Over the last year, Agribusiness Development Corp. (ADC) has developed an aggressive, dynamic approach to address multiple challenges facing Hawaii’s infrastructure, food production and vacant lands.

The restoration of the Wahiawa Irrigation System (WIS), part of ADC’s statewide irrigation infrastructure and water sustainability efforts, fulfills ADC’s statute: to grow more local food, to develop an agricultural export business, and to be an aggressive and dynamic leader in agriculture for Hawaii. WIS is a shared initiative between ADC, Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Department of Agriculture.

For ADC, the rehabilitation of the WIS isn’t just a farmer’s “field of dreams”; the project aims to achieve the USDA’s goal of a 40% increase of agricultural output, with a 50% cut on environmental impacts, by 2050, while prioritizing safety and sustainability. The project also plans to incorporate hydropower energy solutions, the enhancement of wetlands and the Wahiawa Reservoir, and efforts to increase soil fertility and crop productivity through fertilizer offsets.

WIS is an important project that requires complex planning, budgeting, staffing and implementation. The multiphase water sustainability project is a cost-effective plan to augment water supply, address climate change and drought risks, and prioritize safety of the land, while preventing billions of gallons of wastewater pollution into our oceans.

ADC’s board represents farming, agriculture, economic development, business, government and engineering backgrounds with decades of combined, hands-on experience representing all of our islands. ADC is now better equipped than ever before to move forward toward our plans and achieve our goals, and our work in Wahiawa is a testament to our shared vision and commitment.

WIS looks at impact: This project makes a global, environmental, food systems and financial impact. We are motivated, on-the-move and meeting face-to-face with the people we serve.

“No water? No food. This is not just about food security, but about water security,” says Wendy Gady, ADC executive director. “There is no such thing, in farming, as too much water. This is about taking bold steps forward, doing our due diligence, and using our best resources and talent to invest in Hawaii for the next 200 years.”

From our field studies, we know that nearly 80% of the farmers who benefit from the project are not even ADC tenants — a testament to ADC’s awareness that collective land stewardship is the only way forward.

With thousands of acres of unused but arable land across Oahu and our islands, ADC has the resources, talent, funding and support to keep our lands safe and thriving, in perpetuity.

In Wahiawa, we know how to build our agriculture and aquaculture infrastructure to feed, house and employ in a scalable way.

This is not just about us, but the safety and health of our children, and our grandchildren. ADC leads the way forward with a proactive approach to face the biggest agricultural challenges ahead: drought, wildfires, food scarcity and infrastructure deterioration.

Lyle Tabata is board chair of the Agribusiness Development Corp.