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Health Options

Alan Titchenal
& Joannie Dobbs Saturday, June 28, 2008

Consumers should support local farmers

The survival of any species is increasing agricultural produc- A: Most obviously, locally
completely dependent on access tion in Hawaii is more impor- grown and processed foods
to adequate food. Obtaining tant than ever. make us less vulnerable to off-
foods in the amounts and varie- Question: How have current island issues. Also, fresher pro-
ties that meet our nutrient needs events affected the need to in- duce is superior in both taste
has been a challenge since be- crease local agriculture? and nutritional value.
fore the days of two food Answer: Over the last decade By decreasing the miles each
groups: hunting and gathering. there are four key factors that food or food ingredient must
Hunting and gathering re- have increased Hawaii's de- travel, we increase the long-
quired vast amounts of land to pendency on mainland food term sustainability of Hawaii's
obtain adequate food for a fam- and, in turn, increased the im- food-producing capacities.
ily. The development of agri- portance of strengthening local Increased local agriculture
culture, however, provided reli- agriculture. and food production preserves
able food sources within limited 1) With the loss of local dairy more open space and agro-tour-
space. Farming is perhaps the and egg production capabilities, ism opportunities. Banana, pa-
oldest profession, and it remains protein resources have declined. paya and mango trees are often
the foundation of the civilized 2) World issues have in- of great interest to those from
world. creased fuel costs and food colder climates. Overall, more
Hawaii is one of the most costs. local diversified agriculture
isolated small landmasses in the 3) Loss of local airlines and helps to "sell" Hawaii.
world. Despite this, the first increased plane fares potentially Buying local isn't always the
Hawaiians were able to support decrease tourists and resulting least expensive. But buying lo-
a large population mainly due to tourist revenue. cal invests in the preservation of
extensive plant and animal agri- 4) Current farmland flooding productive agricultural land and
culture. Today, Hawaii residents on the mainland will decrease helps to promote policies that
live in a much more precarious food supply and therefore have make local farming profitable.
situation due to great depend- a trickle effect on increased
ence on food shipped from food costs in the very near fu-
elsewhere. ture.
A natural disaster or even a Q: How will increased agri-
shipping strike could bring us to cultural capacity benefit Ha-
our nutritional knees in a matter waii?
of several days. Consequently,
Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S. and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.
are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences,
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, UH-Manoa.
Dr. Dobbs also works with the University Health Service
© 2008 Honolulu
Star-Bulletin -- http://starbulletin.com
http://www.nutritionatc.hawaii.edu/Articles/2008/396.pdf

HO 396

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