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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Hawaii working to link its food chain

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Anna Webb <electricwind@earthlink.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Hawaii working to link its food chain
  • Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:25:53 -1000

Anything that is shipped here is very high in cost. All dairy products are high including cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, dips, etc. Produce that is shipped in is high as well.

I've lived here on East side of the Big Island for almost 3 years now. What I do see is a small bus sure movement toward sustainable communities and growing your own. The Big Island is the least developed of the major islands.

Milk here is $7.00 per gallon but you can frequently find it on "sale" for $4.00+. You learn which stores have the best prices on different items. Eat local - is also something taking hold and one of the main grocers takes care to offer local produce. There are 3 natural food stores on this side as well, and they offer local produce. Farmers markets thrive a couple of times a week in various locations around the island. Of course, the brand named fruits and veggies turn up at the market too - but there are a number of local growers that offer their fruits and veggies, as well.

State administration has been fast to support corporate farms and slow to educate and assist small farmers, so people are educating each other and taking it upon themselves to prepare for a day when "the containers quit coming". The County has from time to time been supportive in offering composting bins with DVD's which go quickly and there is a great seed exchange program which takes place a few times per year.

In addition, Goats are becoming more and more popular as "lawn mowers" and many drink goat milk. There is also raw milk distribution - which of course I know nothing about except just hearing about it - and which I'm equally as sure will be shut down as soon as possible. If the USDA, FDA and other fed agencies were more focused on educating rather than policing to protect large corporations, there would likely be a lot more progress toward self-sustainability here on the islands - but alas, Wally World continues to thrive and put mom and pop's out of business.

Meanwhile, superfund sites to clean up military contamination and big farm pesticide spills continue - and when buying a residential or commercial piece of land, testing must be done because many have to have the whole top layer of contaminated soil removed at high costs (contaminated by past sugar cane crops).

That's the "scoop" on Paradise - I'll go back to lurking now.
Aloha, Anna

On Apr 21, 2008, at 7:21 AM, livingontheland-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

That was the first thing I suggested. He says there is no tradition
for milking goats, and that the islanders have been so dependent on
food brought in (for decades now, if not for generations) that no one
is motivated to do things differently. He had a garden all the time
he was there (he's off the island for the time being), and he says he
was virtually the only person who did. A lot of things grow wild and
are picked, but all the agricultural efforts go to the cash crops of
taro and a couple of other things. Actually, it sounds very much like
a microcosm of the rest of the "civilized" world.

Liz in SW VA
http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com





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