During the Thrive Hawaiʻi Agrifood Summit at Hawaiʻi Convention Center this week, panelists hope for better government policy, investment and general willpower to improve local agriculture.
On Wednesday, the summit’s opening remarks noted both the potential and dire state of Hawaiʻi's agriculture.
Jim Wyban, one of the summit organizers and an aquaculture scientist in the state, said Hawaiʻi has been an innovator in agriculture technology.
He noted the development of specific pathogen-free shrimp broodstock, Kratky hydroponics, Kona coffee and virus-resistant papaya as some examples.
“But since the demise of the plantations, Hawaiʻi agriculture has steadily declined so that today we import 90% of the food we eat and agriculture is less than half a percent of the GDP,” Wyban said at the summit’s opening remarks.
“Ag tech is the interface between agriculture and it. And we believe Hawaiʻi should get a piece of these investments. And our summit is a call to action to get Hawaiʻi moving towards producing more of the food we eat and restoring our agricultural traditions using the best modern tools," he continued.
The summit was held in part to showcase the latest technologies in agriculture.
George Kellerman, managing director for the global investment fund Woven Capital, is one of the summit panelists. He said more needs to be done for agriculture's share in Hawaiʻi’s GDP.
“It's shocking to me. If you would have asked me before coming here today, I would have said oh, it's maybe 5% or 10%. If it has fallen to a half a percent, it means you have massively under-invested,” Kellerman said.
“I was prepared to say you should 10 times your investment. It's like no, you need to 50 times or 100 times your investment in this space. If you are serious about future food security and your sustainability. You can't just dribble it out," he said.
Others said that there have been roadblocks from the local government and that it needs to adopt better policies to encourage agriculture.
The summit has financial support from state and federal governments as well as the University of Hawaiʻi. A variety of local companies and non-profit organizations are also supporting the two-day summit.
Click here for more information on the event.
