OP support letter re proposal to conduct a survey of taro lands on Oahu.

1. NEIL ABERCROMBIE
GOVERNOR
OFFICE OF PLANNING JESSE K. SOUKI
STATE OF HAWAII DIRECTOR
OFFICE OF PLANNING
235 South Beretania Street, 6th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Telephone: (808) 587-2846
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2359, Honolulu, Hawaii 96804 Fax: (808) 587-2824
Web: http://hawaii.gov/dbedVop/
Ref. No. P-13926
March 2 1, 2013
Ms. Sue Sakamoto
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill
Agricultural Development Division
1428 South King St.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814-2512
Dear Ms. Sakamoto:
The State Office ofPlmming supports the Taro Security and Purity Task Force's proposal
to conduct a survey oftaro lands on Oahu.
The state legislature created the Taro Security and Purity Task Force in 2008 with the
passage of Act 21 1. The Task Force includes one representative from each of the following:
(1) Office of Hawaiian Affairs; (2) Department of Agriculture, (3) Department of Land and
Natural Resources, (4) the University ofHawaii, (5) Onipaa Na Hui Kalo, and (6) the Hawaii
Farm Bureau Federation. The Task Force also includes representatives from taro farming
coinmw1 ities. Tn general, the purpose of Act 211 was to encourage and support the farming of
taro.
We understand that the project will accomplish the following objectives and outcomes.
The overall objective is to develop a map that is easy to update and compatible with state
geographic information system (GTS) map formats, which can be used as a tool by state agencies
and community groups to identify taro lands that may be suitable for restoration. The long-term
objective is to protect these unique lands and boost taro cultivation to help support sustainability
and food security initiatives. Oahu was chosen as the first island, because it faces the greatest
development pressure and has the largest population to feed. However, if successful, this model
could potentially be used to create simi lar inventories on the other islands. The project will
primarily be achieved through locating and mapping lands under state jurisdiction on Oahu that
traditionally were used to cultivate taro through an archival map and document search;
interviewing cultural practitioners, farmers, and others; conducting field surveys; and using GIS
technology. The maps will be accompanied by a narrative describing the condition of the lands
in terms of overgrowth, presence of supporting infrastructure, and current use.
This project proposal could potentially provide better information to government
decision-makers in many areas, including county and state land use planning and permitting
decisions. This effort is also consistent with several objectives of the Office of Planning' s,

2. Ms. Sue Sakamoto
March 2 1, 2013
Page 2
Increased Food Security and Food Se(f-Sufficiency Strategy, which was developed through
statewide agency and stakeholder coordination and published in December of2012. The
Strategy is available for review at http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/special_plans.htm.
We look forward to the outcome of this important project.
c DOA
DLNR
Joan Conrow, TSPTF Grant writer, tsptfgrants@ hotmail.com