Co-Managing Food Safety and Land Stewardship on Hawaii Farms

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Animal Production: aquaculture, grazing management, manure management, preventive practices, processing regulations, watering systems
• Crop Production: agroforestry, alley cropping, conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, food processing, food product quality/safety, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, water management, windbreaks
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, technical assistance, workshop
• Farm Business Management: whole farm planning
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, grass waterways, hedgerows, wetlands, wildlife
• Pest Management: integrated pest management, physical control, prevention, sanitation
• Production Systems: agroecosystems, aquaponics, dryland farming, holistic management, hydroponics, integrated crop and livestock systems, organic agriculture
• Soil Management: composting, organic matter
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems

In order to elevate Hawaii’s farms to meet national standards and public expectations, Hawaii’s farmers require technical assistance and training to comply with food safety regulations and land management requirements. This initiative, “Co-Managing Food Safety and Land Stewardship on Hawaii Farms” identifies and fulfills opportunities for local farmers to comply with two common regulations: food safety requirements designed to minimize risk to consumers, and land development ordinances designed to minimize soil erosion. We assembled a team of farmers and food safety & conservation planning experts to identify, select, and demonstrate co-management practices (defined as conservation practices that simultaneously address food safety requirements) that are suitable for Hawaii’s agricultural industry. We promoted the project’s findings with farmers, conservation planners, extension agents and other agricultural professionals to increase the use of conservation practices that improve land stewardship and support food safety compliance.

Project team members identified, selected, and demonstrated management tools and best practices for Hawaii farmers to successfully co-manage food safety and land stewardship goals. Key objectives and timelines included:

1. Evaluate and identify practices that simultaneously address food safety and land stewardship goals.

July - October 2019: Convene advisory panel of farmers and professionals with expertise in food safety and land stewardship

October - December 2019: Create matrix of conservation practices based on the relationship between food safety and land stewardship

1. Select high priority practices based on efficacy, feasibility and viability for Hawaii’s farmers.

January - March 2020: Obtain feedback from farmers and others to select the most viable strategies

1. Demonstrate the use of practices identified as supportive of both goals (co-management practices).

April - June 2020: Install on-farm demonstrations of the most viable practices

March - April 2021: Host on-farm workshops to share results (2 islands)

1. Increase knowledge of co-management practices among farmers and agricultural professionals.

April - November 2020: Draft outreach materials (fact sheet, e-newsletter, articles / publications)

December 2020 - June 2021: Share information with farmers, farm advocacy groups, conservation planners, farm advisors and other agricultural professionals.