Agriculture

Melissa Danielle has been working in food systems for 20 years and moved to Oʻahu during the pandemic. The Conversation talked with her to learn more about the experience of local farmers.

Some Hawaiʻi Island lawmakers want the state to come up with a humane plan to manage avian flu. The Hawaiʻi County Council has introduced a resolution urging the state Department of Agriculture to work with local poultry farmers to develop a plan. The resolution was heard in a council committee meeting on Tuesday.

State lawmakers' react to Gov. Green's State of the State address; Professor Rudy Guevarra Jr., author of "Aloha Compadre: Latinx in Hawaiʻi," discusses the response to a hit new song by Bad Bunny about Hawaiʻi's history of colonization

Lawmakers grilled the state agriculture department for its management of a $10 million fund it received last year for biosecurity. In an informational briefing last week, Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole noted that the department has only spent about $1 million of that funding so far.

Today we head over to Hawaiʻi Island where the ʻUlu Cooperative has been busy scaling up. Think ʻulu flour and pancake mix. Could ‘ulu be turning up on school lunch trays? The Conversation talked to Dana Shapiro, the CEO of the ‘Ulu Cooperative, about plans for an ʻulu-filled future.

Gov. Josh Green discusses the change of leadership at the Department of Law Enforcement, vaccines, and his upcoming State of the State address; What can Hawaiʻi learn from how California is contending with sea level rise?

Gov. Josh Green lays out the plan to deal with illegal fireworks; Neal Uno and Julia Ávila with the National Tropical Botanical Garden's Breadfruit Institute share tips on cultivating ʻulu and its ties to Brazil

Hawaiʻi's Agriculture Department is asking state lawmakers for an additional $28 million in general funds over the next two years. HPR's Mark Ladao reports on the department's top priorities and what the money will go towards.

The state Department of Agriculture was called before the Senate on Tuesday afternoon to discuss its budget. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports on the department's biosecurity budget wishlist.

The state Department of Education hasn’t made any progress in a mandate to source more of the food it serves from local farmers. Since being given the 30% mandate, the DOE has said that local farmers can’t reliably provide enough food for the 100,000 meals it serves daily.