• Seed companies benefit Kaua‘i • DLNR plan leaves community out of process Seed companies benefit Kaua‘i Last year, 13.3 million farmers in 25 countries planted over 303 million acres of biotech crops, also called GMOs or GE crops. The
• Seed companies benefit Kaua‘i
• DLNR plan leaves community out of process
Seed companies benefit Kaua‘i
Last year, 13.3 million farmers in 25 countries planted over 303 million acres of biotech crops, also called GMOs or GE crops.
The Westside seed companies all play a role in developing both biotech and conventional seed products that help farmers around the world increase their productivity.
I work as a scientist at the Pioneer Hi-Bred Research Center in Waimea. Pioneer has been in the business of selling improved seeds to farmers since 1926, starting with hybrid corn seed. At that time, corn yielded 20 bushels per acre on average. Last year, the average corn yield in the U.S. was 154 bushels per acre — more than seven times the corn productivity from the same acre of land.
These larger yields increase farmers’ income and reduce food prices for you, me and the rest of the world. Improved crops have come about not just from research and development by seed companies like Pioneer, but also from the efforts of public researchers working at agriculture agencies and public universities, such as the University of Hawai‘i, around the world. In the United States less than 4 percent of our population is actively involved with food production.
Farming is a sophisticated business with lots of risks from weather to commodity prices; farmers face enormous odds each season in their quest to turn a profit. Farmers choose production methods and inputs that serve their business needs and preserve their land.
Since biotech crops were first introduced in 1996, farmers have been quick to adopt the technology because it increases their productivity and helps them reduce their environmental footprint. For those reasons, farmers in the U.S. and around the world have rapidly adopted the technology. The demand for corn and other cereal grains is bigger than ever, due to our growing global population, changing diets and ongoing weather events such as droughts and floods.
I’m proud to work for Pioneer’s business that was founded on the belief that using science, we could produce the best products on the market — biotech and conventional — and the best agronomic services to increase farmer productivity on each acre of land. Each day, I know I am developing products that will help farmers feed their families, increase their incomes and feed our growing population in a sustainable way.
Many school and community groups visit our Research Center each year to learn more about the seeds we develop and how we use biotechnology. Those visitors are proud to learn the important role Kaua‘i plays in global agriculture. The work Pioneer and other seed companies do benefits Kaua‘i in many ways, but the benefits reach far beyond our island, our state and our country.
Sarah Styan. Hanapepe
DLNR plan leaves community out of process
House Bill 980 seeks to establish Gov. Lingle’s administration’s Recreational Renaissance plan to borrow money to provide funding for capital improvement projects and maintenance of state parks. It is a worthy effort to restore and protect our public places, but the devil is in the details.
Example: The plan calls for an entrance fee to be established at Ha’ena, one of the state’s most popular destinations, to pay for a $680,000 parking lot and pot hole repair project and fund projects in other places.
Several projects that have been brought forward by communities, Mana Raceway Park, Saltpond and others that have been supported with tax dollars and legislation are not included in the plan. How the specific projects were identified is a mystery.
The Ha’ena community has been engaged in developing a Master Plan for the park (for nearly 20 years) that includes an entry fee that would pay for local people to provide cultural interpretation and security for the unique place.
The state calls Ha’ena an “asset.” It is a treasured cultural resource (burial, halau, heiau, fishery, aha, etc.) that provides sustenance to many local families. The people of this place are currently developing a plan to manage the marine resources to ensure their descendants’ survival.
The people of this place did not have a say in suggesting improvements, if any, they would recommend. The CIP improvements this plan calls for are minimal but this is a very small place and small changes can yield mighty impacts. Improvements to the land surface will impact the lo’i, the fishery and the people who feed themselves from them.
When our government chooses to rush to solutions, it often misses the mark as it has in this instance. The people of this place know about this place and are committed to caring for it; they can be a very profitable government partner if afforded the opportunity. All they ask is to be part of the process.
Many visitors in Hanalei ask, “Where are the Hawaiians?” They do not ask, “Where can we recreate?”
The Hawaiians are in Ha’ena, the end of the road, with their backs against the waves.
The Hawaiians are seeking to partner with the state to malama Ha’ena. The Hawaiians are asking to be part of this plan. Where others recreate, we eat.
Makaala Kauamoana, Hanalei
