Ka`u Calendar News Briefs Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016

KA`U AGRICULTURE IS PART of a study released by Hawai`i Department of Agriculture that provides information on locations of commercial ag activities throughout Hawai`i. The Statewide Agricultural Land Use Baseline 2015 study, which updates a 1980 survey, is intended to help industry, government and the community in making decisions that affect ag land use throughout the state.

      “Ka`u is best know for its 4,800 acres of macadamia nut orchards and its 660 acres of coffee,” the report states. It also provides a history of Ka`u Coffee: “Following the closure of Ka`u Agribusiness, former sugar workers pioneered an emerging coffee industry. Workers were offered short-term leases to undivided lands, on which most planted coffee. This group of 40 farmers has held onto their coffee dreams for nearly 20 years, many of them with little or no certainty of their land tenure. Today, there are approximately 60 coffee farmer in the region, and Ka`u Coffee has achieved high standings in recent international cupping contests and is a growing contributor to Hawai`i`s boutique coffee marketplace.

      According to the report, pasture use accounts for 83 percent of all productive agricultural land use in the state, and 73 percent of that use is on Hawai`i Island. The report acknowledges Ka`u’s livestock industry: “Larger ranches, such as Kapapala and Kuahiwi, and a variety of smaller operations produce beef and goats for local consumption. Kuahiwi Ranch worked hard to develop its reputation for the local grass-fee beef it delivers regularly to Whole Foods and Foodland. Ka`u ranches also ship calves to the U.S. mainland.”
      “This baseline study is one of several projects we are working on to lay a foundation for measuring our progress toward increasing agricultural production statewide,” said Scott Enright, Chair of Hawai`i’s Board of Agriculture. “We look forward to using this tool in making informed decisions about current agricultural enterprises and in the planning and promoting of new agricultural investment to increase our food security.”
      The report provides a wide range of maps and graphics depicting the location of 15 crop categories with island-by-island summaries and regional descriptions of some of the factors that drive ongoing agricultural activity around the state. It is a snapshot in time from which to measure change in agricultural land use patterns both historically and for measuring change in the future.
      According to the report, diversified crops are grown on 16,900 acres statewide. In 1980, just 7,490 acres of diversified crops were grown statewide, indicating a substantial increase in local food production, with most occurring on O`ahu, where the market is largest and transportations costs are the lowest.
      The complete report is posted at hdoa.hawaii.gov/salub.

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AREAS AT RISK FOR DENGUE FEVER on Hawai`i Island continue to shrink, with some risk still in Ocean View and Miloli`i. The only high risk area, reported yesterday by Hawai`i Department of Health, is Kona. The total number of confirmed cases remains at 256, with no new cases since DOH’s last update. One of the confirmed cases is potentially infectious to mosquitoes. 

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THE STATE INTERAGENCY CLIMATE Change Adaptation Committee held its first-ever sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation workshop, recognizing that Hawai`i is the only island state in the U.S. and that the islands will likely be the first and most dramatically impacted by rising ocean levels.
      On Thursday, Feb. 11 ICAC brought together pre-eminent climate change experts, state and county leaders, and other interested people to learn about how Hawai`i is going to be affected by rising seas and to explore adaptation strategies.

      In a keynote address, master navigator Nainoa Thompson, of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, called on the 250 workshop participants to begin creating the map that Hawai`i and other coastal and island locations will need to navigate one of the most scientifically and technically challenging environmental issues the globe will face in coming decades. Thompson implored the audience, “I need you to help explain to my children and all children that what you will accomplish today will not only help protect our shorelines but help protect their homes for tomorrow. Please understand that I am extraordinarily grateful, on behalf of my children, for you being here to help us chart the course and create the map for the future.”

      Sam Lemmo, co-chair of ICAC and administrator of the DLNR Office of Conservation and Coastal Resources, said, “We want to have maximum public outreach, and this workshop achieves one of our objectives of having maximum public participation. We’re going to take the feedback and comments from events like this and others and incorporate them into our report to the Hawai`i State Legislature.” Act 83 established the ICAC and requires development of a report on sea level rise and adaptation strategies to lawmakers by the end of 2017.
      Sea level rise is expected to have significant impacts on coastal areas. Dr. Chip Fletcher leads a team of researchers at the University of Hawai`i School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. The team is well known for the models it creates that predict how certain low lying coastal plains will be inundated by ocean water, when and to what depths.
      Fletcher told participants, “2015 broke all records as the hottest year in the last 130 years. Climate change is highly variable and has no uniformity. The science associated with it demands the very best research possible.” Fletcher focused on climate change impacts: heat waves, changing precipitation patterns, food impacts, rain in Hawai`i, ecosystem threats, changing storminess, optimism about climate change, and sea level rise.
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A COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICE WORKER position is available in Ocean View. The job is with the Elderly Activities Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Applicants can review qualifications and submit applications at hawaiicounty.gov/humanresources. Look for CSWIII.
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ALOHA FRIDAY TOMORROW from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Volcano Art Center Gallery's porch in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park features hula and `oli with Moses Kaho`okele Crabbe. Kumu hula of Hālau Ke Ola o Ka Lani, Crabbe shares his extensive knowledge to teach the basics of hula, language and chant.

      Free; park entrance fees apply.