Food security awareness is starting to gain traction, and I am very encouraged by this get-together at Leeward Community College on Friday, April 15. I believe it will make a difference for Hawaii’s food security.
Food Security is about farmers farming. And if the farmers make money, farmers will farm.
The objective of this exercise is to enable incremental change to help farmers make money. All the pieces will add up to something significant!
After I spoke in Honolulu on a panel about foodsecurity and eating local recently, someone came up to talk with me. It was Denise Albano, President of Feed The Hunger Foundation:
MISSION
Feed The Hunger Foundation strives to alleviate hunger and poverty by promoting microfinance as a platform for personal, familial, communal, and spiritual transformation.
The non-profit foundation is based in California, but Denise Albano and CEO Patti Chang are wanting to give back to Hawai‘i, where they are both from.
They’re pretty impressive people; both very well-educated, well-connected to government in California, and have been doing projects all over the world.
What they do is provide micro loans to people who don’t qualify through banks but who want to farm.
This fits in really well with what we’re trying to do. Maybe with college students – they qualify for a loan, and if they want to try farming, we’d give them a good deal for a year and then see if they want to continue. And if they do, we give them a good start. We’d lease some land, or growing houses, to them at pretty nominal rates, and the water and electricity would be free. And Denise and them would help them with the financing.
Some farmers already have eight of our houses under cultivation. If they had to go out and buy them, that would be $80,000. If they rent them from us, they’re in business immediately, and for nominal rent.
If they make money, we make money.
The next step is working with the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. They’re going to arrange to gather students and other interested people and we’ll give a presentation. “My name is, we have this farm, here are the possibilities, this is the situation. We’ll let you come in for a year, and here’s how much it will cost. You pay for the fertilizer and for growing the stuff, and we’ll do the distribution and the marketing.”
For us, it’s strengthening our Families of Farms concept.
You know what’s really interesting about what we do? We see things happening with energy and all, at two levels. At the farm level, and at the state level. This one is at the farm level. It’s just a missing link kind of thing.
Our whole thing about food security has to do with farmers making money. If the farmers make money, the farmers will farm. It’s all incremental; it’s the experience of a lot of little things.
This is just another piece of the puzzle that will help with food security.
Feed the Hunger Foundation Values:
One of the main stumbling blocks to making biofuels is the cost of the feedstock. And feedstock frequently involves farmers farming.
For example, it is said that making an industrial-scale biofuel operation work requires feedstock that costs between $45 and $60/ton. Since farmers were making $100/ton for making hay, a $45/ton subsidy was put into place. This makes growing feedstock for cellulosic biofuels competitive with making hay—on the mainland.
But here in Hawai‘i, making hay costs $300 per ton, instead of the $100 per ton on the mainland. Farmers won’t do it for $100 per ton.
Who will pay the difference? If the biofuel is being used to make electricity, it will obviously be the rate payer.
Will oil prices rise so high that eventually the biofuel will be cost competitive? Farming inputs and logistic costs are fossil fuel related and rise as oil prices rise. This effect is called “the receding horizon.”
But when waste products are used as the feedstock, the economics change. A good example is Pacific Biodiesel, which uses waste cooking oil. If they asked farmers to grow extra virgin olive oil to make biofuel, obviously it wouldn’t work.
There is a limit as to what can be produced. That limit is the amount of used oil available.
The same is true of the oils potentially developed from the USDA’s Zero Waste project. Its biofuel production is limited to the waste that can be converted to making oil.
The advantage of using the waste stream is that the cost of the feedstock is very low. And in the case of the Zero Waste project, it supports food security for Hawai‘i.
Mahalo to Senator Inouye for having the foresight to fund Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC). This might be the game changer for food and energy security for Hawai‘i.
I wrote before that PBARC has been working on a “zero waste” program for the Hamakua Coast.
It’s an impactful and multifaceted program that ultimately ends up supporting both food security and energy security for Hawai‘i. Food security involves farmers farming, and if farmers make money, farmers will farm.
I support this program because utilizing waste products helps farmers make money.
Here I’m writing here about the biofuel (energy) component, which has support from the Department of Defense. One of the fundamentals of making biofuel involves acquiring appropriately priced feedstock. In this model, the feedstock comes from farm waste that is now thrown away. Or it comes from a process such as crop rotation, which enhances primary farming operations.
In the Hamakua Zero Waste Program’s demonstration model, the farm waste will be papaya. Papaya farmers sell 65 percent of what they deliver to the processer, and 35 percent is thrown away. The other product is sweet sorghum, which is used in rotation with a primary crop such as sweet potato.
A very significant part of this program is the use of oil-producing microbes. BioTork LLC specializes in breeding microorganisms that make oil.
Eudes de Crecy, the CEO of BioTork, states:
A variety of different microorganisms—such as heterotrophic, fungi and bacteria—are capable of converting sugars and other organic compounds into triglycerides oils suitable for conversion to advanced drop-in fuels like green diesel, gasoline and jet fuel. Since these oil-producing microorganisms are heterotrophic, they can be grown inside large fermentors or bioreactors in any climate 24/7 and do not require significant amounts of water for growth. Moreover, oil-producing heterotrophs can produce significantly more triglycerides than phototrophic microorganisms—up to 70% of the dry weight. To date, few enterprises use oil-producing microorganisms like to produce biofuel because the carbon sources necessary for robust growth are more expensive (e.g., glucose, fructose) than the resulting biofuel.
However, BioTork has used experimental evolution to produce proprietary oil-producing microorganisms that are capable of growing on low cost streams of organic material. Indeed, we have already adapted oil-producing microorganisms to grow on low value by-products and even noxious wastes that are derived from agricultural or industrial processes.
Hawai‘i-grown papaya was sent to BioTork prior to Christmas 2010, and first generation, oil-producing strains that grow on papaya puree and sweet sorghum juice have already been developed and sent for testing in PBARC’s labs. In addition, preliminary results for the development of an oil-producing microbe that can grow on the less accessible carbon sources in sweet sorghum bagasse looks promising.
The demonstration project is designed to show whether this will or won’t work within 12 months in a cost effective manner in real world conditions. As a farmer, I believe that if this works cost effectively, it can work on a sustainable basis because it will help farmers make money. And as we all know, if the farmers make money, the farmers will farm.
Rivertop Solutions, LLC, whose CEO is David Rus and whose president and chief media officer is Amy Fernandez, is an important partner of the Hamakua Zero Waste project. Rivertop Solutions works alongside communities and organizations to assist with the planning, systems design, and implementation of economically and socially viable development programs based on maximizing the potential of indigenous resources. The company is moving its headquarters from Reston Virginia to Hilo in the summer of 2011.
Together with PBARC’s other programs that support and enhance farming operations, we can build a resilient food security system for Hawai‘i.
We went to a great luncheon recently, on O‘ahu at the Hawaii Prince Hotel, which was sponsored by Foodland and the Hawaii Society of Business Professionals. It was titled “The Next Steps in Farm to Table.”
Foodland is a great friend of local agriculture.
From the Foodland blog:
by Veronica the Visionary on February 21, 2011 / 11:48 AM
Did you know that if Hawaii were hit by a natural disaster, we would only have only two to three weeks supply of food – and that’s not considering that people would begin hoarding the minute that fear of the disaster hit! In the aftermath of a frenzy of people buying all they could, Hawaii’s food supply could last only a few days! I was shocked to hear that on Thursday at a luncheon our company sponsored called “The Next Steps in Farm to Table.” Hosted by the Hawaii Society of Business Professionals, the lunch featured a panel of restaurateur Alan Wong, local farmer Richard Ha, and master sommelier Chuck Furuya. We were excited to be asked to sponsor the event because we are passionate about the importance of buying local and have great respect for the three speakers and all they have done to promote local producers.
The event was entertaining and educational. Alan shared that if our community just increased its purchases from local farmers by 10%, this would result in an incremental $94 million for our farmers and an additional $188 million in sales for our economy. Without question, supporting local farmers is good for our ENTIRE community. As Richard put it, “Food security has to do with farmers farming. If farmers make money, they farm.” In other words, if we buy more local produce, farmers can afford to farm more and we will be less dependent on outside sources of food – and contribute to a healthy economy in our state. Read the rest
Here’s June sampling some of Chef Keoni Chang’s creations, which he made with Hamakua Springs tomatoes. Keoni is Foodland’s Chef-in-Residence.
“Hamakua Springs Salsa,” which is found in all Foodland supermarkets, is Chef Keoni’s creation. It’s my favorite tomato salsa by far.
Richard Ha writes:
Honolulu magazine wrote about a panel discussion called “The Next Steps in Farm to Table,” which I was part of last week:
At its latest lunch meeting, the Hawaii Society of Business Professionals had three speakers with one message: It matters what you eat.
The speakers (pictured right to left, below) were chef Alan Wong, Hamakua Spring Country Farms’ Richard Ha and master sommelier Chuck Furuya, all of whom made the plea that small personal choices could add up to a major revolution in Hawaii.
Wong pointed out that since Hawaii imports 80 percent of its food, the state has only a two- to three-week food supply if a disaster closes the ports. “The boat no come, you lose plenty weight,” said Ha.
According to state Department of Agriculture figures, if Hawaii replaced just 10 percent of foods we import with locally grown and manufactured foods, that would generate $94 million for farmers, an economy-wide impact of $188 million in sales, $47 million in earnings and $6 million in state taxes. Not to mention 2,300 jobs. Read the rest
Foodland’s President Jenai Walls spoke about how, many years ago, her Irish dad and Chinese grandma worked together at a small store that eventually came to be Foodland Supermarket, the only statewide, locally owned supermarket. She said that Foodland sells more locally grown produce than any other market.
The discussion was sponsored by the Hawaii Society of Business Professionals (HSBP) and the Hawaii Restaurant Association, and held at the Hawaii Prince Hotel.
The HSBP is a very influential group. Here is the group’s board.
From the event description:
The joy of eating wonderful local food in great surroundings forms the essence of the “farm-to-table” movement in Hawaii. At the forefront of this “locovore” movement that marries the importance of saving Hawaii’s agricultural lands, growing the best crops, buying fresh local produce and enjoying local foods at the finest restaurants in Hawaii are Alan Wong and Richard Ha. Alan Wong is the most famous of all of Hawaii’s chefs. Richard Ha and his farm, Hamakua Springs, continue his family tradition of farming on the Big Island. The moderator, Chuck Furuya, was the first sommelier in the State and understands the “locovore” concept pairing fresh local foods with great wines.
One of the exciting things going on right now in Ag is taking place right here on the Hamakua Coast.
The Pacific Basin Ag Research Center (PBARC) is supporting a zero waste program that will help farmers in a very practical way.
It’s an ongoing program involving the Pa‘auilo slaughterhouse and anaerobic digestion. Waste from the slaughterhouse will generate gas and fertilizer by-products. It will increase the slaughter capacity of the facility and reduce/remove the problem of burying the waste. This helps ranchers save/make money.
As we all know, food security involves farmers farming. And if the farmer makes money, the farmer will farm. Save money, make money. They are the opposite sides of the same coin.
PBARC is exploring the possibility of using heterotrophic algae to generate oil, which eats plant waste instead of photosynthesizes it. This system is scalable so that small entities can use the resulting product. This is hopefully an alternative to industrial scale biofuel production, which cannot operate without subsidies and which is, up to this point, unsustainable. The waste product from this operation, hopefully, will end up as animal/fish feed.
PBARC is hiring specialists in the area of practical, value-added food technology. The emphasis will be on first level conversion, so that farmers can use their throwaways or divert production in case of oversupply. The idea is to convert farm products into forms usable by the military and the food procurement system for schools, etc.
If the farmer makes money, the farmer will farm.
At Hamakua Springs, we are using our abundant water supply to sustain oxygenation for our fish. We use falling water for oxygenation instead of energy. With the aid of PBARC scientists, and using our farm waste as food for the (vegetarian) fish, as prices rise ours will, sooner or later, become competitive with imported fish.
If the farmer makes money, the farmer will farm.
The Federal government is supporting this PBARC program as a possible template for rural America.
What I like about it is that it’s practical on the farm level. And, most importantly, it puts the control of individual, group and community destinies into their own hands. And that is what gives people hope.
Every year The Packer publishes Fresh Trends, an industry analysis of preferences for fruits and vegetables. Take a look at this overview:
By Janice M. Kresin, Special Projects Editor
Keep it simple. It’s easy to say, not so easy to do.
We’re bombarded with choices at every turn — What route do I take to work today? Which mobile phone company will work best for my needs? What will I make for dinner tonight? When it comes to food, the choices can be endless.
It turns out, though, that buying fresh fruits and vegetables is not a choice. No matter the economic climate, consumers want the fresh stuff, and it’s never been clearer than in the past year.
Purchases for nearly every commodity we studied in Fresh Trends 2010 — 57 in total — were up this year, despite economic struggles and lingering uncertainty. You see, consumers know that the value of fresh produce goes beyond just dollars. Fresh fruits and veggies are a cheaper alternative than higher health care bills…. Read more
I also noted that first lady Michelle Obama has just launched a campaign to put 6000 or more salad bars in schools over the next three years. She is making a huge difference in Hawai‘i’s food security.
The Food Safety bill I wrote about yesterday passed the Senate Tuesday. This is a good step. Now it’s on to the House.
From NPR’s Health blog:
November 30, 2010
by APRIL FULTON
It sure took a while, but the Senate today passed the first major bill to strengthen food safety protections in 70 years. By current partisan standards, the 73-25 vote in favor of the bill was a landslide.
But before changes to the nation’s system for safeguarding food become law, the Senate bill still has to get through the House, which passed its own food safety bill nearly a year and half ago….
There is food safety legislation in the pipeline, which would have increased costs to smaller farmers when they are the most vulnerable.
Let’s encourage new and small farmers to become larger farmers. Let’s not kill them off before they can get started.
Remember: Food Security has to do with farmers farming. If farmers make money, farmers will farm.
A revised amendment by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. (see below), which exempts smaller operations from some requirements under the legislation, was included in the final bill presented for debate. I think this amendment, which helps small farmers, is reasonable.
From today’s New York Times:
OP-ED CONTRIBUTORS
Published: November 28, 2010
THE best opportunity in a generation to improve the safety of the American food supply will come as early as Monday night, when the Senate is scheduled to vote on the F.D.A. Food Safety Modernization bill. This legislation is by no means perfect. But it promises to achieve several important food safety objectives, greatly benefiting consumers without harming small farmers or local food producers.
Both national produce trade associations and 17 other fruit and vegetable industry groups said, on November 18, that they were forced to oppose the Senate food safety bill because of the Tester language being folded into the main bill.
Tester Amendment – Qualified Exemptions
Food facilities would qualify for an exemption from the preventive control/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point provisions in section 103 of S. 510 if:
• They are defined as a “very small business” under FDA rule making or under certain conditions:
• The average annual monetary value of all food sold by the facility during the previous three-year period was less than $500,000, if the majority of the food sold by that facility was sold directly to consumers, restaurants or grocery stores in the same state or within 275 miles of the facility. Source: Senate Health Committee
When things go wrong on large, industrial-sized farms, lots of people are affected. If something goes wrong on a tiny farm, few people are affected. We need resilience and redundancy in our food supply; we should not depend on a handful of large farms.
This is why we need to support small farms.
