Maui Agricultural Design Conference
July 28 - August 1, 2010
Government and Policy Sub-Section
Government and Policy rose to the top in the strategic planning process as the single most important factor in Maui County successfully implementing diversivied food and agricultural production and food security. The numeric ranking had it more than twice as high as any other category. Here are the strategies that were selected to resolve this.
I. FIND THE EASY WINS WITH THE COUNTY COUNCIL:
Identify projects that are easy wins to build clout and gain traction. Select projects with credibility and high visibility that can demonstrate rapid short term economic success, create new jobs and identify fiscal multipliers. Select current regulatory issues that are common sense changes that can be made on the county level.
1. Produce Markets – Roadside Stands: Approve the sale of produce from multiple gardens and wild harvest at roadside stands. The county would need to make changes to the law that presently does not allow a roadside stand to sell produce from land other than the land the stand is on. This is likely a zoning issue. The Health Department has already given their approval on this.
2. Harvesting Axis Deer as a substantial currently existing local meat and protein food source. There is an overpopulation of axis deer on Maui which is considered an invasive species. The current population is estimated at 100,000 with a 50% annual growth rate. This is an increase of 40,000 deer in 1998 with a 30% herd growth rate. It is calculated that a minimum of 70 deer per day would need to be harvested just to maintain the current population. There is a governmental barrier for this food source to go to market. The hindrance here is that 1) the USDA requires pre and post-mortem inspection of the animal which are currently wild, 2) we have no inspectors on the island of Maui, and 3) the cost of flying the Oahu USDA inspectors in on their day off is cost prohibitive. Pre-mortem inspection is difficult and needs the approval of the county council to find an alternative. Alternate USDA approved programs currently exists that meet safety guidelines that could be done locally on Maui.
3. Regional Commercial Kitchens for value added processing. There is currently a state resolution stating that schools must open their kitchens on weekends for value added processing. This needs to move to the next step and become a bill. On the local level, several churches involved with FACE, have stepped forward and offered kitchens to support local job creation.
4. Approve water catchment for agricultural uses in conjunctions with water meters. Clarify the existing code which does not prohibit this. This needs a public awareness campaign and Building Department buy in so that the permitting process is not so onerous. We need to identify the specifications of back flow shut off valves and design specifications. Agriculture Land Owners are currently experiencing greater than six months of delays in the permitting process for adding catchment tanks for agricultural use even when they are not grid or water meter tied so that there is zero potential for contamination. We would need county alignment for expediting permits.
5. Regional cold and frozen storage for produce to facilitate distribution. Again would need county alignment and expediting for permitting.
6. Redefine that fallow land is not abandoned land. This has specific impact on taro farmers.
7. Allow for new housing requirements for farm works and agricultural tourism.
II. PASS PRE-EMPTIVE LAWS THAT “WILL NOT BE PREEMPTED BY STATE OR FEDERAL LAWS” OR OVER RULED BY THE STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS
1. Federal Food Safety Bill – preempt it.
2. Growing sites must be regulated by the USDA – preempt this.
3. Incentivize and Subsidize the foods that are grown and eaten in Maui County.
4. Prioritize water for growing food that is consumed locally.
5. Watchdog Future Federal and State Laws that are detrimental to local food production and sustainability. Identify groups that are currently doing this (Maui Tomorrow, Sierra Club, Farmers Union, Political Action Committees, Council members, Pono Aquaculture Alliance, Food Watch) and finally seek funding to staff a person who is watching legislation.
6. Education: grant writing (NRCR, Tri-Isle RC&D, Grant Station), testifying and presenting before the county council, strategic planning (SCORE).
III. INCENTIVIZING LOCALLY GOWN, LOCALLY CONSUMED FOODS:
1. What is the ROI for local grown foods? What about food security. We need more farmers on the ground.
2. Demand accountability for ROI of existing tax breaks and subsidies to industrial agriculture and petrochemical companies.
3. Do away with enticements for businesses that damage the environment or deplete Maui’s resources.
4. Quantify how many jobs can be created by stimulating local agriculture and food production.
5. Implement a Carbon Credits program.
6. Food Stamps at local farmers markets -Implement EBT so farmers can cash out at the end of the market.
7. Find funding to track this information and build a relational database for doing so.
8. 10% Solution Campaign: Stimulate the local economy by setting a goal to move 10% of our current food imports, currently valued at $7,000,000,000 ($7 Billion Dollars) and return $700,000,000 ($700 Million Dollars) back into our local economy. Quantify the multiplies in the network of networks.
IV. REDEFINING and LANGUAGING IMPORTANT CONCEPTS:
1. Public Servant rather than Politician
2. What is food security?
3. Defining Farmer/Defining Agriculture: There are currently only two legal definitions of agriculture – commercial and subsistence. Who are all of the people in between these two levels? What are the economic multipliers of agricultural business?
4. What is agriculture – as an industry? See the “Network of Networks” that was identified as necessary to make agriculture viable in Maui County.
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