Alert: Support Healthy Soils & Regenerative Agriculture
PC: Marie Eriel Hobro
Sample Testimony
Aloha,
Please support SB660 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 Hawai’i’s soils are severely depleted from over a century of industrial agricultural practices. If we are to meet Hawaiʻi’s food security goals, assessing and restoring soil health is critical to increasing local food production.
SB660 is a win-win for our farmers and our local environment. Please support this important measure.
Mahalo,
Your Name, Residence/Town
A healthy soils program is a win-win for farmers and the environment.
Please take a moment to submit testimony in support!
SB660 - Healthy Soils Program
SB660 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 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
SB660 will be heard by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment on Friday, February 3rd, 2023 at 1:30 PM in Conference Room 224 and via Zoom.
