Support Regenerative Agriculture & Local Food Producers
Support Regenerative Agriculture & Local Food Producers
The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment will be hearing four important bills that collectively work to make our food system more just and sustainable on Monday at 1pm in Conference Room 224 (and virtually). Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of four good food & ag bills. All testimony is due by Sunday at 1pm.
If you have not done so already you will need to create an account with the Hawaii State Legislature website to submit testimony.
Support SB 552 : Healthy Soils Program
What Does This Bill Do?
Requires the Department of Agriculture to establish a Healthy Soils Program. Requires an annual report to the Legislature. Will creates a statewide soil health assessment with a list of practices specific to Hawaii and that are most effective in improving soil health and building soil carbon stocks; provide farmers with education and technical assistance to implement farm management practices that contribute to healthy soils; establish standards that apply to the healthy soils program relating to minimum levels of soil carbon and water content and required soil health practices; and subject to available funding, issue awards and other financial incentives to implement farm management practices that contribute to healthy soils.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair Richards and Members of the Committee,
Please support SB552. Healthy soils provide many environmental and economic benefits, by supporting healthy crops and a productive ag sector, capturing carbon/climate change mitigation, making plants more pest and climate impact resilient and less dependent on costly inputs.
We must provide farmers with education and technical assistance to implement farm management practices that contribute to healthy soils and issue awards and other financial incentives to implement farm management practices that contribute to healthy soils.
In recent decades we have learned a great deal about the importance of microbial life, soil biodiversity and the potential for our soil to capture carbon, aiding in mitigating climate change. The impacts heavy industrial practices have in depleting our local soil health for over a century, we must move away from the outdated practices of sterilizing lands with pesticides and herbicides and killing the soil microbes and life, and instead support the biodiversity of insects and microbes that are beneficial to soil health. Healthy soils support more pest and climate change resistant crops.
SB552 can help to address a range of important issues we face related to degraded and damaged soils, restore and improve soil biodiversity, while also improving the overall quality of our environment and working to sequester carbon. SB552 is therefore not just important for our local food production agricultural sector but is good for our local environment.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
Support SB 693: Food Hub Pilot Program
What Does This Bill Do?
Appropriates funds for the continued implementation of the Food Hub Pilot Program.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair Richards and Members of the Committee,
Please support SB693. Support for the initial pilot food hubs program has been instrumental in helping emerging food hubs establish business operations in Hawaii. Food hubs provide necessary aggregation of produce for small farmers to help bring produce to market. Support for food hubs promotes the production of culturally appropriate, nutritious foods while also growing our local food economy. Further, more food hubs can provide greater food system equity, providing access to healthy food in local “food deserts”. Please support SB693.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
Support SB 245: Prohibits Foreign Ownership of Ag Lands
What Does This Bill Do?
Prohibits certain entities from owning, purchasing, or acquiring ownership of agricultural lands.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair Richards and Members of the Committee,
Please support SB245. There is increasing concern about the ownership of large amounts of Hawaii’s agricultural lands by foreign corporations. This creates an increasingly uneven playing field for local producers who are struggling to gain access to affordable lands. For Hawaii to move towards increased food security, the state should prioritize access for local producers, and Native Hawaiian practitioners with lineal ties to place. This bill is an important step in prioritizing agricultural lands for local food producers. Twenty five states already have restrictions on foreign ownership of agricultural lands. Please support SB245.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
Support SB 681: Repeals GE Tax Exemption
What Does This Bill Do?
Repeals the exemption to the general excise tax for agricultural businesses engaged in the production of genetically engineered agricultural products.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Aloha Chair Gabbard, Vice Chair Richards and Members of the Committee,
Genetically engineered (GE) crops are all produced by large corporations who already receive generous federal subsidies. We should not be exempting some of the largest corporations in the world from general excise tax, especially while they degrade our lands with experimental field trials and plots of pesticide intensive GE crops.
The exemption for GE crops is further egregious because general excise tax is an important part of our revenue, at a time when our local food producers are struggling to make a profit. If anyone can afford to pay this tax, it is multinational corporations who profit billions of dollars each year.
Tax exemptions should be utilized to encourage regenerative agricultural practices that feed our local communities, provide additional environmental benefits and services that improve the productivity of the soil and minimize run-off, and keep money in our local economy.
Tax breaks given to large corporations result in money leaving Hawaiʻi whereas tax breaks for small regenerative farmers benefit Hawaiʻi and keep money in our local economy.
Please support SB681 and ensure that large corporations pay their fair share.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
Join us this session in supporting a broad array of bills designed to support local farmers, food producers, increase local food production, address inequities in our food system such as food insecurity, and support regenerative and indigenous farming/food production practices.
Learn more information below about HAPA’s 2024 FSFS policy agenda and take action in support of these Fair & Sustainable Food System policy priorities!
New to Legislative Engagement? Learn more about how to engage in the Legislative Session!
Make sure you have set up your account on the Hawaii State Legislature website. If you are new to the process, see this helpful page on legislative engagement 101 from the Public Access Room including a link on how to submit testimony!
Mahalo for taking action!