“The earth has music for those who listen.” --- William Shakespeare “When people are divided, the only solution is agreement.” --- John Hume, Civil Rights Campaigner, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Noble Peace Prize 1998 “Learn to do common things uncommonly well; we must always keep in mind that anything that helps fill the dinner pail is valuable.” --- George Washington Carver

1. THE MAUI FARM - FOOD NETWORK
Farm to Market to Table - A Sustenance and Sustainability Continuum
By definition, “Diversified Agriculture, Farming”, the Alexander &
Baldwin (“A&B”) and Hawaii Commercial & Sugar Company (“HC&S”) Plan and
“Regenerative Agriculture”, the Malama `Āina, Maui Tomorrow Project, have
commonality by improving current agricultural practices. To incorporate, meld
and infuse their advantages and distinctions will join and harness the best
agricultural and biodiversity approaches of each. The ‘Maui Farm - Food
Network’ will interconnect systems of inputs, labor, land, capital, governance,
knowledge and culture to cohesively enhance and improve agricultural
production, distribution, consumption systems and most importantly establish
an agricultural food network from farm to market to table inclusive of all
parties to the continuum.
DIVERSIFIED FARMING Systems (DFS). “Farming practices and
landscapes that intentionally include functional biodiversity at multiple spatial
and/or temporal scales in order to maintain ecosystem services that provide
critical inputs to agriculture, such as soil fertility, pest and disease control,
water use efficiency, and pollination. DFS are often embedded in social,
political, and economic conditions that differ from those accompanying
industrialized monocultures, particularly with respect to core stakeholders,
markets, and distribution systems. Yet, DFS may not always be able to realize
their potential social-ecological benefits due to the lack of enabling
environments.” [Emphasis Supplied]
NOTE: Enabling environment. Interrelated conditions, legal,
governmental, fiscal, informational, institutional, political, and cultural that
negatively impact and minimize the capacity and capability of parties to
maximize their collective efforts and resources to effectively and efficiently
reach their intended goals and achieve excellence.
Source: Kremen, C., A. Iles, and C. Bacon. 2012. Diversified farming systems:
an agroecological, systems-based alternative to modern industrial agriculture.
Ecology and Society 17(4): 44. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05103-170444

2. “REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE is any kind of farming that enables the
restorative capacity of the earth. Regenerative agriculture preserves or
improves the fertility of the soil, creates an abundance of food and other
agricultural products, contributes to vibrant communities and equitable
economies, and respects the ecology of the natural world. Fertile soil helps
create nourishing food and, in turn, healthy people and robust communities.”
Source: Farmers Without Borders. http://www.regenerationcsa.org/how-we-farm.html
Respect our kuleana
Respect the `aina
Respect our culture and traditions
Respect what is best for the People of the State of Hawai`i
The collaboration of our multi-ethnic cultures, Hawaii’s agricultural heritage,
our fragile environment and unique ecosystems and taking positive actions to
restore balance and make right for the People is made difficult as the path is
fraught with competing interests and self-perpetuating agendas.
Let us join hands. Come together and move forward together. Aloha ….