Alert: Healthy Soils & Sustainable Food System
Despite unfortunate setbacks, we are grateful that several good food and ag bills are still moving through the legislature. Read more here.
Two good bills, SB660 SD1 and SB420 SD1, have a hearing next Wednesday!
Both bills will be heard by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (WAM) on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2023 at 10:00 AM in Conference Room 211 and via Zoom.
Please take a moment to submit testimony in support!
SB660 SD1 - Healthy Soils Program
SB660 SD1 requires the Department of Agriculture to establish a Healthy Soils Program. The program will:
Create a statewide soil health assessment with a list of practices specific to the State 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 and are based on the findings of the greenhouse gas sequestration task force established pursuant to section 225P-4 relating to minimum levels of soil carbon and water content and required soil health practices.
Subject to available funding, issue awards and other financial incentives to implement farm management practices that contribute to healthy soils.
Learn more: Hawaii Needs Good Soil To Grow More Food. Here’s How That Can Happen - Thomas Heaton for Civil Beat
Sample Testimony— Feel free to copy-paste.
Hello,
Please support SB660 SD1 to establish a healthy soils program. Soil is a vital and living ecosystem that provides critical functions supporting ecological, economical, and social well-being in Hawaiʻi. Healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable food production, climate readiness, and diverse ecosystems.
In recent decades, we have learned a great deal about the importance of microbial life, soil biodiversity, and the capacity for soil to capture carbon. Regenerative farming practices capture carbon to enrich soil health. This mitigates agricultural climate impacts while increasing soil productivity for farming.
Much of Hawaii’s soils are severely depleted from over a century of industrial agricultural practices. If we are to meet Hawaii’s food security goals, assessing and restoring soil health is critical to increasing local food production.
SB660 SD1 is a win-win for our farmers and our local environment. Please support this important measure.
Thank you for your consideration,
Your Name, Residence/Town
SB420 SD1 - Sustainable Food Systems Planning Bill
Establishes the sustainable food systems working group within the department of agriculture. Requires the working group to submit a plan, any recommendations for implementing the plan, and any proposed legislation to the legislature.
A sustainable food system is one in which producers, retailers, members of the community, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies partner to create a vibrant and resilient local food economy that enhances and sustains the environmental, economic, and social health of the community.
Developing a more sustainable food system for Hawaiʻi represents an opportunity to create a new food economy. This would integrate the objectives of "green" job creation, sustainable economic development, land stewardship, food security, environmental protection, and climate change resiliency with community health and well-being.
For more on why a food systems plan is needed, check out the work of our partners at Transforming Hawaiiʻs Food Systems Together, the lead advocates for this bill.
Sample Testimony— Feel free to copy-paste.
Hello,
Too many families in Hawaiʻi are facing food insecurity. Our farmers struggle to access affordable land and water. Climate change poses threats to our local food production. However, a more resilient food system can address these various challenges but only if we take a coordinated approach.
We can meet our goals of increasing local food production while also diversifying our local economy. Because our food system is so broad and complex, a plan will be needed to identify how the various sectors of our food system can work together to increase local food security.
A coordinated food systems plan led by key stakeholders across our food system can help connect the dots between local food producers, consumers, state institutional purchasing, and community anti-hunger efforts. This work is critical to fixing our reliance on imports and creating a sustainable and equitable food economy.
Please support SB420 SD1 to create a sustainable food systems working plan for Hawaiʻi.
Thank you for your consideration,
Your Name, Residence/Town
