Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 7, 1 July 2009 — Taro task force touring isles [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Taro task force touring isles

Group to submit report to 2010 Legislature By Sterling Wong ŪHA Policy Advocate Atask force created by the Legislature to help protect taro continues to tour the Islands to gather input from taro farmers and the broader public on various taro-related issues. In 2008, the Legislaūire passed Act 211, whieh created the Taro Security and Purity Task Force and placed it administratively within the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The task force was charged with developing solutions to help protect taro, whieh is considered to be a sacred plant by Native Hawaiians and was recently named the official plant of the state. Taro faces many obstacles today, however. For example, taro production fell to 4 million pounds harvested in 2007, a record low since statistics were first

documented in 1946. The Taro Security and Purity Task Force, whieh is composed of taro farmers from around the state and representatives from relevant state agencies, the Hawai'i Farm Bureau Federation and OHA, has been meeting since December 2008. The group is developing recommendations and programs to help protect taro, and has been examining a number of issues that seem to be eonunon among taro growers in the state, such as apple snails and diseases, as well as the laek of tarogrowing land and elean huh to plant. But as the group visits taro-growing communities on the Neighbor Islands, members also learn about how the same issue ean affect separate areas in completely different ways. Take water, for instance. In May, the group heard from Waipi'o Valley, Hawai'i Island, taro growers who expressed how the overabundance of water in the valley ean be difficult to manage sometimes.

In contrast, East Maui taro growers relayed their problems with the laek of water flowing to their lo'i because mueh of the stream water in the area is diverted for agriculture use in other areas. The group plans to visit Kaua'i,

Moloka'i and Lāna'i before the end of the year, and will meet several more times on O'ahu. The task force will submit a report to the Legislature containing various policy reconunendations, proposed legislation, the outlines for programs and what-

ever else the task force believes will help protect taro. For more information about the task force and the dates of when the task force will visit your community, please contact OHA policy advocate Sterling Wong at 594-0248. ■

£ Moses Haia of Nafive Hawaiian Legal Corp. updafes members on an Easf Maui ' I wafer lawsuif. Righf: Gladys Kanoa hosfs fask force members af a lo'i in Ke'anae, ■ whieh she runs wifh her husband, lsaac.