EiJ Hawaii Agriculture and Stakeholders
mtebbeIndigenous farmers - creating food forests that focus on native crops (though they do include non-natives that serve a purpose or simply taste good) and fostering biodiversity/sustainability, also support Hawaii's ability to be self-sufficient (85-95% of food is imported) and the return of native species of animals
Japanese farmworkers - first arrived in 1860s, particularly influential in coffee industry
Filipino farmworkers - 6,000 arrive in 1946
International Longshore and Warehouse Union - includes sugar plantation workers - 1946 28,000 workers strike; again in 1958, 1974 (pineapple workers strike 1947, 1968, 1974)
Agrochemical transnational companies, e.g. Monsanto, Pioneer, Novartis, Cargill - environmental destruction, disregard for regulations on use and disposal of hazardous chemicals, off-site releases of hazardous chemicals from Maui research facility, political lobbying against regulations for GMOs and pesticides
Historic stakeholders - cattle ranchers, monocrop plantations - less common today but their effects on the environment are still very visible
- Cattle ranching begins in 1809
- Coffee plantations begin in 1830s (peaks in 1957)
- Sugar plantations begin in 1850s, peaks in 1933 and again in 1966
- Pineapple plantations begin in 1880s (Dole plantation established in 1901; peaks in 1955)
- Many plantations close in the 1990s
Tourism - economic control
Beyond Pesticides - national organization with programs in Hawaii
Maui County Department of Agriculture - newly created to invest in food sovereignty, help move the island away from monocrop pasts by rehabilitating the environment and creating jobs
Sources:
https://grist.org/agriculture/the-farmers-restoring-hawaiis-ancient-foo…
https://www.mauinews.com/opinion/columns/2022/03/changes-to-agricultura…
https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/HISTORY-OF-AGRICULTU…
EiJ Hawaii Agricultural Hazards
mtebbeSignificant pesticide usage from industrial agriculture:
- "[Hawaii] became the biotech GMO capital of the US after agrochemical transnationals were welcomed to open research fields with fewer restrictions on potentially toxic pesticides."
- Legacy contamination from past monocrop plantations
- Research facilities owned by agrochemical companies like Monsanto - potential illegal dumping, off-site releases of chemicals
Runoff from agriculture (even if it contains just sediments and no pesticides) is harmful to coral reefs
Sources:
https://grist.org/agriculture/the-farmers-restoring-hawaiis-ancient-foo…
https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2017/03/02/cooperation-is-key-to-reduce-sed…
Is the grass ever greener?
jrtrini1I want to continue to support others in their research. I think the ecogov lab is a space to grow as a researcher. I want to continue to be motivated. The ecogov lab has shown me the importance of field notes and why having archiving is important. I hope to make new connections outside of Irvine and continue to connect dots for others.
TebbeM Learning from EcoGovLab
mtebbeI want to build my familiarity with a wide variety of different cases (in the room right now, we have people with expertise on: Austin, Louisiana, London, Orange County/Santa Ana, La Puente, and Delhi, among others) and my ability to think about how these cases can give insight on the places I am interested in.
Flooding fear Question 4
mtebbeSome residents of flooded homes in Three Rivers/Woodlake blame new housing developments that replaced orchards and a creek bed for recent flooding
Flooding fear Question 5
mtebbeFarmers drove pickup trucks loaded with dirt into a breached levee, then covered the trucks with dirt
Central Valley job training Question 5
mtebbeSchools and colleges have stepped up to provide skilled manufacturing training
Fresno County offers employee training through the New Employment Opportunity program, which reimburses companies that hire through the program
Economic leaders/local government: bringing in diverse occupations and companies to the valley, including a medical complex in Clovis, which will house the first medical school in the valley
Central Valley job training Question 4
mtebbeIndustry: not enough highly skilled workers
Schools: not enough students going into high-paying jobs
Central Valley job training Question 1.2
mtebbeIncreasing jobs in Central Valley from large corporate warehouses, but those don't always come with high wages, can be dangerous