Hawaii holds a variety of resources.
Agriculture used to be one of the most important because of Hawaii’s plantation
era. Although, over the past twenty years, Hawaii’s agricultural production has
declined. Today, however, Hawaii is working to rely on more sustainable
resources, and agriculture is one of them.
Because Hawaii has a mild, year-round
climate, and approximately forty percent of its land is farmland. Here, you can
find about 3,600 crop farms and 1,100 livestock farms, although ninety percent
of Hawaii's food is still imported. With all of the resources we have, I think
that Hawaii would be able to thrive within its own produce. Also, importing a
smaller amount of food here will possibly lead to price drops for food, due to
the fact that it isn't cheap. For the past twenty years, however, Hawaii’s
agricultural production has declined. Its sugar production dropped down to two
plantations, one being on Kauai, and the other on Maui, and pineapples are
found only in central Oahu and Maui, a forty percent decline in production. I
think that Hawaii should pay more attention to its agriculture. It’s always
been a part of its history, and it could also be incorporated into tourism. Although
Hawaii's agriculture is working to be sustainable.
Hawaii was recently planning for a
more sustainable farming system. To some, sustainability is about protecting
the environment, and to others, it was seen as a matter of economic resilience.
To me, sustainability is the conservation of certain natural resources. I think
that relying on sustainable resources will help Hawaii economically and
environmentally. Also, having more farming systems in Hawaii leads to more
jobs. Considering the fact that Hawaii is starting to depend on its
agriculture, I think that this is a good thing. Also, local food production
will buffer Hawaii's supply of external forces, allowing it to depend less on
imported foods. And even though farm employment is declining nationally,
Hawaii's is growing.
Hawaii's agricultural sales make
approximately $1.94 billion annually. That means that agriculture contributes
to about 3% of gross state product. I think that if Hawaii would make more
money on agricultural services, Hawaii could start turning towards agriculture
as its most important resource. If we continue to promote agriculture as our
most important resource, Hawaii could be a cleaner, more environmentally
friendly place to live in. Although building an agricultural industry have its
own downsides. For example, farmers don't invest much on their equipment, which
leads to thousands of acres of uncultivated land. I think the government should
focus on agricultural services more. Farms should be funded by the government
to help the farmers out. Appreciating, respecting, and sharing land is a basic
Hawaiian value; it is 'Aloha Made Visible.'
Agriculture was very important to
human beings since the beginning of time. Although it still is, we are still
relying on un-natural, or processed foods to get us by through our everyday
lives. Although that can change. Making agriculture more important is one step
to bringing back the more, natural, side of Hawaii, if you will. And hopefully,
a greener Hawaii may spread and lead to other parts of the world to change the
way they live.
No comments:
Post a Comment