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Hawaii Needs To ‘Double Down’ On Biosecurity, Experts Say

State lawmakers are asked to find a little more funding now to save a lot more money later in order to protect the islands' fragile ecosystems and ag lands.

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Kauai Is Making A Blueprint To Meet ‘Huge Desire’ For Local Food

Small community meetings across the islands will help develop the first state plan to guide local food resiliency and production.

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Hawaii Ag Director Plans To ‘Go Big’ If Confirmed

The department's funding has become cause for concern after losing a special revenue stream. Lawmakers say they are listening, but they expect the next director to ask for more.
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Indigenous Management Of Hawaii’s Fishponds Is Getting A High Tech Upgrade

Climate change has emerged as a modern challenge for the guardians of these traditional food sources.
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Hawaii’s Farms Are Small And Hard To Sustain. Can Tax Incentives Help?

State lawmakers are looking at new subsidies to improve food sustainability and security in the islands while continuing the momentum from last session.
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Half Of Hawaii’s Younger Farmers Battle Depression. Here’s What Researchers Are Doing

Mental health professionals are drumming up new, more diverse ways to help struggling farmers.
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How Philippine Gardening Culture Inspired Efforts To Promote Food Security In Hawaii

A new partnership enabling the planting of food gardens aims to bring sustainable, healthy, free produce and seedlings to 1,000 backyards throughout Hawaii.
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Leeward Community College Has Big Plans For Training A New Generation Of Food Innovators

The Wahiawa facility will support the development of new food products for local and export markets.
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Maui County Considers Leasing Land On Lanai That Larry Ellison ‘Won’t Have A Say In’

The opportunity for a leaseholder change on 100 undeveloped acres could revive long stalled plans for a promised agricultural park on Lanai.
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Kauai Fishermen Bring Deep-Sea Shrimp Back To The Dinner Table

The once popular seafood became somewhat of a delicacy over the years, but some consumers are now getting a fresh taste.
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Hawaii Plans To Update Its Noxious Weeds List. Local Environmentalists Aren’t Waiting

The list, which targets invasive species for eradication, hasn't been revised in 30 years.
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Farmers And Ranchers Buoyed By New Contingent Of Food-Focused Politicians

A cohort of farming legislators looks to bolster Hawaii's food systems and build on momentum from 2022.
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Maui Trout Farmer Is Closing Up Shop After A Rough Year

Kulahaven Farms is now running into one of the most common obstacles for Hawaii's food producers — land. But the owner hopes to find new land to make a fresh start.
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Common Ground Collective Wins $440K Grant To Boost Maui’s Food Security

The nonprofit is working to create a backyard-to-market supply chain.
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USDA Improves Insurance Programs For Farmers, Ranchers

Virtual workshops are being held for stakeholders to learn more about the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm options.
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A Local Nursery Wants To Make A Native Tree Hawaii’s Choice For Christmas

Hawaii imports an average of 250,000 Christmas trees from the mainland. Many say that's a waste.
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This Local Cocktail Aims To Boost Hawaii Agriculture

Ko Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rum is trying to break into the booming ready-to-drink cocktail market, but still needs to make it onto store shelves.
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How The Candidates For Maui Mayor Would Shape Food Security And Agriculture

Boosting availability of affordable local food and combating invasive species are top issues for Michael Victorino and Richard Bissen.
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‘It’s Not Just About The Plants’: A Hawaii Educator Unearths Life Lessons In A High School Garden

A Kaiser High School teacher is educating students through his community garden and an extracurricular environmental club he helped build from the ground up.
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Innovations In Ancient Aquaculture Could Bring Striped Mullet Back To The Dinner Table

Recent developments in growing striped mullet could help conserve Hawaii’s oceans, establish food security and perpetuate Hawaiian culture — but can they overcome new challenges?
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A ‘School Within A School’ Is Building Community And Food Security In Hana

A local nonprofit is helping train the next generation of agricultural leaders.
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Maui Council Confirms County’s First Agriculture Department Director

The department is charged with supporting local farmers and ranchers while boosting food security.
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A New Sense Of Urgency Is Driving Nonprofits To Grow More Local Food In Hawaii

Some of Hawaii's busiest food banks are turning to growing their own food rather than waiting for donations as the number of people showing up for help rises.
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This New Dairy Owner Says Local Cows Can Bring Down Hawaii’s Milk Prices

Under new ownership, Meadow Gold Dairies is trying to revive Hawaii's dying dairy industry.
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Catherine Toth Fox: Buy More Locally Grown Food. It’s Worth The Extra Cost

A large-scale commitment to buying from local farmers, ranchers and other food producers is needed to support the agriculture industry in the islands.
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A Major Overhaul Of Honolulu Land-Use Rules Has Been Quietly Advancing. Now, Some Say Not So Fast

The wide-ranging bill would change zoning rules for thousands of Oahu properties. But it has gone largely unnoticed until now.
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Widespread Power Outage Left Thousands Of Trout Dead At This Maui Farm

For some residents, last week's still unexplained power outage was an inconvenience. For one farmer, it was devastating.
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How Much Should Hawaii Discount Electric Rates For High-Tech Farmers?

A 2019 law aspired to help farmers grow large amounts of food indoors or in greenhouses by providing savings on electricity. But critics say the current proposal falls short.
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Ige Intends To Veto Healthy Soils Program. Advocates Say That’s Misguided

Gov. David Ige wants to nix the program because there is a soil survey in the works. But supporters say it's like comparing apples and oranges.
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Farmers Want Action From Hawaii Governor Candidates, Not Lip Service

Farmers and ranchers feel investing in agriculture has become more of a buzzword than an actual concern for the executive branch.
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Molokai Homesteader Will Lead Maui’s New Agriculture Department

Maui's DOA director designee Rogerene "Kali" Arce brings more than 30 years of experience to the role.
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Long-Awaited Maui Ag Department Set To Be Finally Up And Running This Week

Early ideas of extra regulation caused consternation among farmers and ranchers on Maui.
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Involving Farmers Is The Key To Innovation And Better Ag

Agricultural technologists descended upon Hilo to discuss innovation, as well as the many hurdles Hawaii faces as it tries to increase food production.
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Hawaii’s Crumbling Water Systems May Finally Be Getting Some Badly Needed Repair Money

But the Legislature has once again only approved a fraction of what the Department of Agriculture requested.
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Hawaii’s Extreme Drought Is Forcing Ranchers And Farmers To Get Creative

Planting crops that adapt, cutting back on workers, even harvesting fog are ideas being put into action on Maui and Molokai.
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Could Hawaii Become A Technology Hub For Agriculture?

Event organizers say a conference later this month could be the next step in making the islands a proving ground for farming technologies.
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Small Farmers Are Finding Innovative Ways To Get Their Food To Market

Considering all the hurdles within the food supply chain in Hawaii, some agricultural advocates say concepts like food hubs can help boost production and profit.
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Hemp Farmers Are Fed Up With Government Regulations Hampering The Industry’s Potential

After exhausting their savings and losing hope for more meaningful legislative relief, some hemp producers in Hawaii may ditch the crop altogether.
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Lettuce Joins Short List Of Local Ingredients Served In Public Schools

Student meals will include locally grown leafy greens and less cheese as the DOE modifies menus to meet food sustainability and nutritional goals.
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What Will The New Minimum Wage Mean For Hawaii’s Farmers?

Finding workers is hard in Hawaii, so many farms pay extra, but lifting the benchmark to $18 could present a new set of problems for farmers.
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This Mental Health Team Hopes To Help Hawaii’s Farmers Help Themselves

Professor Thao Le discusses the experiences of researchers at the University of Hawaii who have been canvassing the ranching and farming community to find the state of its mental health.
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Is Fencing The Future Of Hawaii’s Native Ecosystems?

Great stock has been put into fencing off native ecosystems, namely watersheds, to ensure that the state's terrestrial and marine resources are protected for the future.
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Quarantine Ordered After Bovine Tuberculosis Detected on Molokai

The island has a storied history of bovine tuberculosis, including a complete eradication of cattle from the island in 1985.
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Maui County Is Seeking Its First Director Of Agriculture

The voter-created Maui County Department of Agriculture needs leaders. And the mayor is hiring.
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‘Business As Usual’ For The Embattled Agribusiness Development Corporation?

A 2021 audit of the agency was scathing. But instead of fixing it, critics fear lawmakers are poised to let it off the hook.
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Drones Can Take Farming To Another Level. But Hawaii Is Lagging

Experts say the future of farming will integrate this technology, but it's tough to get started.
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Effort To Transfer State Agricultural Land Survives Latest Hurdle

Legislative amendments would introduce new requirements for the land swap.
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The Deer Population Is Devastating Maui. Hunters Want To Help

For decades, axis deer have threatened everything from ranching to watersheds. Hunters can limit the destruction while feeding their families but accessing the land has proven difficult.
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Legislature Advances Bill To Legalize Sale Of Raw Milk Among Other Farm Measures

It's the farthest the raw milk measure has made it in Hawaii despite the past six years of trying.
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Food Safety Audits Could Hamper Hawaii’s Efforts Toward More Food Production

As the pandemic eases, the Food and Drug Administration is resuming its audits of farms nationwide. Hawaii is unprepared, experts say.
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State Agencies Were Tasked With Buying More Local Food. Can Hawaii Supply It?

A new report shows seven of the 18 departments bought local produce last year, spending a combined $2.6 million.
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Lawmakers Advance 5 Bills That Could Settle Debate Over Ag Land Management

The co-chairs of a working group tasked with fixing an almost 19-year-old problem are taking two different approaches.
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Ka‘u Coffee Farmers Grab Land — And Control Of Their Futures

Many are former sugarcane plantation workers who, when their employer went bust, started one of the most renowned coffee regions of the world.
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The Hawaii Ag Department Clipped Poultry’s Wings. But Why?

The Department of Agriculture's leases restrict farmers from producing chickens despite the state's goals of increasing food sustainability and the local taste for fowl.
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What Is The Future Of Hawaii’s Farming? Some Say Sheep

When it comes to livestock in Hawaii, cattle is king. But there's another animal with plenty of promise, especially for small farmers.
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Here’s How These Ka‘u Kids Are Learning Outside Of The Classroom

When things were not looking great for students at Ka‘u High & Pahala Elementary School, the teachers took their lessons to the region's roots — agriculture.
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Hawaii DOE Wants Kids To Say: ‘Mom, I Had The Greatest Meal At School Today’

A strategy is developing to use centralized kitchens to replace processed food imports currently served in student meals with fresh, local ingredients.
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Will This Bureaucratic Tug Of War Over Hawaii’s Ag Lands Finally End?

Ranchers are fed up with waiting two decades for the departments of Agriculture and Land and Natural Resources to sort out legally mandated land transfers.
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A New Crop Of Farmers Is Helping Hawaii Grow More Food

It's not easy to make a living in agriculture. But some intrepid residents are trying to answer the state's call to wean the islands off imported food.
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Hawaii Is Beefing Up Its Potential To Produce More Meat Locally

A billionaire's investment in the state's biggest slaughterhouses and a shift to more grass-fed operations could help ranchers keep their cattle in the islands after years of sending them to the mainland.
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Report: Limited Funding, Staff Could Delay DOE Effort To Meet Food Sustainability Goal

A new legislative report offers sparse detail on the planned overhaul of student meals served in Hawaii’s public schools.
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One Way To Counter The Ill Effects Of Hawaii’s Invasive Species: Eat Them

As Hawaii strives for a more self-sufficient food system, a large cache of protein in the form of feral pigs, axis deer and other invasives could help.
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Why Hawaii Needs To Rethink Efforts To Increase Local Food Production

Romantic ideas about locally grown food and a lack of statewide planning could be getting in the way of making real progress addressing food insecurity, climate change and the economy.
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Lawmakers Plan To Revive Old Bills For Future Of Food And Farming

As the focus on local food production continues, lawmakers and lobbyists want to make farming and ranching easier in Hawaii.
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Hawaii Schools Are Buying Less Local Food During The Pandemic

Despite new legislation requiring public schools to serve student meals with more local ingredients, advocates say they are frustrated by a regression in local food initiatives.
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There’s A Lot More To Hawaii’s Cacao Industry Than Making Chocolate

Cacao has been in Hawaii for at least 190 years, but it's only been in the last few decades that people are getting interested in making chocolate locally. Agrotourism may hold the answer for future growth.
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How Solar Farms On Mountain Slopes Could Help Hawaii Meet Food Sustainability Goals

Building solar farms on steeper slopes would ease competition for land between the renewable energy and agriculture sectors, a new report shows.
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Christmas Trees And Lucky Soup: Hawaii Wishes For A Biosecure Holiday

The state has struggled with biosecurity due to staffing issues and underfunding for more than 10 years. Whether the Legislature will increase funding to meet the state's needs is still up in the air.
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Hawaii’s Avocado Farmers Are Bracing For A New Threat

The avocado lace bug has burst onto orchards, causing reduced yields, smaller fruit size and an increase in blemished fruit that can't be sold.
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Hawaii’s Food Hubs Get $1 Million For Statewide Expansion

A collective of statewide food hubs has a plan to get more crops from small farmers to businesses, institutions and families that want locally grown food.
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A New Chicken Farm Wants To Reduce Hawaii’s Dependence On Imported Eggs

The multimillion-dollar facility is entirely off the grid. But it still needs to figure out how to produce its own feed and may need GMOs to do so.
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Can Hawaii Agriculture Get Back Its Political Clout?

The plantations that were so profitable in their heyday had the support of generous government incentives. Experts say today's farmers must build political muscle to win state support.
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Attorney General OKs Honolulu’s Process To Designate Important Ag Lands

The Hawaii Land Use Commission must now make tough choices as many landowners say their property isn't fit for growing much, if anything.
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How The Hunt For The Perfect Sweet Potato May Help Hawaii Farmers

Six researchers published a study that found two new and promising Hawaiian heritage sweet potatoes that could bring millions back to native people.
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Accelerator’s New Venture Fund Is Helping Ag-Based Companies Expand

Four-year-old Mana Up is now providing a tool in addition to business advice: cash to grow.
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Saving Hawaii’s Banana Industry ‘One Good Banana’ At A Time

Gabriel Sachter-Smith is on a mission to find the perfect banana for Hawaii. He's already got 200 varieties in the works.
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Coffee, Macadamia Protections Sought By Hawaii’s DC Reps

The federal legislation would enable research funding to be used to address current and emerging threats to the crops.

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Can Urban Farming Solve Hawaii’s Food Crisis?

High-tech farming is costly and limited in what it can grow, but techniques could help Hawaii with its dependency on food imports.
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Climate Change Is A Big Problem For Farmers In Hawaii

More fires. Worse drought. Excessive heat. The state's agriculture industry is facing serious environmental problems in the years ahead.
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Hawaii’s Embattled Ag Agency Finally Moves Wahiawa Center Forward

A new product development center is being heralded by supporters as evidence that the Agribusiness Development Corp. is making progress.
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Raising Chickens Became More Than A Hobby For Some During The Pandemic

It's part of a growing trend of people pushing for more opportunities to take food security into their own hands.
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How One Hawaii Man Is Using An Invasive Tree To Nurture His Community

The Westside resident thinks kiawe trees can revolutionize Oahu's food system and help the next generation learn to love where they live.
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The State Does A Lot To Help Farmers In Hawaii. But It’s Not Enough

Farmers need better technology, data and transportation subsidies if Hawaii's agricultural industry is going to grow substantially in the coming decades.
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Do We Want More Local Food Or Cheaper Power? Two Hawaii Priorities Conflict

Renewable energy companies say Honolulu's plan to designate 12% of Oahu as "Important Agricultural Lands" could hinder the state's ability to meet its clean energy goals.
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Maui’s Got A Brand New Ag Department. Now What?

Voters in Maui County approved a charter amendment to create Hawaii's first county-level agriculture department. Now organizers need to determine exactly what the agency will work on.
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Some Hawaii Farms Want To Keep Feeding Locals — Even As Tourism Returns

As the threat of COVID-19 subsides, some local food growers say they will continue to prioritize local families that kept them afloat during the pandemic over the tourism industry.
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Plan For Hawaii’s ‘Important Agricultural Lands’ Is On Hold Pending An AG Opinion

The effort to protect ag land and encourage farming -- which has been in the works for more than a decade -- is facing growing opposition.
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Small Oahu Landowners Say They Were Blindsided By Ag Land Plan

The state Land Use Commission has scheduled two days of hearings beginning Wednesday to try to sort through Honolulu's plan for designating Important Agricultural Lands.
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The Fight Over Hawaii’s ‘Important Agricultural Lands’

Many Oahu property owners are angry and worried their lives could be suddenly upended by a major land use proposal that has been in the works for decades.
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How To Enter The Civil Beat Recipe Challenge

Let's reduce our reliance on imported food by learning how to cook with more local ingredients.
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Want Hawaii To Be Less Dependent On Imported Food? Change Your Diet

Hawaii will never be a big producer of wheat or rice, but there are plenty of homegrown alternatives.
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A Maui Farmer’s Dream: Where Food, Not Fences, Separates The Homes

Facing a shortage of affordable agricultural land, a Maui farmer is forging unique partnerships with high-end homeowners to grow food in their yards.
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Hawaii’s Food Hubs Find Strength In Numbers

A group of food hubs came together to support legislation that would win them new access to grant money. The bill failed, but the networking is paying off.
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How Hawaii Squandered Its Food Security — And What It Will Take To Get It Back

Hawaii's reliance on food imports began in the 1960s. To achieve self-sufficiency again, experts say it will take old values and new tools.
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How People Across Hawaii Are Creating Spaces To Grow Their Own Food

Locally grown vegetables are expensive, so communities are coming together to grow fresh produce.
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How The Westside Is Restoring The Coconut Tree As A Food Source In Hawaii

A group from the University of Hawaii West Oahu sees planting coconut trees as a way of improving food security and cultural ties in Hawaii.

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How Addressing Hawaii’s Affordable Housing Crisis Could Help Farming Efforts

Farmers say housing insecurity threatens their ability to retain employees and makes it difficult to ramp up production.
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‘Fake Farms’ Are Squeezing Out Serious Agriculture Potential In Hawaii

Some developers have turned acreage earmarked for farming into high-end luxury homes with high prices and restrictions on what the land can be used for.
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Made In Hawaii? This Innovative Startup Can Help You Promote Your Product

When the pandemic hit, the start-up ditched its hospitality-focused components and zeroed in on a goal to help Hawaii food entrepreneurs reach a larger audience.
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Fewer Farmers Are Growing Hawaii’s ‘Miracle Food’ Taro Despite Growing Demand

Growing, cultivating and cooking the starchy root vegetable, which is used to make poi, is hard work that’s not always profitable.
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This Program Helped Big Island Farmers And Families. Now It’s Out Of Cash

Federal funding and private donations helped support local food producers and feed thousands of local families during the pandemic.
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Hawaii Farmers Need Land. State Efforts To Help Aren’t Working

Providing small farmers land is key to producing more local food, but the state's go-to model isn't moving the needle.
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Big Island Finfish Farm Hopes To Lead The Way In Sustainable Aquaculture

Blue Ocean Mariculture recently became the first U.S. operation certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
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Hawaii Farmers Need Better Data To Make Decisions

Several market analysis programs have been discontinued in the past decade, including monthly reports on Hawaii produce like bananas and papayas.
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Senate Panel Kills Beef Bill

Senators were concerned the bill, aimed at keeping one company from dominating the processing industry, was unconstitutional.  
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Beefing Over Control Of Hawaii’s Meat Processing Industry

A bill scheduled to be heard Wednesday targets an investor who has gained control of 70% of Hawaii's meat processing capacity.
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These 2 Companies Are Putting Big Money Into Hawaii’s Agricultural Future. Will Their Bets Pay Off?

A pair of companies backed by a billionaire and a pension fund are trying to revitalize fallow farmland in the state.
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Hawaii Has A Lot Of Agricultural Land. Very Little Of It Is Used For Growing Food

The amount of land used for farming in Hawaii has shrunk dramatically since the 1930s.
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Embattled Agribusiness Corporation Has Powerful Friends

Lawmakers plan to vote next week on a measure to dissolve the Agribusiness Development Corp.
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Can You Make Money Being A Farmer In Hawaii? 2 Farmers Explain How They’re Doing It

It takes a lot of creativity and hard work to overcome the high cost of running a farm in the islands.
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Hawaii’s Food System Is Broken. Now Is The Time To Fix It

The pandemic has exposed a critical need for Hawaii to resolve the many challenges keeping the islands -- with our fertile lands and ideal climate -- from growing much more of our own food.
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