Urban Gardens, Vegan Holiday Fest, and U.S. Food Crisis Working Group

WHAT RELEVANCE COULD THIS POSSIBLY HAVE TO GROWING FOOD?

Traffic pours out of the acres of parking lots surrounding Miller Park, home of the Brewers in the city of Milwaukee. Asphalt, ball park hot dogs, nachos....? What could this possibly have to do with food security? Ah, even in the midst of our urban landscapes, there is magic underway. Milwaukee is the home of urban farmer Will Allen, a towering man who once played NBA basketball. Allen recently was honored with the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award of $500,000 for his leadership in establishing the Growing Power organization, and his innovative approach to raising food and building community on three acres in downtown Milwaukee. See more about his project on two videos, here, and also here.

Back on Maui, Carlos Garcia of the Optimum Living Alliance (OLA-Life.org), sent word about the upcoming Second Annual Vegan Holiday Festival, to be held Saturday, November 15th at the Haiku Community Center. With a fabulous feast of healthy food, keynote speaker Dr. Steve Blake, live music, and over $1,000 in raffle prizes, you'll want to mark this on your calendar, and bring friends and family!

Many names were added to this blog outreach list after the recent Body & Soil conference in Olinda, Maui. Thanks to all of you and offered things to post. I'd like to renew a request for each of you to keep this blog lively by letting us know what you have to offer, and also what you're looking for. And don't forget to post comments on the blog posts.

Looking for non-hybrid, non-GMO heirloom seeds? Try this link to the Ark Institute, which also has great information on Gardening Q&As, how oil is linked to food, and the food supply crisis. Mahalo to Summer Starr for sharing this website info.

Speaking of the food crisis, Andrea Samulon, Agribusiness Campaigner with the Rainforest Action Network sent this link to a website called U.S. Food Crisis Working Group. Ten major organizations, including RAN and Food & Water Watch are sponsoring this site. There is a call to sign on and work towards reshaping the years of misguided federal policies that have led to support for huge agribusiness, mono-cropping, and pesticide use, at the expense of the small farmer, and those practicing non-toxic methods, such as organic farming. I will be meeting Andrea in Decatur, Illinois next week to join in a RAN protest at the annual shareholders meeting of Archer-Daniels-Midland, one of the world's largest agribusiness conglomerates (along with Cargill) and responsible for continuing deforestation in biodiverse regions of SE Asia and Central and South America....mainly for soybeans, palm oil, and sugar cane to be converted to biofuels. 

Finally, Jay Ogden asked me to post information about his "Gardens-To-Go" containers, designed to make portable organic gardens more accessible in a variety of locations, such as schools or retirement centers. Thanks for your good work, Jay.

And now it's time for us to hear from YOU!  What's new and exciting in your garden, on your farm, and in your community? We'd love to hear about it, and share it.

Happy growing,

ROB

The Politics of Food

IS THIS REALLY AGRICULTURE, OR MERELY AG-GRAVATING?

Aloha local food enthusiasts! We are so glad to have this forum to discuss what local food security/ sovereignty really means, and what necessary steps we need to take to achieve it. Today's Maui News contained an article about the continuing decline in our water reservoirs, despite nominal relief from some trade wind rain showers. The article, linked here, also revealed that of 2,900 acres recently harvested by Hawaiian Cane & Sugar, only 400 acres can be replanted until there's sufficient rain to provide enough water to keep the seed cane growing. It is troubling to think that 2,500 acres may be barren (note photo with MN article) and susceptible to trade winds erosion, or possibly storm runoff should big rain come our way. I have one word for the head honchos at HC&S.....DIVERSIFY. In these changing times, there is great wisdom in growing food on plantation acreage-- it provides more jobs, may use less water, can help repair the depleted soil, and of course helps address FOOD SECURITY. Please do whatever you can to help influence others to shift the dinosaur local sugar industry into a new 21st century paradigm for growing food.

Another article in the Sunday Maui News highlighted the difference between candidate hopefuls for the Lanai residency seat for Maui County Council. Sol Kaho`ohalahala previously served as Lanai councilman before leaving to serve in the state legislature, and then as head of the Kaho`olawe Island Reserve Commission. In the article about the two Lanai candidates, he clearly stated that his focus would be on a diversified, sustainable economy through renewable energy, while also looking to identify lands for local food production. Candidate John Ornellas said that he believes this campaign is about our economy, "it's about jobs." He called for more money to support the Maui Visitors Bureau. [ Currently MVB receives $3.8 million yearly, far more than any other county in Hawaii.] As we suggested in this blog a month ago, before the primary election.....vote for candidates who will support food security!

On the national political front, there has been little discussion of the need to revitalize our nation's approach to growing food, including the recent passage of the Farm Bill that was heavy on support for corporate agribusiness and subsidies for corn-ethanol biofuels. One voice that has called to bring the food issue into our national consciousness is that of Michael Pollan, noted author of In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore's Dilemma. Mark Sheehan forwarded Michael's recent NY Times article, Dear Mr. Next President, ----Food, Food, Food. The sub-headline of the article is, "We must move into the post-oil era to improve the health of American people and to mitigate climate change."  In other words, we need to concentrate on Soil, Not Oil.

Here's a quick reminder to let us know what resources you  may have that may help contribute to this blog. Our collective strength is through understanding our connections with one another, and with the diverse and amazing eco-systems in the world surrounding us. Please take time to register comments on this site, and to let us know how we may be more effective in our combined efforts to support education and advocacy for growing more food locally.

Mahalo, malama pono,

ROB

Noted Farmer, Author, Educator Speaks to Maui Audience

MICHAEL ABLEMAN OF  FOXGLOVE FARMS ON SALT SPRING ISLAND ADDRESSES INTERESTED LISTENERS AT THE MAUI COMMUNITY COLLEGE GARDENS

More than fifty people showed up to hear one of the pioneers of diversified local farming speak at Maui Community College last week, in a free presentation by the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui. Michael Ableman shared his experience of farming over the past three decades, first in Southern California near Santa Barbara, and now in British Columbia. He has also traveled the world, observing traditional agriculture methods on several continents, and on Cuba and Jamaica in the Caribbean. Maui Weekly's account of his visit details his call for urgency to meet Maui's very insecure imbalance of food imports, and offers some solutions as well. Treat yourself to a few minutes cruising his beautiful website, Fields of Plenty, titled after his latest book.

I would be remiss if I didn't remind everyone that Maui Aloha `Aina'a 8th annual Body & Soil Conference will be held this weekend at an organic farm in Olinda. There will be a free presentation Thursday evening October 8th at the Maui Electric Company auditorium. Please help support MA`A and their mission to spread information about the connections between healthy soil,  foods, and humans, in any way you can.

One of the ongoing messages in this blog, and in many other locales worldwide, is that new economies will be much more localized, due to the end of cheap oil and the ability to transport things great distances with the ease to which we've become accustomed. A good summary of the concept, and how it is playing out nationally and world wide, may be found in an article posted on the Organic Consumers Association website. Titled, "Solving the Food, Health, and Energy Crisis: Local & Organic Production on Smaller Farms", it links to a New York Times opinion piece for the entire article (which means you may have to register to read it, if not already a NY Times reader. It takes only a minute or two to do so).

What have YOU learned in your garden recently? What successes and failures have you witnessed? What questions, or tips do you have on improving production success? Please share some comments to keep this blog active and growing. We've all planted some great seeds, and now it's time to nurture them and watch them grow.

Happy growing, and healthy eating to all,

ROB

Kipahulu Organic Fruit Farm is Only Ono!

FRESH FRUIT CORNUCOPIA AT CHUCK BOERNER'S ONO ORGANIC FARMS, KIPAHULU, MAUI

Travels to East Maui brought about a fabulous visit to Ono Organic Farms. Sitting in the idyllic setting with Chuck and Lily Boerner, and sampling locally grown coffee, dragon fruit, sweetsop, and durian (!), it was a beautiful example of a local success story established through hard work and love for the land. Read more about Ono Farms in my weekly Rob Report column.

Two weeks ago, several of us on the Maui Tomorrow Food Security and Renewable Energy subcommittee attended the annual Hawaii Congress of Planning Officials conference at the Grand Wailea, Maui. While there, I crossed paths with former Maui Planning Commissioner Suzanne Freitas, who is heading a new non-profit effort called, Waste Not, Want Not. The concept of the organization is to collect unpicked, unwanted ripe fruits so that it may be distributed to seniors, schools, and other needy organizations that can benefit from receiving this healthy, local food at no cost. WNWN is finalizing initial funding support to purchase a truck and picking equipment, and to support administration efforts to distribute this bounty which might otherwise go unused.

A historic ruling happened on Thursday, Sept. 25th, as the state Commission for Water Resource Management (CWRM) approved a recommendation for returning 12 million gallons of diverted water daily into eight East Maui Streams. The ruling was the culmination of years of petitioning by East Maui taro growers, and marks a giant step towards returning these fertile growing regions back into production to sustain the people and the culture that has been in existence here for many generations.  

More to come on the Maui Food Security food blog, with news of planning efforts for a Community Garden in Haiku, and more. Stay tuned....and please let us know what's new in your neighborhood. New moon is tomorrow...time to plant!

Best to all,

ROB

 

Vote for candidates who support food security--This Saturday!

DON'T PUT ALL YOUR FRUITS (OR EGGS) IN ONE BASKET!

A number of candidates this year are addressing our need to augment our food supply of 85-90% imports with more locally grown goods. With the Primary Election coming up this Saturday, it's a good time to review candidates' positions on sustainability issues, and examine who really has viable ideas for governmental support of farmers, community gardens, and backyard gardeners. While a few races will be decided in the Primary, many more will carry over to the November 4th General Election. (If you're not yet registered, you must do so by October 4th).

Peter Durkson recently visited the Hali`imaile Community Garden and posted a new entry on his blog, Maui Growing Together. Peter also unearthed a great article from Honolulu Weekly, A Growing Revolution (Oct., 2006). The story is about getting elementary school kids to learn about eating healthier by teaching them to grow their own food. Any of you know school teachers, administrators, or parents who might be interested in planting seeds for school garden projects??

Speaking of healthy eating, the monthly raw food potluck hosted by Home & Brook of OLA.org will be held Wednesday, Sept. 24 in Maui Meadows. You will also find a number of great raw food recipes on their website. 

Among those attending will be Michael Saiz, co-founder of Hawaii Health Guide and the Healing Garden Festival, to be held on Sept. 27th at MCC. We provided a link to their event in a previous posting, but Michael and Katie have updated the list of events. Among the updates are a free showing of "Revolution Green" on Friday night at Maui Community College, with Pacific Biodiesel's Kelly King attending, and a presentation by Claire Hope Cummings, Healthy Farms, Healthy Communities. Don't forget to contact them if you are interested in opportunities to have a booth.

Time to go out and water the garden. Please let us hear from you!

A hui hou,

ROB

Hawaii Health Guide's Healing Garden Festival, and more Real Dirt!

LOCAL SEEDLESS ORANGE, HAIKU, MAUI

Garden and health enthusiasts, take note: The Hawaii Health Guide's 2008 Hawaii Healing Garden Festival comes to Maui on Saturday, September 27th. To be held on the campus of Maui Community College, the event is seeking booths and vendors with a variety of interests, including gardening resources and plant growers, local organic food, herbal and cultural medicines, alternative energy resources, and much more. Early registration for booths by this Friday receive a $50 discount.

Community events such as this are wonderful opportunities to network with others dedicated to supporting more locally grown food. But if you are looking for a way to find inspiration in the comfort of your very own home, consider renting The Real Dirt On Farmer John from Netflix or your local video store. This video is a winner. It chronicles the story of an Illinois farm boy who evolves from, "counter-culture rebel to a beacon of today's booming organic farm movement and founder of one of the nation's largest Community Supported Agriculture farms."

In the end, he is instrumental in helping to save his family's farm from the trend of selling out to big agribusiness or development interests. I give it two green thumbs up!!

Are you hip to Slow Food Nation? This non-profit organization has caught on like wildfire, and is the greatest thing since the Bacon Double-Cheeseburger. Last weekend, 60,000 people participated in their annual conference in San Francisco. Big time partners include Rodale Press (publishers of Organic Gardening, Prevention, Runner's World, Men's Health, etc.), Whole Foods, and more. Their Slow Food Nation blog may be one of the most attractive blogs you will see, and contains a cornucopia of information of interest. 

Heard a lot about the controversy of growing food versus fuel, as in biofuel crops for ethanol or biodiesel? You may be interested in reading this Maui News story on possibilities of growing sorghum as an energy  crop by Hawaii BioEnergy LLC. We used to grow sorghum on my brother's certified organic farm in SW Wisconsin, and would hand harvest the cane and take it to a local processor who would cook the cane juice into sorghum syrup. But, in many parts of the world, the seed heads are harvested and ground into flour. So, perhaps there may be possibilities for food AND fuel. It serves all of us to carefully review our renewable energy options, usage of our ag lands and water resources (sorghum uses one third the water of sugar cane), and our best options for growing local food.

Finally, we invite your input for ways to help connect like-minded food activists throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and beyond! Please share this blog with those in your `ohana, and let us know what resources, ideas, and support you may be seeking. We'd love to hear your comments.

In good health, peace,

ROB

Food for Maui, food for the world--Grassroots efforts are emerging.

TERRACED RICE FIELDS, BALI, INDONESIA

While this blog has focused primarily on local efforts on Maui and in Hawaii to connect people with the resources they need to help support more local food production, it is also true that such efforts are "cropping" up all over the world. The new issue of National Geographic, titled, Where Food Begins, is fascinating reading on the relationship of soil health to worldwide food production. We have been told recently that our diminishing global fresh water resources are in a state of crisis. The gravity of the soil depletion situation may be less well understood. 

Two great articles are well worth your time, Our Good Earth, and also Dirt Poor. One quote jumped out at me, "Even as humankind is ratchetting up it demand on soil, we are destroying it faster than ever before." One cannot help but think of the local impacts that a century of plantation activity has meant to Hawaii soils-- mono-cropped, poisoned with pesticides, herbicides, nematicides, and mercilessly plowed hundreds of acres at a time, and left to the mercy of the trade winds and the rains carrying it away-- tons and tons of soil deposited into our near shore ocean waters. More than ever, it's time we get to work growing food, not an unhealthy commodity crop that is buoyed by federal price supports, and shipped long distances just to refine it into the end product, processed sugar.

Communities from Maui to Mali are pursuing ways to feed an ever-growing population, while faced with the realities that global commodity transportation may prohibit the easy flow of foods from continent to continent, state to state, and even island to island. Much more of what we eat in the coming months and years will be grown closer to home.

Not everyone has the time or inclination to garden or farm. One exemplary model for local sustainability is that of "Community Supported Agriculture" (CSA). Skilled small farmers raise a number of fruits, vegetables, and other foods, then sell a weekly assortment to a subscriber group of customers, who come to pick up their produce. Farmers get to spend more time on the farm, rather than transporting goods to markets. Food is virtually fresh picked, and the consumer has a personal relationship with their neighbor who is growing their food.

For those not entirely familiar with the CSA concept, here's a Rob Report article I wrote last year on Patrick Moser's Biodynamic Farm. Like many other organic, CSA, and biodynamic growers, Patrick offers work exchange opportunities on his small farm. He is plugged into a worldwide program called Willing Workers On Organic Farms, such workers often referred to as "WWOOFers". 

Peter Durkson, whose Maui Growing Together blog we mentioned a few days ago, just posted the link for all such Maui farmers offering work trade situations to WWOOFers, a list of 28 different locations island-wide. The willing workers get to learn valuable skills, and as a former "migrant" worker on my brother's certified organic farm in SW Wisconsin, I will attest that extra hands can make a huge difference in a small family farm operation.

Finally, to bring the local concepts back to global possibilities, here is a link to a very inspiring six-minute video of a 300 year old food forest in Viet Nam. The narrator's end quote is that, "This is a vision of the past....and the future."

A hui hou, and happy growing!

ROB