Biospheric Resonance

This being first and foremost an entrepreneurial blog, I generally don’t talk about politics here. Unless, that is, it concerns an issue that strongly affects a community, market, or industry that I’m engaged with in the pursuit of my profession. I believe that this is the case with the following:

With election time looming on the horizon, the politicians are hitting the campaign trail hard, talking up all manner of  schemes they promise to implement if they are elected. One of the issues that is getting some attention in this way  here in Hawaii is agriculture and food. From what I’ve heard so far, the typical idea being spouted by some of “our” candidates boils down to this:

1. To divert more juicy pork towards subsidizing local undertakings that are unsound and unsustainable, otherwise they wouldn’t need subsidizing in the first place, and
2. In the process, to take more control over food  matters away from local farmers and consumers and give it to the government.

The typical result of such a plan is exactly the opposite of what it purports to be: it always causes there to be less sustainability, less economic opportunity, and less food security for the people.

As a challenge to this year’s candidates and voters, I propose a plan below that would really work to create a secure, independent, resilient food system as well as revitalize the entire economy in Hawaii if implemented. As a voter, you can litmus-test candidates’ integrity and allegiance by presenting points from this plan to them and observing their responses.Most politicians, no matter what they say to your face, are in the game to enrich and empower themselves  at your expense, in which case they will not like this proposal at all. Here goes:

1. Permanently exempt all agricultural products and services produced locally by Hawaii-based businesses and residents from all state and local taxes, at all levels (production, wholesale, and retail).
2. Exempt said products and services from all state/local health department (“food safety”) and trade regulations, such as, but not limited to kitchen certification, pasteurization requirements, and vending licenses.
3. Require all food products with GMO content sold in Hawaii to be labeled as such.
4. Lower the age at which Hawaii’s extremely onerous child labor restrictions apply from 18 at least down to 15, preferably 13, empowering our youth to take any job agreeable to themselves and their parents, and thereby building precious marketable skills and self-esteem. Many will want to explore the myriad opportunities in agriculture opened up by the previous 4 points.
5. Declare that industrial hemp is not a drug  and allow it to be grown without any restrictions.
6. Nullify (resolve not to enforce) any and all federal laws pertaining to health, food, energy, agriculture, and commerce that violate the U.S. Constitution and/or the inherent rights of the Citizens of Hawaii,  those laws existing on the books as well as any  that are currently pending or may be passed in the near future. This would also include arresting and deporting any federal agents attempting to enforce those nullified laws on Hawaiian soil.
7. Vigorously oppose the pending and future passing of any further laws of such kind, e.g. the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010, to name but one example.

These measures are what it would realistically take to achieve the secure and thriving communities most of us here in Hawaii seem to be saying we want. The expanded command-and-control plans the politicians are proposing will only lead us in the opposite direction. Now, dear fellow Hawaii Citizen, it is up to you. Go ahead and suggest these ideas to your candidates, and see if any are willing to listen to you and get themselves wholeheartedly behind something that upholds your rights.

Let me know what you think. Anything you would want to change, add, or leave out? Why? Do you know of any candidates who would adopt one or more of these points, or is already supporting something similar?

Tags: food politics, food security, food supply, Hawaii, Hawaii agriculture, modest proposals, sustainable agriculture

Due to its enormously centralized structure, the current food supply system of the U.S. and most of the western world is extremely vulnerable to a myriad of disruptive factors. These include economic downturns, energy shortages, acts of God, unhygienic production practices, environmental disasters, terrorist attacks, civil unrest, etc. Any one of these on its own can cause serious interruptions in the supply lines. Two or more happening at the same time could shut down the entire inflow of food to your area for several months.

How likely is this really, you may wonder. I’m not trying to peddle fear and doom here, but an honest, matter-of-fact assessment of where everything’s at right now and how it got to be so shows that the odds aren’t exactly in favor of rose-colored glasses. There’s no denying we live in “interesting times”.  Of course I fervently hope that such extreme circumstances won’t come to pass. But what if….how will you cope with a challenge like that? How much do you currently rely  on the centralized system for sustenance? What alternatives are available to you in your situation?

Am I preaching to the choir, or is this a new concept to you? Are you young or old, living alone or with a family? In the city, the ‘burbs, or the country? What kind of resources are you able to invest in the peace of mind and positive outlook that come with knowing you’re prepared for challenging times ahead?

What would YOU consider the most challenging or frustrating part of  kicking dependence on the system and achieving resiliency in terms of your food needs? (Sourcing, purchasing, bartering, growing, preserving, storing, securing, etc.) Which resources do you have plenty of, and which ones are you short on in this context? Money, equipment, knowledge, skills, indoor space, land, like-minded people, local producers…

Whether you agree or disagree about the likelihood of a food crisis or the importance of personally preparing for one, whether you are just beginning to take some steps at this or are a dyed-in-the-wool self-sufficiency pioneer, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Tags: clean food, disaster preparedness, food security, food supply

Earlier today the 8th Annual Hawaii Island Seed Exchange took place at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Gardens in Captain Cook. It was a much more low-key event than the previous years, which had seen it grow into a veritable festival, with last year breaking the record at about 500 attendees. This year the deliberate choice was made to tone things down and shift focus to the actual exchanging of seeds and expertise between people who saved seeds from their own gardens and farms.

Though I have thoroughly enjoyed the festival-style annual event since 2005, I must say that this year’s changed approach also has a lot going for it. Maybe it’s just because I’m not a big crowd type of person, but to me the really focused and dedicated energy this morning had a wonderful flow to it. In terms of networking and  sharing and receiving knowledge, this simple new setup seems to work better, perhaps thanks to the absence of  “white noise” and overwhelm.

Organizer Nancy Redfeather opened the gathering by teaching us a Hawaiian chant created by Kumu Keala Ching, titled E Ala E. This chant may be what set the tone for the energy of the meeting, as it is a gentle but powerful call to focused cooperation. Then came an overview of the current state of affairs in seed work  in Hawaii, with an opportunity for those who had  attended the recently held Seed Symposium to share what they had taken away from that event.

This was the general gist of these findings:

• Agriculture and food security in Hawaii are under severe threat from invasive species piggybacking in on imported produce, the huge loss in biodiversity of crops grown in America over the last 100 years, and the skyrocketing prices of seeds purchased from mainland seed companies.
• To turn the tables on this trend, the seed growing activity on the Hawaiian Islands needs to increase dramatically in terms of both quality and quantity – from knowledge acquisition to production.
• To this end, the formation of serious local working groups from among attendees is encouraged.

After these discussions, it was time to swap seeds. There was a U-shaped row of tables set out under a tent pavilion, where I found a place among all the others to lay out the seeds I’d brought to share, accompanied by descriptive labels. I spent the next while alternating between walking around the tables to see what my fellow seed savers had brought and pick  up a few varieties to add to my collection, and standing by my own display answering questions and dispensing growing tips and botanical information about my seeds and those of my neighbors while they were of on their rounds.

After the first intense exchange buzz had passed, Nancy gave a lettuce seed harvesting and cleaning demonstration, and lettuce farmer Greg Smith generously shared his excellent organic growing techniques that he uses on his very productive farm.I learned a lot of useful, actionable information and have some exciting new seeds to trial in my gardens, and very much enjoyed being able to help others add to their knowledge base and garden biodiversirty as well.

While today’s exchange dealt with the agriculture and food situation specific to Hawaii, similar issues exist everywhere in the world now, and I can’t stress enough how important it is for the survival of the human race for people everywhere to take back responsibility for the food supply from the big corporations and government agencies that currently control so much of it. The past century has seen a whopping 90-95% of the many thousands of available vegetable seed varieties disappear. It was not because they were in any way inferior – on the contrary, these lost varieties were delicious, nutricious, productive, and highly adaptive.  They were very well suited to fulfilling the people’s food needs. It was solely due to the crony-corporatist takeover of agriculture that all these wonderful crops are gone forever.

If you enjoy good food and want to keep enjoying it in the foreseeable future, please consider personally taking on a role in preserving the remaining 5% of our agricultural genetic legacy. Need farm or garden coaching/planning/design/construction/management? Talk to me.

Tags: farming, food security, genetic diversity, Hawaii, seed exchange, seed savers, seed saving, sustainable agriculture