STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2075

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2137

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2137 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish an on-farm mentoring program within the Department of Agriculture to encourage the development and implementation of a whole farm system approach to agriculture, to improve food security and self-sufficiency in the State.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii System, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Maui Farmers Union United, Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, Farm Lovers Farmers Markets, and seven individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

 

     Your Committee finds that a whole farm system approach to agriculture can improve food security and benefit the local economy through the reduction of production costs and promotion and manufacture of locally sourced inputs.  Teaching a new generation of farmers to use a whole farm system approach will create an alternative method of farming that appeals to many young farmers across the State.  Your Committee further finds that the farming community of Hawaii contains institutional knowledge of great value to new and future generations of farmers; however, Hawaii's farmers are aging and if opportunities are not created for experienced farmers to pass on their knowledge to new farmers, much knowledge will be lost.  Your Committee therefore finds that on-farm mentoring programs benefit the State and the farming community by creating opportunities for experienced farmers to work with and educate new farmers working directly on the farm.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting language to remove the grant provision portion of the on-farm mentoring program;

 

     (2)  Amending the appropriation to be an appropriation of general funds to the Department of Agriculture to support existing on-farm mentoring programs and for a pilot program in Maui, rather than a grant to existing on-farm mentoring programs; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2137, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2137, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture,

 

 

 

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair