“It's Time For The DOE To Take The Lead On Food And Education” - Civil Beat article
"We are at an unprecedented moment, and if the DOE acts, Hawaii’s students and their food will be growing together."
At Mala'ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School we have seen the profound effects of food education within our students over the years, and understand that we are at a crucial moment of awareness and impact.
Check out this excellent article By Nancy Redfeather, and Debbie Millikan that has history on the larger Farm to School movement, and recommendations on how to harness the momentum we are currently seeing.
(article teaser:)
“We have both been thinking a lot lately about the next generation and wondering what Hawaii will be like for them in 10 or 20 years.
In our communities we are witnessing unprecedented changes — the extreme weather we’ve been watching elsewhere in the world has arrived.
Within a 30-mile radius of Nancy’s farm in Kona, torrential rainfall and flooding has dampened food production and local harvests, while the National Weather Service has declared the rest of the island in severe drought. Last month’s Waikoloa fire — the largest in the history of Hawaii island — burned 40,000 acres before it was controlled.
On Oahu, Debbie is watching rising ocean waters erode the coast and frequently inundate low-lying areas. The threat of hurricanes is ever greater.
Climate change has found us, and it is in this context that we want to talk about food.
We have both been involved in education for decades, always with an emphasis on food systems. And we are writing because we want everyone in Hawaii to know that when it comes to food and education, we have arrived at a moment of terrific potential. Even in the midst of environmental upheaval and the pandemic, many years of hard work can come to fruition now if Hawaii’s Department of Education will embrace the ideas we offer here.”
