HFUU Legislative Support: In STRONG SUPPORT of SB2218 & SB3325 SD1
| Aloha HFUU Members & Subscribers, We are in need of your supportive testimonies for SB2218 & SB3325 SD1! For a glitch-free experience, remember to login to capitol.hawaii.gov before clicking the Support button(s). IN STRONG SUPPORT OF SB2218 & SB3325 SD1. Please see suggested testimony and necessary amendments below. The committee(s) on AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 03-02-22 10:15AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference. Please provide your testimony by TOMORROW 3-1-22 at 10:00AM. Talking points & sample testimony linked below. |
| Support SB2218 via capitol.hawaii.gov Measure Title: SB2218 RELATING TO A FOOD HUB PILOT PROGRAM. Report Title: Department of Agriculture; Food Hub Pilot Program; Grant Funding; Honalo Marshalling Yard; Appropriation ($) Description: Requires the Department of Agriculture to establish a five-year food hub pilot program to increase access to local food. Provides for the award of grant funding to qualified applicants wishing to establish or expand a food hub. Authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds for the Honalo Marshalling Yard. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Support SB3325 SD1 via capitol.hawaii.gov Measure Title: SB3325, SD1 RELATING TO CARBON SEQUESTRATION INCENTIVES. Report Title: Carbon Sequestration; Hawaii Farmland and Forest Soil Health Carbon Smart Incentive Program; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Appropriations ($) Description: Establishes the Hawaii farmland and forest soil health carbon smart incentive program (program) to incentivize carbon sequestration activities through incentives contracts that provide for compensation for eligible practices by program participants. Appropriates funds for positions and for administering the program. (SD1) |
| Suggested Testimony: The Hawaii Farmers Union United (HFUU) is a 501(c)(5) agricultural advocacy nonprofit representing a network of over 2,500 family farmers and their supporters across the Hawaiian Islands. This bill will provide support for the network of food hubs across the state to expand their work, and in doing so increase farmer incomes and consumer food access. For these reasons we strongly support SB2218. In 2017, the Legislature awarded the Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation a Grant in Aid project to Strengthen Regional Food Hubs in Hawai’i. As part of that project, the coordinator, Dr. Saleh Azizi facilitated a focus group, composed of the majority of Hawaiʻi’s food hubs, to understand the resources needed for food hubs to respond to statewide local food purchasing goals. The focus group findings resulted in a 2020 Food Hub Pilot program bill to support existing and new food hubs in all of Hawaii’s counties. Food hubs play a critical role in our food system by connecting small farmers with diverse markets. In decades past, farmer cooperatives were a strong tool for smallholders to get to market. Food hubs are a modern approach to revitalize farmer cooperation and expand market access. Support of this bill will expand the critical work of food hubs and build a stronger local food economy. Mahalo for the opportunity to testify. |