THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

121

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES, IN COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND THE HAWAII FARM BUREAU FEDERATION, TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS TO CONSIDER THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM IN HAWAII'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the farm to school program connects schools with local farms with the objectives of supporting local agriculture, educating students about food cultivation, mitigating adverse environmental impacts caused by transporting food across long distances, and instilling healthy eating habits in students; and

 

     WHEREAS, the farm to school program contains two major components:  first, students receive education on nutrition, and are taught the value of buying and eating local food, and second, local food is served in school cafeterias, giving students the choice to eat healthier and fresher produce; and

 

     WHEREAS, the National Farm to School Program reports that some form of the farm to school program is currently operating in 8,776 schools in forty different states, and in Hawaii, three schools participate in the farm to school program, including Aikahi Elementary, Moanalua Elementary, and Hakipuu learning center, and one elementary school, Haiku Elementary, buys produce from local farmers when it is available; and

 

     WHEREAS, these schools can serve as models for an expansion of the farm to school program in public schools statewide; and

 

     WHEREAS, the benefits of serving locally produced food in school cafeterias have been demonstrated by the success and growth of the farm to school program in several states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Oregon; and

 

     WHEREAS, studies conducted by the Center for Food and Justice have found that students who ate from the salad bars provided through the program received an average of fifty-eight per cent more servings of fruits and vegetables than those eating hot meals, and the farmers supplying produce gained an additional $1,700 in revenues per month on average; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui, Hawaii imports ninety per cent of its food, pays sixty-six per cent more than the national average for food, and has, at any given time, only seven days' worth of food in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, statewide implementation of the farm to school program would substantially expand the market for local farmers and boost the local farming industry to relieve the State's dependence on imported food; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources is requested, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, to convene a working group of stakeholders to consider the feasibility of establishing a farm to school program in Hawaii's public schools statewide; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group's assessments include, but not be limited to:

 

     (1)  Student preferences and nutritional requirements;

 

     (2)  Infrastructure needs and costs of implementing the farm to school program statewide;

 

     (3)  Financial aspects of implementing the program, including price differentials between locally produced and imported products; and

 

     (4)  Rules and potential compliance issues relating to procurement and the federal school food programs;

 

and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group develop a draft policy statement regarding the establishment of a farm to school program in Hawaii's public schools to be included in any reports submitted to the Legislature; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources shall submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2010; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, the Superintendent of Education, the Dean and Director of the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.

Report Title:  

Working Group; Farm to School; College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources