Agriculture Program

Contact Information

Margarita "Day Day" Hopkins

Agriculture Specialist
Telephone: (808) 961-8369
Fax: (808) 935-1205
E-mail: dayday@co.hawaii.hi.us

Background

The Big Island is the center of the agriculture industry in the State of Hawai‘i and agriculture is a dominant component of the economy of the island. Its contribution to the economy is both direct, through the production of crops, livestock and bio-fuels, and indirect, through the maintenance of the island's rural lifestyle and visitor industry. There are about 4,600 farms and livestock operations on the Big Island representing 62% of the State's total. Almost 6,000 people are employed by the Big Island's agricultural industry. Annual farm gate revenue is $200 million. Further, the Big Island is a leader in agro-forestry with a total of 28,000 acres in eucalyptus trees on the Hāmākua Coast, North Hilo, South Hilo, Puna and Pāhala areas.

The potential for the Big Island as the center for tropical agriculture research and education is almost unlimited. The Big Island is endowed with eleven micro-climates, which allows research on most types of crops with a wide range of environmental requirements. Further, we have access to the scientists and experts at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo and Mānoa, the Pacific Basin Agriculture Research Center and the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.

Program Goals

1. To maintain the Big Island's agricultural character because of its importance to local lifestyles and tourism.
2. To preserve agriculture as a significant part of Hawai‘i's economy.
3. To encourage sustainable agricultural practices that provide security to our fresh food supply.

Program Focus Areas

• Plan - Update County of Hawai‘i Agriculture Development Plan.
• Policy - Advise, draft and/or monitor local and state agriculture policies.
• Implement - Facilitate the implementation of the County Agriculture Plan through partnership and Supplemental Grant Awards.

Agriculture Development Plan

This plan is the updated version of the 1992 Agricultural Development Plan to assist the County in developing policy, allocating resources and advocating for the growth of the agriculture industry on Hawai‘i Island. This plan encourages partnership between County government and the private sector and represents the vision and ideas of the Island's agriculture industry and the community regarding the future of agriculture on Hawai‘i Island. This plan is a working document that reflects a consensus on the identification of priority areas for future agricultural development on this island. (Completion is anticipated by December 2009).

Agriculture Program Funded Initiatives

Initiatives include financial support and coordination of agricultural resources, education and marketing programs; data collection, compilation and dissemination; management of collaborative Research and Development (R&D) projects; advocacy of local farmers and commodity groups to State and Federal agencies; and provision of background data and analyses to County policy-makers.