Hawaii-2014-HB1989-Introduced

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii is located approximately 2,506 miles from the continental United States. About eighty-five to ninety per cent of Hawaii's food is imported, which makes Hawaii particularly vulnerable to natural disasters and global events that disrupt shipping and other modes of transporting food. Furthermore, the economic impact of food import replacement is significant. Food expenditures of local consumers from 2004 to 2005 amounted to $3,700,000,000. Assuming that eighty-five per cent of the food consumed in the State is imported, this translates to $3,145,000,000 of food expenditures leaving the State each year. Growing food within the State enables the expenditures on food to remain in the local economy.

The development of a whole system approach to agriculture in Hawaii that pays close attention to soil health, specifically increasing mineral availability and improving soil structure, water holding capacity, crop health, and food nutrition levels will lower water usage through deployment of green manure, compost, and cover crops; reduce crop loss from pest damage; and decrease weed pressure. This whole system approach to agriculture can improve food security and benefit the local economy through reducing production cost by promoting locally sourced inputs and the manufacturing thereof. Teaching a new generation of farmers to use this whole system approach will create an alternative method of farming that appeals to many young farmers across the State. Currently, there is a shortage of qualified teachers for these farm methods. On-farm mentoring aims to fulfill this need by bringing the students to the farm and providing qualified farm mentors with funding.

The purpose of this Act is to improve food security and self-sufficiency in the State by encouraging the development and implementation of a whole system approach to agriculture in Hawaii.

SECTION 2. (a) There is established in the college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa an on-farm mentoring program that shall provide statewide and island-specific mentoring to teach farmers about methods to improve soil health by using whole system practices that recycle locally available organic, diverse plant and animal agricultural nutrients, enhanced by fermentation and other ecological processes such as Korean natural farming as defined by the college of tropical agriculture and human resources.

(b) The dean of the college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa shall appoint an on-farm mentor for each island with a population greater than five thousand; provided that the dean of the college of tropical agriculture and human resources may appoint an on-farm mentor for an island with a population of five thousand or fewer upon request.

(c) The college of tropical agriculture and human resources shall establish curriculum for the on-farm mentoring program.

(1) The curriculum for the on-farm mentoring program shall include instruction on:

(A) Farming techniques that utilize locally sourced organic and other ecological and bio-diverse agricultural amendments and techniques relying on integrated farming practices using vegetative and animal waste products and diverse crops for soil amendments, seed, and other farm inputs;

(B) The culturing of indigenous microorganisms; and

(2) The curriculum for the on-farm mentoring program may include instruction on:

(A) Farm management, including whole system farming;

(B) Animal husbandry, including animal and crop production;

(D) Harvesting and storage for farmer cooperatives;

(E) Farm marketing with an emphasis on food cooperatives;

(F) Integrated pest management and multi-cropping; and

(G) The breeding and release of beneficial insects.

(d) The college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, as part of the on-farm mentoring program, shall provide competitive grants of up to $50,000 each to individual farmers or farming organizations to develop on-farm mentoring or expand existing on-farm mentoring programs. In the grant application process, the college of tropical agriculture and human resources shall afford preference to existing farms that use a minimum of seventy-five per cent of locally generated agricultural inputs or are certified to teach Korean natural farming techniques.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 to provide funding for grants awarded under the on-farm mentoring program pursuant to chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2014.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1989
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII