Shishido, Melissah (Mish)

Shishido, Melissah (Mish)

Office Seeking: State Senator, District 6 (South and West Maui)

Party: Green
Website: —

Food security is defined by the USDA as "access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life." How will your platform address food insecurity in Maui County?

I would advocate restoration of taro patches, encourage using the gardens in schools, and support farmers. Using the permaculture technique, many parking lots can be converted and cared for by the community.

Please list any initiatives you have supported in Maui County to increase food access and food production that you are proud of:

I participated in the restoration of taro patches, working with Hokunui Maui, reforestation project, and presently teaching my students to repeat the process.

Hawaiʻi imports roughly 85% of our food supply. How will your platform address increasing local food production?

Restoration of the ʻahupuaa system. This a Mauka (upland) to Makai (ocean) system of checks and balances.

Please indicate your position on the following policies:

  1. Creating County funding mechanisms to support DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks. SUPPORT

  2. Increasing local food procurement for Maui County schools. SUPPORT

  3. Increasing Farm to School initiatives including school gardens. SUPPORT

  4. Pursuing County Farm to Food Bank Funding. SUPPORT

  5. Developing regional organic waste and composting services. SUPPORT

  6. Restructuring the Department of Water Supply and Department of Wastewater to encourage strategies for conservation, efficient water use, storage, and growing water resources. SUPPORT

  7. Increasing the budget for the Maui County Department of Agriculture. SUPPORT

  8. Offering subsidies to local farms that have shown the ability to sustain production. SUPPORT

  9. Supporting policies that allow for increased affordable housing for farmworkers. SUPPORT

  10. Improving policies around hunting and utilizing invasive protein sources. SUPPORT

  11. Funding updated shared processing facilities, including slaughterhouses and food hubs. SUPPORT

  12. Implementing new inspection policies to reduce the spread of invasive species. SUPPORT

  13. Establishing local control of water resources through a Maui County Community Water Authority, with the ability to establish regional community boards. SUPPORT

Please elaborate on any of your above positions here.

We need to be mindful of the abundant resources we have and to use them to our advantage. Using and restoring the water, would be top priority. In order to allow our children and grandchildren to reap the benefits, this should become a part of a schoolʻs curriculum. As a fifth grade teacher, that is exactly what I did this year.

Are there other issues, County-wide or within your own residency area, about food security that concern you, and how do you plan to address these issues if elected?

Not that I am aware of, however, I will be researching this.