Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa understands the need to protect Hawaiʻi agriculture and fortify our local food systems.

Kirstin brought her professional experience with one of Hawaiʻi’s largest agricultural land owners as well as her experience in advocacy for stronger, healthier local food systems to the State Capitol.

She knows that keeping agricultural land in production means protecting rural lifestyles and reducing our dependence on imported food, and means diversifying and strengthening our local economy.

In recognition of her experience and passion, she was named Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems in her first term at the Capitol.

PRIORITIES TO IMPROVE OUR AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS

• Support our local farmers and food producers.
  Agriculture is an economic sector that needs nurturing at the policy level. Local food feeds the community and keeps dollars in Hawaiʻi. It can also be sustainably done and support our environment too. Growing this industry can create more jobs and economic diversity. Value added production and manufacturing can also grow our economy as we will have shelf stable products that could be shipped around the world.

  
  

• Strengthen the Hawaiʻi brand and encourage buying local.
  Buying local keeps dollars in Hawaiʻi and protects our small businesses. We need to elevate and uplift local businesses that are growing, sourcing, and manufacturing in Hawaiʻi. We know it is difficult to manufacture in Hawaiʻi, but if we create more shared manufacturing opportunities, we may be able to find solutions to these issues.
  

• Encourage composting as a way to enrich soil while diverting waste from the landfill.
  Whether at the backyard, community or municipal scale, we can compost more and throw away less. State policies can encourage more composting while balancing environmental health concerns.
  

• Reexamine our zoning and land use decisions of long ago.
  We must explore today’s best practices of walkable, transit-connected, livable communities. These concepts could inform lower infrastructure costs for affordable housing developments, and reduce the environmental impacts of urban sprawl and vehicle dependence.
  
  

• Work toward local and global sustainability goals.
  Hawaiʻi has long been a leader in sustainability, and many of our local and global sustainability goals are based in island thinking and island methods of resource management and conservation. We must continue to work to achieve Hawaiʻi’s Aloha+ Challenge goals as well as the global United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and we should examine projects and legislation through those lenses.