Food Security

Multipurpose Room, Pilina Bldg, Maui Community College, Kahului, Maui,
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, 5–7 pm

Waiola Church, Lahaina, Maui,
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008, 6–8 pm

Ala Kukui (Hana Retreat Center), Wakiu, Hana, Maui,
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008, 6–8 pm

Practical Agriculture for Hamakua class,
NHERC, Honoka’a, Hawai'i, Thursday, November 20, 2008, 6-8 pm

Craig Elevitch will be presenting a photo-rich talk about Hawai'i food security. He will show images of traditional agricultural systems in Samoa, Tonga, Palau, and Yap and describe how these age-old systems can guide us in achieving food security in Hawai'i and elsewhere in the tropics. Steps we all can take to create personal, neighborhood, and community food security will be covered. Craig will also present plans for transforming a 1/4 acre lawn into an abundant perennial homegarden within a year.




From Craig's website:


"Despite Hawai‘i’s plentiful agricultural land and year-round growing conditions, we still import more than 85% of our food and have less than a 7-day supply of food in stores at any given time. Many Hawai‘i residents are concerned about community food security due to our food distribution system’s vulnerability to major economic disruptions and environmental disasters. Parallel problems include:

low availability and high price of locally grown food in markets and restaurants
stagnation of the local agricultural economy due to cheap imports
increasingly questionable food safety from imported foods of nearly untraceable origin
poor nutrition due to overconsumption of cheap processed foods
skyrocketing medical costs due to nutrition related non-communicable diseases
This project will

educate community and school groups about our food security, local agricultural production, diversifying farm and garden markets, and nutrition and what we can do to improve them;
research and demonstrate the feasibility of providing most of a family’s nutritional needs and partial or full income without reliance on imported fertilizer, chemicals, or other inputs; and
produce a manual for import-free homegrown food abundance for consumption and sale in Hawai'i."

Agro Forestry.net