KAPA‘A — Despite excellent year-round weather for farming, 85 to 90 percent of Hawai‘i’s food is imported. The rise of cheap, imported foods available at supermarkets and big box stores has changed our eating and buying habits. Jerry Ornellas, farmer
KAPA‘A — Despite excellent year-round weather for farming, 85 to 90 percent of Hawai‘i’s food is imported.
The rise of cheap, imported foods available at supermarkets and big box stores has changed our eating and buying habits.
Jerry Ornellas, farmer and Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau president, will host a discussion that looks at Kaua‘i’s vulnerable food system and explores how to make local farming profitable and develop a strong, sustainable, regional food system ensuring access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food for residents year-round.
Ornellas will be the featured speaker at the Wailua-Kapa‘a Neighborhood Association’s meeting at 2 p.m. Jan. 26, at the Kapa‘a Library. The meeting is free and open to the public.
Rayne Regush, WKNA chairperson, encourages meeting participants to exchange ideas about how to increase community awareness and appreciation of agriculture and farming.
“Support for local food production and improved agricultural infrastructure can also be achieved through policy changes and collaborative partnerships between government agencies, the private sector and community groups,” Regush said.
As a fourth generation farmer on Kaua‘i’s Eastside, Ornellas will look at the specific agricultural resources of the Kawaihau District and determine how they could fit into implementing a strategic plan that builds a locally based, self-reliant food system and economy.
Regush also suggested a report recently released online to help attendees better understand issues being faced.
The State Office of Planning and the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture recently released a joint report titled “Increased Food Security and Food Self-sufficiency Strategy.”
The 47-page report promotes three objectives: Increase demand for and access to locally grown food; Increase production of locally grown foods; and provide policy and organizational support.
The report and sets forth objectives, policies and actions to increase the amount of locally grown food consumed by Hawai‘i residents.
It can be found at http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/planning/increased-food-security-and-food-self-sufficiency-strategy online.
For more information, go to www.WKNA.org or call Sid Jackson at 821-2837.
