Kaʻū News Briefs, Sunday, August 18, 2019

Keiki hula performers from Lori Lei's Hula Studio. Photo by Julia Neal

     Bureau Director Steven Dillingham said, "The Census Bureau is dedicated to ensuring that we are on track, and ready to accomplish the mission of the 2020 Census. We have made many improvements and innovations over the past decade, including better technologies for canvassing neighborhoods and developing complete and updated address listings and maps."

     The bureau created new software called the Block Assessment, Research, and Classification Application (BARCA). It compares satellite images of the United States over time, allowing Census Bureau employees to spot new housing developments, changes in existing homes and other housing units that did not previously exist. Reviewers also use BARCA to compare the number of housing units in current imagery with the number of addresses on file for each block.

     Bureau Geography Division Chief Deirdre Bishop said, "We were able to verify 65 percent of addresses using satellite imagery — a massive accomplishment for us. In 2010, we had to hire 150,000 people to verify 100 percent of the addresses in the field, this decade we will only have to hire about 40,000 employees around the nation to verify the remaining 35 percent of addresses." Find out how to get hired.

Dante Carpenter, one of the founders of the Kaʻū Hawaiian Civic Club, spoke to the crowd at the club's 50th anniversary celebration. Photo by Julia Neal

     To help identify address listers, employees will have badges and briefcases indicating their affiliation with the Census Bureau. They will introduce themselves as a Census Bureau employee, show their official government ID badge, and explain the purpose of the visit. People may also ask them for a picture ID from another source to confirm their identity. They will ask a few simple questions to verify the address and any additional living quarters on the property for inclusion in the census. The 2020 Census: In-Field Address Canvassing (IFAC) Viewer provides county information on areas that listers will visit.

     Said Marilyn Sanders, Chicago regional director, said, "Ultimately, the success of the census depends on everyone's participation. And it's important to remember, when you respond to the census you shape your future and the future of your community."

Kūpuna hula dancers performed at the Kaʻū Hawaiian Civic Club's 50th anniversary celebration. Photo by Julia Neal

     The 2020 Census officially starts counting people in January 2020 in Toksook Bay, Alaska. Most households in the country will start receiving invitations to respond online, by phone, or by mail, in March 2020. The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be conducted once every 10 years. Census data is used to determine the number of seats each state holds in Congress, and how more than $675 billion in federal funds are distributed for services and infrastructure, including health care, jobs, schools, roads, and businesses. 

     For more information on address canvassing, visit the Census Bureau website.

MAHI‘AI A OLA FOOD GROWING PROGRAM is a joint effort by Kamehameha Schools (KS) and The Kohala Center (TKC). Nearly 90 percent of Hawaiʻi's food is imported, states a release from the groups, so the school and center are engaged in an ongoing effort to "find and partner with farmers to increase local food production." KS and TKC launched Mahi‘ai a Ola, a campaign to support local farmers, agricultural education, and innovative solutions to improve food security this week.
     Mahiʻai a Ola is "an ʻāina-based lifestyle concept that is not about living to eat but rather eating to live. In the larger food system, farmers don’t just cultivate food, they cultivate minds, families, and communities," states the release.
     Mahiʻai a Ola is an initiative that evolved from the Mahiʻai Match-Up program, which began in 2013, as an "opportunity to increase agricultural awareness in support of the farming industry, while reinvigorating innovation, community connections, and a commitment to future generations." Mahiʻai a Ola is made up of three programs:
     Mahiʻai Match-Up is an agricultural business plan competition. The winner is awarded a five-year land agreement with KS and a $10,000 cash prize, donated by Ulupono Initiative. The winner will have the support of KS land asset managers, with wrap-around business services and financial guidance from The Kohala Center. Applications for the contest are due by September 20.
     Mahiʻai a Ao is a scholarship awards program for various agriculture-related educational programs, in partnership with GoFarm Hawaiʻi
     MahiX is an open innovation challenge, seeking cooperative solutions to Hawaiʻi's most pressing agricultural issues.
     Funds raised on behalf of Mahiʻai a Ola will provide scholarships and funding for new and innovative ideas and initiatives that support agriculture and food security.
     Marissa Harman, KS Asset Management Director on Hawai’i Island, said, "When you break down the concept of mahiʻai – it's about the energy and the vigor of working with the land. It's also part of the word ʻāina. Together, it's about sustaining oneself, one's community – feeding the mind, body, and spirit. Because farmers, like students, thrive in a healthy environment, Mahiʻai a Ola is about more than land and money; it is about honoring our mahiʻai as exemplars in our community, true lāhui lifters, who not only grow food but provide sustenance for all."

Food farms on Kamehameha Schools lands. Photo from Kamehameha Schools

     Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui, president and chief executive officer of The Kohala Center, said, "The Mahi‘ai a Ola initiative is truly a unique opportunity for our Hawaiʻi Island farmers. Not only will we be able to grow more local food, but we can grow more viable mahi‘ai working with ‘āina as a meaningful way of life in Hawai‘i. It takes hard work, resources, innovation, and a love for the land to feed our families, neighbors, and communities. This is mahi‘ai a ola. The Mahi‘ai a Ola campaign unites friends and farmers to strengthen our relationship with food for the greater health and well-being of our communities and ‘āina."
     KS stewards more than 160,000 acres of agricultural land on Hawaiʻi Island. Farmers on KS land raise a variety of crops such as papaya, bananas, vegetables, ʻulu, Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, and cacao, and livestock such as pigs and cattle.
     TKC has worked to support the Hawaiʻi island food system with farmer training programs, youth education initiatives, and rural and cooperative business development services "to inspire future generations of food producers and help them succeed."
     To learn more about Mahi‘ai a Ola, or to enter the Mahi‘ai Match-up competition, visit ksbe.edu/mahiai.