Agriculture

Agriculture is defined by dictonary.com as “the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock; farming.” Such a definition indicates that agriculture is something that can be done both on a personal level and commercial sphere. On the context of personal level, the Island of Hawaii was at one point used the concept of the ‘Ahupua’a to plant organic food, raise livestock, raise fish, and other kinds of seafood to provide food supplies for its residents. The concept of the ‘Ahupua’a is similar to what has now been termed subsistence agriculture in which the growers plant crops for themselves and their families and relatives who lived in the same geographical area in the village. The concept of ‘Ahupua’a was simple, sustainable, and efficient for the Island of Hawaii and its residents remotely isolated from other countries.  

On the contrary, commercial agriculture's purpose is to provide food globally. Today the State of Hawaii has enhanced the simplicity, sustainability, and efficiency of the concept of the ‘Ahupua’a with commercial agriculture ideas. Such a globalized purpose and innovative enhancement demand the use of computer technology and machinery to ensure that global food supplies are accomplished; however, on the other hand, destroyed the concept of the ‘Ahupua’a. Despite the reputation of commercial agriculture aided by sophisticated technology the State of Hawaii and its residents are particularly vulnerable to food sustainability threats such as hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and death because the State of Hawaii’s geographical location is remotely too far away from the Mainland, the population’s size has increased over the years, and its residents are inevitably agriculture-uneducated.  

The Island of Hawaii is the only State remotely isolated from the Mainland! 

According to Google.com, Hawaii is located 2,457 miles from California, 4,606 miles from New Zealand, 5,100 miles from Sydney Australia, and 4,108 miles from Japan. These countries can be flown on a commercial airplane for approximately five to nine hours to Hawaii. On November 19, 2018, usnews.com reported only 15 percent of the food supply is grown here in the State of Hawaii (usnews.com, 2018). The State of Hawaii is distantly isolated from commercialized agriculture in various parts of the world thereby prone the State of Hawaii and its residents to food sustainability threats such as hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and deaths. Now is the new best time to promote the local organic food supply system to avoid the residents of the State of Hawaii from being vulnerable to food sustainability threats of hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and deaths.     

The COVID-19 pandemic put limitations on cargo ships from docking at our harbor and likewise controlled aircraft landings at our airport for the safety of the residents; however, stopping food supplies from traveling from other parts of the globe. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the State of Hawaii was limited with exported food supplies and other essential supplies to sustain its residents thereby threatening the lives of our Kupuna and Keiki. At Costco, residents were lined up outside to ensure limited in-stock food supplies were monitored such as two cases of water per shopper. The Foodland, Safeway, and Walmart’s business schedules were changed thereby limiting people's access to food supplies and increasing people fear of no food to feed their families. Likewise, the foodbank non-profit organizations were populated with many residents yearning for food and water just to get by. Also, some of the churches gave out food supplies for their church members to share with their family members and friends. 

The magnitude of fear of death from starving due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, limitations, and mandates force many residents to plant growable food in their backyard to provide food supplies for themselves and their family members, friends, and neighbors. The State of Hawaii must empower the agriculture platform by strategically rethinking all aspects relating to the simplicity, sustainability, and efficiency of the concept of the ‘Ahupua’a for the residents of the State of Hawaii. The State of Hawaii must surrender with a commitment to its residents to increase the percentage of local organic food supplies. The State of Hawaii must establish its own sustainable local organic food supply system industry for its residents and visitors. By doing so our remote State of Hawaii's food supplies will sustain its residents in future emergencies and thereby avoiding food sustainability threats of hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and deaths.        

The State of Hawaii increased its size of the population over the years! 

The State of Hawaii is now populated with over a million residents. According to the Hawaii – Census Bureau (www.census.gov, 2022) the population of Hawaii on April 1, 1940, according to the Sixteenth Census, was 423,330 which represents an increase of 54,994, or 14.9 percent, as compared with the population of 368,336 on April 1, 1930. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the State of Hawaii reached a population of 1.42 million. The consequence comes from the 1.42 population can be represented by the many residential homes in Waipahu that are being extended in square footage to provide living areas to accommodate the growth of family members. These residential homes are not being resided only by parents and their children, but by many extended families and close friends and they all need food supplies daily to survive. Likewise, many apartments and rental homes are being tenanted in a similar fashion let alone renters from Airbnb. These people need food supplies to survive here in the State of Hawaii and the best place to invest in food supplies is right here in our land of Hawaii.   

The magnitude of the increasing population over the years is also indicated by the number of vehicles using the street for parking, heavy traffic in the morning and the evening, and the construction of the new rail transit system. According to Drhorton.com and Hoopililiving.com, the rail will have three stops to accommodate residents from nearly 12,000 Hoopili new homes. Likewise, the Koa Ridge is aiming to build 3,500 new homes, and let alone the Kakaa’ko area is being built with more high rises aiming to host many residents. The University of Hawaii – West Oahu campus undergraduate enrollment was 3,168 students in the fall of 2020. Let alone the Waipahu High School, Waipahu Intermediate, Waipahu Elementary, and Agust Ahrens Elementary School are approximately enrolled with 4000 to 6000 students yearly.  Despite the increasing number of residents, only 15 percent of food supplies are farmed locally thereby prone the State of Hawaii and its residents to food sustainability threats of hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and death. 

During COVID-19 in 2020 residents went to Costco, Foodland, and Walmart to find limited food supplies if not empty shelves of food and drinking water. Because this is Hawaii and we are too far away from the Mainland and our population has reached 1.42 million we need to grow local organic food supplies here on our land to avoid food sustainability threats of hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and death. The State of Hawaii must commit to empowering the agriculture platform because the residents of Hawaii will continue to increase and they would love to live here in the place they call home – Hawaii! Now is the new best time to rethinking about the importance of the agriculture platform to avoid food sustainability threats of hunger, violence, unhealthy diet, and deaths.  

The residents of the State of Hawaii are agriculture-uneducated! 

To err is human, to agriculture-educated, divine. There is nothing wrong with the use of innovative technology, commercial agriculture, or the increasing size of our population; however, there is no substitute for empowering local food sustainability, educating residents, and locally learning how to grow, cook, and eat local organic food supplies as they are of great importance in times of emergency for an isolated Statehood and people like us here in the Island of Hawaii. As I mentioned earlier, the State of Hawaii has enhanced the simplicity, sustainability, and efficiency of the concept of the ‘Ahupua’a with commercial agriculture ideas but failed to consider an important factor that we are on the Island of Hawaii remotely isolated from the Mainland. Such a failure weakened local teaching and educating of subsistence agriculture and the empowering and cultivating of the concept of ‘Ahupua’a that is most appropriate and relevant for the State of Hawaii and its residents.