diverse landscape that is well suited to diversified food production. The economy of its rural commu- nities has deep roots in agriculture and the existing small-lot settlement pattern creates a productive setting for individual action and innovation. The island has visionary leadership in the farmer, rancher, consumer, retailer, educator, land owner, government and other sectors that are capable of moving the island towards food self sufficiency to the degree that it is economically practi- cal. 2012 is a good time to act. Rising energy prices, the cost of transportation, declining public health, the emerging slow food movement, school gardens and other national mega trends all help to drive the collective concern for locally sustainable food supplies. The movement towards increased food self-sufficiency has already begun.

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