STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2882

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 147

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Education and Housing and Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Higher Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 147 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION CONVENING A WORKING GROUP TO EXAMINE FARM TO SCHOOL MODELS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to convene a working group to examine farm to school models to propose a pilot farm to school program for each island.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Education, League of Women Voters, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, Hawaii Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Kauai County Farm Bureau, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, Malama Kauai, Eat Local Hawaii, Slow Food Oahu, and five individuals.

 

     Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that farm to school programs provide students with unique, real-world opportunities to learn about topics ranging from nutrition and health to agriculture, ecology, environmental sustainability and economics.  In addition, they help support the local agriculture industry and provide students with improved meal options by giving school cafeterias access to fresh local produce.  Your Committees further find that this effort has the strong support of public and private schools statewide, as well as Hawaii's agricultural industry.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Adding members to the working group, including the Senate Committee on Education and Housing, House Committee on Education, and representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, Hawaii Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Farmers Union, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, AINA In Schools Program, MAO Organic Farms, The Kohala Center, Malama Kauai, Sustainable Living Institute on Maui, and Slow Food Oahu; and

 

     (2)  Including in the pilot program considerations:  federal and private sector funding sources; and the means to address barriers and challenges to implementation of a farm to school program, including government procurement requirements and training programs for farms.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Education and Housing and Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 147, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 147, S.D. 1.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development and Technology and Education and Housing and Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Higher Education,

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

 

____________________________

CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair