Support Funding for Regenerative Agriculture & Producers
Support Funding for Regenerative
Agriculture & Producers
The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Environment will be hearing three important and timely bills to support funding a more regenerative and resilient food system for Hawaii this Monday, Mar. 23rd at 3pm in Conference Room 224 (and virtually). As we are witnessing farmers and producers across Hawaii devastated by the recent flooding, creating additional funding streams to help producers adapt to and recover from these kinds of climate impacts is more important than ever.
Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of these food system bills. All testimony is due by Sunday at 3pm (but late testimony is still accepted).
If you have not done so already you will need to create an account with the Hawaii State Legislature website to submit testimony.
Support HB1953 HD1: Conservation and Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Pilot Program
Testimony Due: 3/22/26
What Does This Bill Do?
Establishes a two-year Conservation and Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Pilot Program within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Please support HB1953 HD1. Ensuring the health and safety of Hawaiʻi’s environments is crucial to restorative ʻāina work and maintenance of spaces from mauka to makai. As invasive species are introduced, extractive cultivation practices are implemented, and challenges in protecting our public environmental spaces arise, we need to look towards solutions.
Farmers and land stewards could benefit from a regular program which provides the financial backing and technical assistance to better address the litany of challenges they encounter in day-to-day work. Workshops and stipends are an effective mechanism to offer support in exchange for these individuals agreeing to attend and complete training and workshops.
Cost-sharing programs are also an effective strategy as farmers and land stewards work to implement conservation practices proven to improve the environment with such practices including cover cropping, soil amendments, erosion control, nutrient management, composting, and other beneficial practices.
The pilot program will help those entrusted with caring for our ʻāina resources develop plans, participate in training, receive funds, and improve the infrastructure we have to improve conservation practices and safeguard those environmental, social, and cultural spaces we value as a community.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your name, Town
Support HB2548 HD1: Climate-Resilient Grants for Farmers
Testimony Due: 3/22/26
What Does This Bill Do?
Establishes the Climate-Resilient Food Systems Grant Program within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Please support HB2548 HD1. Climate change is upon us, and our food producers are already struggling with the costs of adaptation. Extreme weather events such as rain bombs and drought are already impacting farmers and food producers' livelihoods. One extreme weather event such as the current storm causing flooding across Hawaii can wipe out an entire harvest, destroy equipment and infrastructure, and ultimately put food producers out of business. Climate-resilient food system grants can help farmers be prepared as we will continue to face climate events such as the ones which have cost not only our farmers but communities at-least resources as flash floods occurred and ruined generators, small machines, and swept away tools and infrastructure.
Margins are already thin for farmers in Hawaii. To prioritize local food security we must support programs such as the proposed climate-resilient grant program to bolster our food producers and as a result, our local food security.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your name, Town
Support HB2246 HD1 : Agricultural Grant Program and Fund
Testimony Due: 3/22/26
What Does This Bill Do?
Creates an agricultural grant program and revolving fund for the purposes of grant application, execution, reporting, and auditing to be administered by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. Appropriates funds out of the agricultural grant revolving fund.
Why Is This Important? Sample Testimony:
Please support HB2246 which creates an agricultural grant program and revolving fund for the purposes of grant application, execution, reporting, and auditing to be administered by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB).
This fund can improve the administrative capacity of DAB as they continue to seek federal grant opportunities to support our farmers, ranchers, and producers. Many of these federal grants provide for indirect overhead reimbursements for administrators and access to funds that our producers need.
By increasing capacity to submit more grant applications and successfully administer them, DAB will have greater ability to secure more funds. As we look to increase the funding for grant programs in our state we also need to increase the capacity to manage existing grants, and new grants. This legislation intends to increase Hawaiʻi agriculture producers and programs access to funding through the State as DAB increases capacity to secure more funding from federal programs.
Mahalo for your consideration!
Your Name, Town
