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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0150.029 2012-2014 COUNTY CLERK TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COUNTY OF HAWAII COUNTY OF HAWAII FINANCE COMMITTEE RECEIVED Time'pot)a.,, By 04 Date iihi i.3 APRIL 11, 2013 This testimony is in support of the work of the County of Hawaii's Department of Research and Development. Good morning. My name is David Ikeda and I am Treasurer of Cho Global Natural Farming—Hawaii, commonly known as Korean Natural Farming or Natural Farming, and my organization is a grateful recipient of your support. Natural Farming is a method of agriculture production which utilizes the natural element in the environment, practical cultural methods, and scientific principles to produce agricultural products and a lifestyle changes. Natural farming has a minimal impact on the environment, a reduction of our dependence on petroleum products, a reduction of production costs, good quality agricultural product and a healthy and profitable lifestyle for the farmer. Natural farming provides a path toward self-sustainability for farmers with minimal detrimental impact to our environment. In 2009, a Natural Farming workshop sponsored by the County of Hawaii's Research and Development Department had over 350 attendees and started the Natural Farming movement on Hawaii Island. Subsequently, the Natural Farming movement has progressed slowly due to two major factors. The first is the confusion which resulted from the translation from Korean to English. There were apparent errors in the presentations which caused confusion. The second was the reluctance of commercial farmers to adopt Natural Farming practices. This was partially due to the confusion factor mentioned earlier. We had no means to make the needed corrections at that time. With the help of the County of Hawaii's Research and Development Department, we are working to correct these factors which have slowed the progress of Korean Natural Farming practices on Hawaii Island. Our goal is to involve more commercial farmers to create a nucleus needed for further market development. With the County of Hawaii Research and Development Department's help we are working on, and expect to complete by June 2013, a curriculum for a basic Natural Farming course. The course will include hands-on instruction and practical knowledge to teach the practitioners to produce their own inputs and to use them effectively. With this basic course, we expect that the quality of instruction will improve by correcting the errors that caused the initial confusion and the adoption of Natural Farming practices will increase by both commercial and backyard farmers. The second project involves working with cooperating farmers to apply Natural Farming methods on their farms. Our approach is to provide an initial supply of inputs is to the farmers Comm. No. /�Q•�9 Ref. To: Ref. Dote and provide instruction on the correct method of using them for their crops. The farmers are also given instruction on how to produce their own inputs so their dependence on us as a supply source is expected to end. The ultimate goal is to use the cooperating farms as models for further adoption of Natural Farming practices by commercial farmers. We are presently working with two farmers in Kamuela and one farmer in Papaikou to cultivate crops which they presently cultivate and market. The crops selected by the farmers are Chinese cabbage, daikon, and fingerling potatoes. All of the work is done at the individual farms with our instruction and their effort. Our weekly visits include instruction, demonstration, and consultation. We expect this method to serve as a template for our further work with commercial farmers. We are presently negotiating with three other commercial farmers to become cooperators. In 2012, after attending a Korean Natural Farming workshop in Kohala sponsored by the County of Hawaii Research and Development Department, a macadamia nut farmer in Kohala adopted Natural Farming for his 200-acre orchard. Other than the macadamia nut farmer, there are no commercial natural farmers on the Hawaii Island. We expect to change this with the present support from the County of Hawaii. From results we have seen and Natural Farming farmers we spoke to in Korea, Natural Farming was often selected by them as their last option. Their farms were not doing well due to the high cost of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. With governmental help in marketing and their adoption of Natural Farming, they appear to be profitable and able to remain in agriculture. One of our visitors from Gokseong, our sister city which promotes and practices Natural Farming heavily, explained that younger people are now entering agriculture using Natural Farming methods. I expect that we will get similar results with agriculture on Hawaii Island. With the help of the County of Hawaii, we can expand the practice of commercial Korean Natural Farming on Hawaii Island, get our young people back to the land with a decent income, clean up our environment, and produce a reliable food source free from outside influences. We have the opportunity to promote ourselves with our healthy lifestyles. Thank you and I ask for your continued support.