The Honolulu City Council has voted to restore an agricultural task force — and stakeholders say it’ll help keep city policymakers informed about the needs of Oʻahu farmers.
Last week the city council passed a resolution to reconvene the group, which would consist of between five and nine members chosen by the council chair. At least one of the members is required to have expertise in traditional Native Hawaiian agricultural practices and food systems.
Input from farmers and agriculture stakeholders was vital in the council’s recent overhauling of Oʻahu’s land use rules. But the task force can help in other situations, too.
“It doesn't always have to be zoning or planning, it can be anything. It can be economic development, all sorts of things that touch on agricultural production or touch on agricultural lands. You can tap into this task force as a resource to really provide valuable input,” said Micah Munekata, Ulupono Initiative’s director of government affairs.
The island’s agricultural task force was established about two decades ago, but has been inactive for the past five years.
Some proponents of reconvening the group have said that the city currently doesn’t have a direct link to getting input from farmers.
“If agriculture is to remain viable on Oʻahu, the City Council and the City Administration must have someplace to go for information and advice on the needs of Oʻahu farmers,” the East Oʻahu County Farm Bureau said in a testimony supporting the measure.
The county farm bureau represents about 420 farmers on the island, and suggested that there’s still a need for farmers’ input.
“Many of the concerns that existed when the Task Force was established are still present; for example: designation of important agricultural lands, outdated or inappropriate land use regulations, access to land and water at acceptable cost, and the impacts of invasive species,” it said in its testimony.
