History of Food Sourcing/Production in Hawaii
As native Hawaiians, from a young age, we are told the story of Papa and Wākea and even Hāloa; we learn not only of the importance of kalo, but the fact that kalo is a brother to us, and therefore, we are connected to both the land and the plants that live on the land. Hawaiians knew the importance of sustainable living and the interdependence that is necessary with the ʻāina. All of our food was caught, picked, or made. As colonizers came in and modernization took its toll, much of our sustainable ways slipped away as money, greed, and ease took its place. We currently rely heavily on brought in food, but what would happen if that were to stop? How long would we last without imports? According to Woody (2015), “Probably a week.” Where does that leave us as Hawaiians?
Food Sovereignty
As said by the Nyéléni at the first global forum on food sovereignty (2007), “Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts the aspirations and needs of those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations.”
Food Journal Data Analysis
Locally sourced: 4/121 = 0.0331
Not locally sourced: 117/121=0.9669
Organic: 6/121 = 0.0496
Not organic: 115/121 = 0.9504
Processed: 115/121 = 0.9504
Not processed: 6/121 = 0.0496
Not locally sourced: 117/121=0.9669
Organic: 6/121 = 0.0496
Not organic: 115/121 = 0.9504
Processed: 115/121 = 0.9504
Not processed: 6/121 = 0.0496
Individually, the majority of the food I ate was not locally sourced, not organic, and processed. The overall class data was similar to my own, which says a lot about the way that food production and consumption has changed in Hawaiʻi. To be honest, I'm a little embarrassed now seeing how poorly I ate and will work harder to support our local farmers and producers.
Link to Food Diary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wr4f3xVoI2RkuvYL8lpwTbe35BCwpEdSDm9OnYnlwHw/edit?usp=sharing
Link to Food Diary: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wr4f3xVoI2RkuvYL8lpwTbe35BCwpEdSDm9OnYnlwHw/edit?usp=sharing
How Can We Be More Responsible For Our Own Food Production?
The first step in being more responsible for our food production is educating ourselves. One thing we could do as individuals or even with our own families, is supporting more local farmers and producers. Because of the way we grew up, we're so used to fast food, or buying food that has been brought in from other places. I think it's important that we realize our mistakes and go more out of our way to support our local communities in this way. Another possible idea is growing some of our own food. Having to grow our own tomatoes was a great idea and I definitely feel better because of it. I'm super interested to see how it turns out and will be extremely proud when my plants start fruiting. If everyone began to grow their own fruits and vegetables, we could become more responsible for our food production. Lastly, I think sharing everything we know is a great step. Making sure that others eat locally sourced foods could help the community a lot and help to support these local farmers and producers.
Our Growing System
For about a quarter, we've been taking care of an aquaponics system. Aquaponics is a type of system that utilizes the waste of fish to supply nutrients for plants to grow hydroponically, which purifies the water. Our system has 4 fish in the bottom container, kalo and some other small plants in the large container on the top. Every other day, we feed our fish, clean our system if necessary, and check on our plants' growth.
Depicted below is a picture of some of the plants we planted about a week and a half ago. The far left column is Cauliflower, which has not begun growing yet. The next column is Kai Choy, which is a kind of Chinese cabbage. To the right of that is a column of peppers, and the far right column is sugar. We are so excited to watch these plants grow and flourish and can't wait to see how they turn out!
Depicted below is a picture of some of the plants we planted about a week and a half ago. The far left column is Cauliflower, which has not begun growing yet. The next column is Kai Choy, which is a kind of Chinese cabbage. To the right of that is a column of peppers, and the far right column is sugar. We are so excited to watch these plants grow and flourish and can't wait to see how they turn out!