The Hawai‘i Farmers Union United is opening its 14th annual convention on Maui this weekend with speakers focused on sustainable agriculture, food systems and security, and community resilience.

Free to the public for the first time, the convention from Friday through Sunday will be held at the University of Hawaii Maui College, sponsored by the County of Maui in collaboration with Hawai‘i Tropical Fruit Growers and the Maui Food Innovation Center.

Keynote speaker Paula Daniels, an attorney and Native Hawaiian leader who is an expert in equitable and transparent food systems, on Friday will share her insights into the future of sustainable agriculture in Hawaii that would support local farmers, reduce food imports and promote fairness in food access.

Daniels is the founder of the Center for Good Food Purchasing, which works on transforming the way public institutions source food, focusing on sustainability and equity.

“Transparent food systems ensure openness about where food comes from, how it’s produced, and its environmental and social impact. Equitable food systems prioritize fair access to food and resources for all, ensuring that small farmers and underserved communities are included,” said Ashley Hogue, a spokesperson for the Farmers Union.

On Saturday Kaipo Kekona, state president of the Hawaii Farmers Union United, will address the convention theme “We look to the past as a guide to the future,” on how indigenous knowledge and modern innovations intersect to create sustainable solutions for Hawaii’s future agriculture.

A Lahaina native, Kekona manages the Ku‘ia Agricultural Education Center, where he is introducing practices that promote a healthier local food system and soil sustainability. His mission includes supporting community needs by providing fresh produce for keiki, local schools, senior centers and housing communities.

He played a critical role as a leader in the Napili Noho Fire Relief Hub, where he organized relief disaster response and support to wildfire survivors.

Other speakers on a wide range of topics include Jennifer Karaca, lead facilitator of the Maui Emergency Feeding Task Force, who will discuss the group’s report on Feeding Maui in Crisis: Insights and Resilience After the Fires; and Maria Haws, a professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, on aquaculture opportunities for farmers and community members.

Presentations, workshops and demonstrations include such key topics as homesteading, animal husbandry, soil health, specialty crops and regenerative agriculture (such as no-till farming, vermicomposting, agroforestry and cover cropping.)

Healing arts, Hawaiian cultural activities, a night market, a concert by “Homestead” and local food vendors are also on the agenda. A gala fundraising dinner by Chef Hui Hawaii with entertainment by Tavana will be held Saturday to support the farmers union in promoting regenerative agriculture. Tickets start at $65, and are available at HFUUGALA.eventbrite.com.

The union group represents 16 chapters across the state and is affiliated with the National Farmers Union, representing small family farmers. For more information, the convention agenda, visit hfuu.org or contact chair Ashley Hogue at outreach@hfuu.org.

Maui emergency task force

Karaca, founding executive director of the Common Ground Collective, led a grassroots effort to form the Maui Emergency Feeding Task Force in September when there was no official agency overseeing food distribution in response to the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire disaster. She will release a report Friday entitled Feeding Maui in Crisis: Insights and Resilience After the Fires, which includes lessons learned and recommendations to deal with future emergencies. It will be available on eftformaui.org.

Karaca founded the nonprofit Common Ground in 2017 to promote food security, which also has supplied meals to wildfire victims in collaboration with other agencies. As the emergency task force facilitator, she coordinated the efforts of the Maui Food Bank, West Maui community hubs, restaurants, and government and non-profit agencies to feed fire survivors scattered throughout shelters, community hubs and elsewhere. Funded by a grant for the Hawaii Community Foundation, Karaca said the task force incorporated supplies from local producers as much as possible to help farmers and the economy, and to cut the costs of imported food.

The number of groups has dwindled from about 100 to about 20 to 25 regulars continuing to provide meals to residents who are still struggling financially and finding it difficult to acquire food even a year later, she said. More recently the task force also has been working with Maui’s agriculture department and Maui Emergency Management Agency.

The future task force should include data sharing, the lack of which caused frustration, confusion and gaps in service. “It was chaotic,” Karaca said. It was impossible to find out where residents in need were located and what dietary restrictions they had, especially after being moved more than once. Often people who were relocated had no transportation and nowhere to get food, and there was no information on where foods hubs were available.

Karaca said there needs to be emergency funding available to support local agencies and agricultural producers for food, as most don’t qualify for reimbursement from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It was difficult for them to seek out loans to cover their costs, which “was a double whammy for the economy.”

There also needs to be more infrastructure built to support food pantries in the form of walk-in refrigerators and freezers and dry storage, and to provide mobile food kitchens in each district, she said. Agricultural hubs need water tanks to replace pallets of bottled water, generators, tools and other equipment.

Aquaculture review

Haws heads the Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center at UH-Hilo, a research and training center focused on marine fish (moi, aholehole, mullet) and shellfish. As a UH Sea Grant aquaculture extension specialist, she has done an extensive study of oysters and spearheaded the development of the state’s shellfish industry. She also provides technical assistance to groups managing traditional Hawaiian fishponds to revive ancient and new forms of aquaculture production.

On Saturday , Haws will review aquaculture species and culture systems that are most appropriate for small-scale or backyard producers, such as moi, oysters, tilapia and Asian catfish. The center offers technical support to people who want to start mom-and-pop operations and existing producers. Farmers with a source of freshwater who want to diversify could raise tilapia and catfish and also grow a variety of vegetables or flowers with aquaponics, she said.

Because getting permits to work offshore is extremely difficult, Haws said oysters, moi and as seaweed can be raised if there is access to native fishponds (brackish water); they also can be cultivated in saltwater tanks but getting a permit to pull water from the ocean is the problem, she said.

“Everything is going to take some kind of permitting — that is the big barrier for everything,” said Haws, who will clarify legal, financial and infrastructure requirements.

“Doing anything in the ocean is hard. … As citizens, we need to support any kind of initiative that allows us to do seawater aquaculture, just because we want to be food sustainable. But unless we’re able to do something in the ocean we’re not going to have true food sustainability. We import about 80% of our seafood.”

A gala fundraising dinner by Chef Hui Hawaii with entertainment by Tavana will be held Saturday to support the Hawai‘i Farmers Union United. Tickets start at $65 and are available at HFUUGALA.eventbrite.com. For more information on the convention agenda, visit hfuu.org or contact Ashley Hogue at outreach@hfuu.org.