HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0282.001 2000-2002
August 9, 2000
TO: County Council Chairperson Mr. James Arakaki
FROM: Oran O. Murakane
SLT~JECT: Hamakua Land Maybe Offered for Farming
I-Iamakua Land Maybe Offered for Farming
I live in Kapulena, which is just outside of Honokaa in the Hamakua area. I am a farmer
in that I have a small macadamia nut faun. When I read the article "Hamakua Land
Maybe Offered for Farming", it motivated me to write my first letter to the Mayor and
Council Chairperson. I would like to submit reasons why the short-term lease proposal
should not be approved.
First of all, the idea of short-term lease would not work. Any crop farmer knows that it
takes a large initial investment and time to clear and prepare the land to plant crops. The
former cane land is rocky, hilly and deficient in nutrients. The soil has to be worked and
nutrients have to be added. Due to the slope, any agricultural land judging expert will tell
you that the Hamakua land is not suited for crop farming except for small pockets of land
between ridges and where the slope is gentle. 'The potential of crop farming is very
marginal except in few spotted areas.
Most of the I-lamakua Coop farm projects outside of Kapulena are a failure. There is
only one macadamia nut farm that looks good to me in Kawela but only for a while. The
trees are planted on a 30-40 degree slope. When the trees get bigger, the grass will stop
growing due to shading and the orchard will be plagued with erosion. Due to erosion, the
roots will get exposed, fertilizer gets washed away, the trees are weakened and die back
sets in. Planting trees would require along-term lease anyway.
As for ranching, short-term lease is not a solution because the rancher has to put that
initial investment of bulldozing the perimeter and constructing a fence line. There is also
an investment in pipeline and a watering system. Once the lease is given, it would be
only natural that there will be a lot of political pressure to maintain the lease.
It is not a goad idea to use the land for ranching in the sloping Hamakua area. When
cattle are placed on the land, the grass absorbs all the nutrients in the soil, which is eaten
to the ground by the cattle. Very few, if any, ranchers will add nutrients back into the
ground. The biggest problem is erosion. As the cattle eats the vegetation to the ground
and constantly tramples the soil, erosion takes the soil aff the ridges and high ground,
washes it into the valleys where the water concentrates and the soil eventually ends up in
our ocean. A#Ier every rain, the ocean near the river mouths is brown and you are just
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increasing the problem. Ranching in the sloping H[amakua area leads to overgrazing,
erosion and degradation of the land.
Waipio Ditch an~Halnakua Farming
No one talks about cost benefit ratio anymore. After all the grants are gone, I cannot see
how the Iiamakua Coop fanners are going to support the maintenance of the Waipio
Ditch. In addition to replacing and maintaining the aqueducts over each gully, the sides
and bottom of the ditch has to be maintained. After every heavy rain, runofT deposits
boulders and soil into the ditch and in many instances it cuts a right through the ditch In
the old days, the sugar plantation would diligently cut contour ditches in the cane field to
divert the nanoff to the nearest gulch. Now the runoff concentrates in the valleys and run
right over and sometimes ripping right through the Waipio Ditch.
Would have been nice if we could have used the Waipio Ditch grant money to drill water
wells from Kapulena to Paauilo instead of repairing the Waipio Ditch. Eventually, as the
population grows, we have to drill wells anyway. Hilawa Falls should be restored. It is
welt documeyrted that the diversion of stream waters by the big powers in the past has led
to the decline of out nine native stream animals. The water flow should be restore back
into Waipio Valley. Iiawaii is the endangered capitol of the nation with about two-thirds
of the endangered species of the nation. The county government needs to address the
needs of our endemic species. The county is reacting too slowly to the problem of the
introduction of alien species that will destroy our native species and the environment that
the tourists come here to enjoy.
Proposed Solution
North I~Iamakua coast is the bedroom community of the Westside hotel industry. Most of
the households are in the lower income bracket but they are willing to work. Some of
those ambitious people choose to participate in the coop lease land faun system only to
be victimized. 'They were doomed for failure before they even started. Leasehold will
not work for the most part.
I would like to see at least an appropriate portion of the land chopped up into 2 to 10 acre
parcels and sold to the people. They would build their own homes on it and farm on the
rest. Because you own it, it is worth the long time investment to work the land to be
productive. because the land is marginal, it requires intensive labor to make it profitable.
Owning and living on it would make that possible. The people would benefit in that it
would give them a chance for upward mobility economically. The county would benefit
by collecting taxes on homes rather than agricultural land. ~y giving the poor upward
mobility, lots of the social problems would be reduce which cost the county money.
The wealth of the county is determined by the wealth of the people. The county
government should not try to engage in the rental business. When the council thinks of
getting involved with business, it reminds me of the Kohala Task Force. Use the land to
empower the people to enjoy economic growth. Make them build their dream home and