Taro, or kalo, more than any other plant in Hawai‘i, came to play a very important role in the life of Hawaiians. In Hawaiian mythology it is believed that mankind originated from Haloa, the younger brother of Kalo. The spiritual connection to kalo and the sustainability of Hawaiians were integrally entwined. Hawaiians, in the quest to improve taro, evolved into progressive plant breeders and geneticists by developing more than 300 different varieties of taro. Taro cultivation in Hawai‘i represented the highest level of technology and intensity of cultivation for the crop anywhere in the world. Today that number has dropped to approximately 64 known varieties.
Taro is a natural symbol and a standard for the Hawaiian people and their special way of life. From this perspective, it is easy to see why this plant, and its continued success in our islands, is important culturally. With this in mind, we should consider all the different practices, applications and tools in the efforts to sustain the taro.
The Hawaiian people, organizations and culture are being steered by outside influences to support Senate Bill 958, which would require a 10-year moratorium on genetic engineering research on taro. This is a well-funded effort from local, national and global organizations that do not support agriculture biotechnology in Hawai‘i or anywhere else in the world. The hijacking of Hawai‘i’s indigenous and cultural issues to promote their own ideological and political agenda is not pono and should not be used as a basis to pass a legislative bill.
These organizations did not support SCR 206, a resolution that passed in 2007 requesting that the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture develop a taro security and purity research program. The program would also include alternative forms of taro research other than genetic engineering. It seems that a program to stop the decline of taro production in Hawai‘i was of little interest for the activists. After all of their talk on defending Haloa, what they really want is to stop genetic engineering research altogether.
Recently, the Department of Agriculture along with the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources invited the taro farmers, people in the Native Hawaiian community, educators and researchers to start meaningful discussions for the preservation and protection of taro in relation to SCR 206. The University of Hawai‘i’s “Taro Research and Genetic Engineering of Hawaiian Taro Agreement” already specifies that researchers have no plans to modify Hawaiian taro varieties and discussions surrounding the agreement will continue before any genetic engineered research on taro is contemplated for the future.
In light of SCR 206, ongoing talks with the Hawaiian community and a voluntary agreement by UH to suspend research on taro, this proposed law to ban genetic engineering research on taro in Hawai‘i is simply not necessary. It would make us the nation’s leader in anti-science public policy and erode the image of Hawai‘i as being a state that embraces excellence in the area of innovative science and technology.
The negative implications and unintended consequences of SB 958 are far-reaching for agricultural biotechnology, Hawai‘i’s broader economy and the taro industry. The threats to taro are not the tools of genetic engineering but the viruses and effects of environmental changes that decimated hundreds of varieties and brought taro to its present-day decline.
Invasive species and diseases such as the taro leaf blight and alomae virus have wiped out taro production in Samoa and the Solomon Islands. Because Hawai‘i is an international port and imports 20 percent of the taro, invasive species and diseases could find their way here and severely impact the taro industry. The destruction to the native wili wili trees is an example of what could happen to the taro plants in Hawai‘i. Those who claim to represent the best interest of the Hawaiian people and taro growers say biotechnology research on taro should not be allowed, but they would leave very few options for farmers to stop the possible demise of taro.
Insulin, a product derived from biotechnology applications, is crucial in helping to control diabetes, a disease prevalent among our Native Hawaiian population. If a law was passed that prohibited biotechnology medical research, the Native Hawaiian today would be truly fighting to survive.
Hawai‘i needs to take a holistic and proactive approach in addressing the existing and future problems that face the taro growers, researchers and consumers. The papaya industry is a fine example of the success of this type of approach. The papaya ringspot virus is deadly to papaya. It raised havoc on papaya farms from the time it first appeared in 1992 in Puna, Hawai‘i’s major papaya-growing region, until 1998 when seeds of the Rainbow papaya, a genetic-engineered virus-resistant variety, were released to farmers.
Dennis Gonsalves, a Native Hawaiian graduate of Kamehameha Schools and a plant pathologist and director of the U.S. Pacific Basin Research Center in Hilo, led a team that used techniques of modern biotechnology to equip papaya plants with resistance to papaya ringspot virus. His knowledge and leadership not only helped save the papaya industry in Hawai‘i — and the livelihood of many small growers — but also opened the door to helping countries where papaya provides the vitamin A needed to prevent childhood blindness and early death. Today, close to 68 percent of the acreage planted in Hawai‘i is with the genetic-engineered Rainbow papaya.
Working in the spirit of laulima (cooperation) and lokahi (unity) in establishing a process that builds trust and allows dialogue to continue is the first step we should consider before passing a law such as SB 958. We join taro farmers and others in support of SB 2915, introduced by Sen. Kalani English, which supports funding for and continuing the discussion that began under the auspices of SCR 206. We encourage support of other bills introduced by Rep. Clifton Tsuji and the Hawaiian Caucus members that focus on the sustainability and perpetuation of the taro as it relates to the culture, environment and economic aspects as well as cultivating new taro farmers and researchers to continue the work.
• Adolph Helm is a Native Hawaiian kalo grower, president-elect of Hawai‘i Crop Improvement Association and project manager for Dow Agro-Science on Moloka‘i.
