Bill Text: HI HB2832 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Taro Security
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2010-07-07 - (S) Became law without the Governor's signature, Act 196, 7/6/2010, (Gov. Msg. No. 688). [HB2832 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2010-HB2832-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2832 |
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TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO TARO SECURITY.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Kalo, the Hawaiian word for taro (Colocasia esculenta), is a culturally significant plant to the kanaka maoli (Hawaii's indigenous peoples) and the State of Hawaii. Kalo intrinsically embodies the interdependency of the past, the present, and the future, the essence of procreation and regeneration, as the foundation of any sustainable practice. Kalo expresses the spiritual and physical well-being of not only the kanaka maoli and their heritage, but also symbolizes the environmental, social, and cultural values important to the State. This relationship is represented in the use of the kalo plant on the crown of King Kalakaua. The state seal, adopted in 1959, includes eight taro leaves below the shield, honoring the connection between the health of the land and the health of the state. Today, the logo of the office of Hawaiian affairs and many commercial enterprises throughout the state use this symbol to communicate ohana, integrity, and a connection to Hawaiian culture. The State of Hawaii further recognized the cultural and historic significance of taro by designating it as the official state plant.
Over three hundred kalo varieties may have existed at the time of the arrival of European explorers (Pukui and Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary, 1986). Of these, sixty-nine varieties are unique to the Hawaiian islands due to the horticultural skills of native Hawaiian farmers (according to Bulletin 84: Taro Varieties in Hawaii, 1939). Some varieties are extremely rare. Encouraging the cultivation and innovative uses of these varieties is critically important to the recovery of old taro varieties in Hawaii.
Kalo is an important food crop in Hawaii and, most locally-grown taro is consumed within the State, indicating a highly specialized market. Historically, there were thousands of acres under taro cultivation in Hawaii. Today, however, there remain less than five hundred acres of taro in production. In 2007, 4,000,000 pounds were produced on three hundred eighty acres of commercial taro land (10,526 pounds per acre) at a farm gate value of $2,360,000, amounting to an estimated per acre value of $6,210, excluding luau leaf. Raw taro and value-added taro products represent a multi-million dollar crop in Hawaii with great potential for further growth as the State moves towards food security and self-sufficiency.
In addition to its value as a crop, taro cultivation also has economic and environmental benefits. For example, the cultivation of taro can assist with flood control and erosion prevention. Taro cultivation also flushes wastes from groundwater, helping to improve near-shore and wetland water quality. As an indigenous crop to Hawaii, taro is a ready source of locally grown food that may help provide food security for the State by easing Hawaii's dependence on imported food products. Taro cultivation also presents opportunities for job creation and community economic development. Finally, taro's unique place in Hawaii's history and culture make it an educational tool for Hawaii's youth, providing a way for them to learn about Hawaiian culture as well as to develop valuable agricultural and job skills.
Taro cultivation in Hawaii, however, faces many challenges. Pests, invasive species, and diseases place taro crops at risk. Water quality concerns and shrinking arable land available for taro farms also threaten taro production. Alternatives to Hawaiian taro, such as genetically-engineered taro and foreign varieties of taro, also create obstacles to taro production. In 2008 the legislature established the two-year taro security and purity task force under Act 211, Session Laws of Hawaii 2008, to address non-genetically modified organism alternatives to taro farmer issues, including land and water concerns, threats from pests, diseases and taro imports, educational opportunities, and economic issues.
The purpose of this Act is to encourage the cultivation and innovative use of Hawaiian varieties of taro for projects that address:
(1) Flood control;
(2) Research;
(3) Food security;
(4) Community economic development;
(5) Job creation;
(6) Education; and
(7) Water quality protection.
SECTION 2. Chapter 141, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§141- Taro security; funding. (a) The department shall seek available federal, state, county, or private funding that may be available for the purposes of restoring Hawaiian taro and lo'i cultivation. The department, as necessary, shall cooperate with other relevant agencies, including the office of Hawaiian affairs, in applying for funds and administering projects pursuant to this section.
(b) The department shall use funds received pursuant to subsection (a) for projects that utilize exclusively Hawaiian taro for:
(1) Flood control;
(2) Research;
(3) Food security;
(4) Community economic development;
(5) Job creation;
(6) Education; and
(7) Water quality protection;
provided that no moneys may be expended pursuant to this section for projects that utilize genetically engineered taro or non-Hawaiian taro.
(c) As used in this section:
"Genetically engineered" means alterations to a life form or its living progeny at the nucleic acid level, using the techniques collectively referred to as recombinant DNA technology.
"Hawaiian taro" means taro species that are unique to Hawaii, as listed in Bulletin 84: Taro Varieties in Hawaii, 1939.
"Recombinant DNA technology" means the transfer of genes, regulatory sequences, or nucleic acid between hosts by the use of vectors or laboratory manipulations and includes the insertion, excision, duplication, inactivation, or relocation of specific genes, regulatory sequences, or sections of nucleic acid. This term does not apply to a material or an organism developed exclusively through traditional methods of breeding, hybridization, or nondirected mutagenesis."
SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2010; provided that this Act shall be repealed on June 30, 2015.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Taro Security
Description:
Directs the department of agriculture to seek funding for projects that increase the cultivation and use of non-GMO Hawaiian taro. Repealed on 06/30/2015.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
