Romantic ideas about locally grown food and a lack of statewide planning could be getting in the way of making real progress addressing food insecurity, climate change and the economy.
As the threat of COVID-19 subsides, some local food growers say they will continue to prioritize local families that kept them afloat during the pandemic over the tourism industry.
How Hawaii Squandered Its Food Security And What It Will Take To Get It Back - Honolulu Civil Beat
How Hawaii Squandered Its Food Security And What It Will Take To Get It Back
Hawaii’s reliance on food imports began in the 1960s. To achieve self-sufficiency again, experts say it will take old values and new tools. Reading time: 8 minutes.
Nearly 2,500 miles from the nearest continent, Hawaii spends up to $3 billion a year importing more than 80% of its food a dilemma that government leaders, economists, farmers, food shoppers and community activists have long tried to solve.
Things weren’t always so grim.
(University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo) A groundbreaking study investigating the growth of selected varieties of sugarcane to convert into high-performance jet fuel is underway at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM). Utilizing advanced technologies in agronomics and bioeconomy, the researchers are ultimately looking to improve the island’s environmental sustainability, build a stronger economy and create educational opportunities for students.
“The aviation industry recognizes that bio-based or sustainable aviation fuels are essential to the future of aviation,” said CAFNRM Dean Bruce Mathews, a principal investigator on the project. “Fully one-half of the industry’s greenhouse gas reduction goals for 2050 can only be achieved via sustainable jet fuels. Electric airplanes are only feasible for small planes on short-distance flights and the only electric airplane under development that has substantial r