VIEWPOINT: Stopping development will not save agriculture in the islands

By WARREN WATANABE
The Legislature has closed its 2008 session, but the fate of several agricultural bills has yet to be determined, including the Important Agricultural Lands bill. Many statements have been made about this bill, including comments that unfortunately can only be classified as rhetoric, as they are based on misinformation or theoretical “problems.” As a result, this bill is being judged according to what “might” happen instead of focusing on fixing the real problems that already exist.

The IAL bill (SB 2646) is being maligned as a pro-development measure rather than an ag measure. Nothing can be further from the truth. Development is not the enemy of agriculture. Stopping development will not save agriculture.

Saving agriculture means that everyone, including government, Legislature and the people, needs to understand the interrelationship between agriculture and our daily lives. We farmers and ranchers do what we do because we believe in agriculture and we know that that food production is one of society’s most fundamental needs. We can continue to operate our farms only if we can survive financially. How long can anyone survive on negative income?

I was personally involved in the process to create SB 2646, for the sake of my small family farm, and for the sake of my fellow farmers and ranchers. The bill seeks to solve the huge challenges and holes in the current system. Fertilizer prices have doubled or tripled, shipping challenges have been a roller coaster ride, and changing food safety regulations make it more costly for farmers to get their product to market. It’s important to understand that having land designated for agriculture, by itself, is not enough to ensure successful agriculture. Look at how shocked people were when Aloha Airlines’ inter-island cargo stopped for a while. Bread had to be shipped from Oahu to the Mainland and back again in order to get to the Neighbor Islands. Sounds crazy, but that’s what it took, and it highlights the fact that agriculture needs thoughtful and proactive government policies.

The IAL bill is a comprehensive package of economic measures and incentives to build up agriculture and help farms continue or expand their operations, for the long-term. It does NOT allow landowners to “willy-nilly” designate their property to urban, or to bypass all of the land development requirements, or to arbitrarily pull their lands out of the IAL classification. It is not a “gift to landowners” and it does not blindly hand over millions of dollars in tax credits and loan guarantees. What the IAL bill does is provide real incentives for them to keep their land in productive agricultural use rather than letting it lie fallow or changing it to nonagricultural uses.

I was thrilled when the Legislature passed this bill. It was a message that said Hawaii wants to have a strong and viable agricultural industry for our future generations. Now that message is being muddled by naysayers who are casting shadows on the bill through “what-if” fearmongering.

Will the leaders and people of Hawaii fall for this scare tactic or will they stand up for the future of Hawaii ag? Will you allow continued criticism of our decision makers who had the courage to do the right thing for everyone who wants a reliable and affordable food supply in Hawaii?

The Legislature has laid the foundation for 2008 to be known as the year that Hawaii’s agriculture began its comeback. It’s time for everyone to join the bandwagon for Hawaii’s journey to increase our self-sufficiency. If we continue to lose farmers and ranchers, we will have nothing left but empty fields and no locally grown foods.

• Warren Watanabe is the executive director of the Maui County Farm Bureau. He lives and farms in Kula.