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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0882.010 2006-2008 Page I of 1 Murashige, Laura 2t-, S . Z/C,2 _C; a From: Chris Kobayashi [waioli2@hawaiiantel.net] C X4. 0,52- Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 1:30 AM To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: testimonies for jan 24, coffee and taro resolutions Attachments: Hawaii County testimony for SIB 958, jan 24,'08.doc; Hawaii County testimony for coffee, jan 24, '08.doc Aloha county clerk's office, I am attaching my testimonies for resolutions for the coffee and taro. Mahalo nui, chris kobayashi Comm No. Ref. To. I "I Ref. Dote _ N 4)=4; 1/24/2008 Hawaii County Clerk's Office 25 Aupuni St., Hilo, Hawai'i, 96720 January 23, 2008 To: Hawaii Island County Council Members Re: Res. 462-08: "Supports S. B. 958 S. D. 1 H.D. 1 to impose a Ten-Year Moratorium on Developing, Testing, Propagating, Cultivating, Growing, and Raising Genetically Modified Taro in the State of Hawai'i. (Urges the Hawai'i Sate Legislature to pass S. B. 958 S. D. 1 H.D. 1); and EMC- 11." Honorable Chair and Members of the Hawaii Island County Council, Aloha. My name is Chris Kobayashi, a third generation taro farmer from the island of Kauai. My partner and I farm 10 acres of taro on lands that my family has farmed for over 80 years of which taro has been cultivated for the last 60+ years. 11 years ago, we transitioned our farm from conventional to organic practices. We are not certified organic but remain committed to using organic fertilizers and practices so that we are doing our kuleana to malama 'aina. As farmers, we face many challenges. The weather, whether it is too dry, too wet, too windy and flooding; the lack of steady cool sufficient water; lack of new farmers; lack of land for new startup farmers; diseases and Golden Apple Snails. Right now, the greatest challenge is the threat of GMO taro which already exists in the laboratory of the University of Hawaii and HARC. This is the most urgent and serious threat to taro farmers, the taro industry, to our'aina, and people. The researchers have decided that they can Genetically Engineer taro to be disease resistant. UH- CTAHR, researchers from UH and HARC, DOA, DOH, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and the Biotech industry, HCIA, all want to force us to accept this technology that we farmers are adamantly saying NO to. If we truly felt that GMO taro would benefit us, we would be asking them to please do this research. But we are saying NO. The risks outweigh the benefits and we do not want our industry jeopardized. The perception of taro and poi has always been one of a healthy food as it was the staple food of the ancient Hawaiians. It is considered to be one of the most hypoallergenic foods especially for people with wheat and other allergies. If there is GMO taro in the field, there will be the perception and the fear that taro and poi in Hawaii is Genetically Engineered and no longer a wholesome food fit for babies and people with food sensitivities and people who choose to eat non GMO food. The research cannot be guaranteed to be safely contained in a lab. Researchers have said that they would need to do field testing. For now, it is supposed to be in the lab. I have been told by Kevin Kelly of UH, that Dr. Susan Miyasaka is no longer doing the research because her funding has run out. What concerns me here is that he claims to have no knowledge of what has happened to her GMO taro plants. We all need to ask questions and find out where are the GMO taro plants. What happened to the GMO taro plants? There needs to be transparent responsibility and accountability by these researchers. If anything detrimental happens because of these plants, they need to be held liable. These GMO taro plants can easily get snuck out of the lab into the fields. Once they are out there, it is visually impossible to tell them from the non GMO plants. Farmers will trade and share hull and plants. Thieves could unknowingly or knowingly steal huli and plant them elsewhere. Floods could movelhem around. Our traditional varieties can become contaminated through the flowering process by the transfer of pollen by insects, wind, and man. Our customary sharing of huli will cease among some of our farmers for fear of getting GMO taro plants. The farmers will lose their right to grow the varieties that they choose to. After an organism, whether animal or plant, is Genetically Modified, the next step is that it is Patented. So then someone or some entity will own the GMO Taro plant. No one has ever owned Taro before. It was freely passed down from all of our ancestors and Hawaiian kupuna. It should not be owned. All the taro varieties that came before us today, mutated and evolved on their own and were selected and bred by Na Kahu o Haloa through their expertise and observation. No one can own this knowledge. In order to plant a patented taro, the farmer would need to sign a licensing agreement and then either pay for starts and/or give a percentage of his or her harvest. If a farmer was caught growing a patented taro with or without knowledge, he can be sued. The great buzzword is "Sustainability". What is that? From the words of Diane Zachary, President and CEO of Kauai Planning Action and Alliance, "Sustainability means creating strategies and taking action to harmonize 3 interrelated elements: the health of the natural environment, the social well being of our community and our economic prosperity." In my opinion, Taro is a prime example of sustainability. We need to take care of the land where we grow our taro. We have to maintain the irrigation systems that often go far into the mountains and are accessible only by foot trails. We are learning that the use of chemicals is not helping to grow good taro. We are learning that we need more land so that we can practice fallowing and rotation of crops which makes the soil more fertile and helps to break the disease cycles. We are needing to relearn how to use our green resources as part of our fertilization program. GMO taro does not foster a healthy community. First it makes the farmer dependent on someone else for the seed or planting material. The traditional sharing of huli will cease as some families fear contamination even within their own families. Huli has been traded for labor, Hawaiian salt, mountain pig, fish and limu. This sharing and trading ensures that we all have food to eat. Many times, farmers contribute kalo and luau to baby luaus, weddings, parties. But,this basic sharing could end with GMO taro as fear and distrust become common. The social well being of the community deteriorates as well as economic prosperity. This becomes unsustainable. Please support this Resolution so that Taro Farmers can continue to malama 'aina and grow healthful taro for our island people. We do not want, we do not need GMO taro. There are ways to grow healthy taro that need to be rediscovered and tested. Mahalo nui loa. May Ke Akua Bless you with Infinite Wisdom. Aloha, Chris Kobayashi P.O.Box 135 Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii 96714