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USDA Rural Development iconMEDIA ADVISORY

United States Department of Agriculture • Rural Development • Hawaii State Office
Room 311, Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone: (808) 933-8380 • Fax: (808) 933-8327 • TDD: (808) 933-8321 • Web: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov  

Who: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development State Director for Hawaii Chris J. Kanazawa will recognize Heritage Ranch, Inc.

WHO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development State Director for Hawaii Chris J. Kanazawa will recognize Heritage Ranch, Inc.
 
WHAT: for being the award recipient of $110,500 from the People's Garden Grant.
 
WHEN: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. 
 
WHERE: Konawaena High School, 81-1043 Konawaena School Road, Kealakekua, Hawaii, 96750
 
WHY: The Same Canoe Community Garden's Project is fostering a network of 12 organizations, 24 non-profit community People's Garden projects, and 120 neighborhood mini-garden demonstration projects. The goal of these projects it to empower West Hawaii's low income, high poverty, food desert, and at-risk populations to gain access to healthier foods they grow themselves. In addition to food gardens, this community collaborative will also work on wildlife habitat gardens and reforestation projects. A total of 144 community and neighborhood People's Garden plots will be the outcome of this project and will generate over 1,500 pounds of fresh nutritious foods as an active step towards addressing food desert and food insecure area needs by reclaiming our local food system. Konawaena High School will be a lead participant. Students and teachers will be attending technical assistance trainings and receive the support to establish a Butterfly House wildlife habitat and to restore their Grow Green garden that provides food for the local Food Basket that serves low income families.
 

$82,000 of the $110,500 grant request will go directly to People's Garden materials, equipment, and technical support. Total audience will be 1,720; total direct end users 254, with 48 directly involved in developing community capacity building leadership skills. The Same Canoe Community Gardens Project seeks to reclaim a nearly-lost heritage of sustainable local food systems by learning from Hawaii's pre-contact agriculture practices and by adopting new enhanced production methods for food gardens, wildlife habitat gardens, and for local native reforestation projects. The discovery and settling of the Hawaiian Islands was originally accomplished by building on a foundation of Polynesian canoe gardens. These first Hawaiian gardens were models of food security and sustainability and were essential to survival over many hundreds of years.

Today, in a time where 90% of foods consumed in Hawaii are imported from ports over 2,500 miles away, a meal's ingredients will have traveled an average of 4,000 miles from farm to plate. This dependence on processed, less-than-fresh foods, with a high carbon footprint, is causing significant health problems for all Hawaii residents. The rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in Hawaii show that: 80.6% are overweight or obese, 61.5% have diabetes and high cholesterol, 68.35% have hypertension, and Native Hawaiians are 5.7% are more likely to die of diabetes that whites living in Hawaii (per statistics from the CDC). The irony of living in a potential year round fruit basket but having ubiquitous imported white rice and imported high fat meats as primary staples is alarming - and is inspiring a growing local foods interest. The Same Canoe Community Gardens Project is addressing this interest in local food production and will provide the knowledge, tools, and materials to assist over 1700 people to understand the methods that can lead to improved food self-sufficient.

How: For details about this event, please contact Timothy W. O’Connell, USDA Rural Development Assistant to the State Director, at (808) 933-8313 or via e-mail at tim.oconnell@hi.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

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