Ideas sought for Kauai Food Security

From The Kaua'i Food Industry Forum:

The Kauai Food Industry Forum is sponsoring an open meeting on March 8, at the Kauai Community College Cafeteria from 8:30 am till noon to discuss a proposed master plan for increasing food self-sufficiency on our island. Public participation is encouraged regarding ways to achieve greater control over our food supply and to reduce our current 90% dependence on imports.

The agenda will include presentations and discussions regarding:
- a strategic plan being offered to revitalize Kauai’s food production industry
- the importance of home and community-based gardens in achieving a suitable level of food self-sufficiency and as a pathway to careers in farming
- plans for a farmers market weekly event at KCC
- the goals and activities of the new Kauai Agriculture Initiative
- training opportunities to insure successful agricultural enterprises including including an upcoming program focused on permaculture systems

The event is being conducted in recognition of the impending food crisis and as a way to engage Kauai’s residents in helping to shape plans to mitigate its impact on our isolated island. The meeting is offered at no cost to interested organizations and individuals. Reservations are not required but participants are encouraged to arrive promptly to secure suitable seating. Sponsorship has been provided by a variety of local organizations, agencies and individuals interested in promoting food sovereignty for the island.

The major focus of the meeting is to examine recommendations contained in a strategic plan for the revitalization of Kauai’s food industry. The plan developed by Kauai’s Food Industry Forum calls for establishing a Leadership Council to coordinate the design and implementation of a process to gradually increase our level of local food production. This will require an assessment of suitable farmland and determining the availability of such land in the various regions of the island. The process will also establish planning and action groups in each of the seven major regions to begin utilizing selected lands for local food production.

The plan calls for developing the kinds of training and technical assistance that will be needed to support the growth of efficient food production and distribution. Farm management and labor teams will be needed to implement farm and garden programs at the neighborhood level.

The need for local self-reliance is seen as an essential factor in engaging neighborhood volunteers to participate in the development of home and neighborhood gardens. A preliminary assessment of Kauai’s food production capability has revealed that there are not enough farmers to provide the food we need. Accordingly a system is being proposed to recruit existing farmers to train our residents in successful practices of home and neighborhood gardening. This kind of training and technical assistance will be needed to support emerging neighborhood organizations in managing food production and distribution systems that can serve the entire island.

Because the plan calls for a significant degree of public participation, the Forum’s Planning and Coordinating Group is encouraging widespread discussion and input from all interested persons and organizations.

The designers of the plan emphasize that their recommendations comprise only one part of an evolving industry that is needed to address our island’s food requirements. Public participation and inter-agency cooperation will be key factors in achieving genuine success for this cooperative venture.

For more information, call 246-4859.