Victorino, Mike
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?
Throughout my first term as Mayor of Maui County, the issue of food security has continued to be a priority of my administration. No one in Maui County should go hungry or fear that they will be unable to provide for their family. We are experiencing higher prices at the grocery stores due to inflation, which hits our working class families hardest.
We had a real-life opportunity to respond to a spike in food insecurity in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly, the tourist market disappeared and the demand for Maui-grown produce at hotels disappeared overnight. At the same time, people who depend on tourism industry jobs found themselves out of work, many uncertain about how they were going to pay for the most basic necessities of life: food and shelter. Our farmers and ranchers also found themselves without the markets they rely on to keep people employed to make their ends meet.
Instead of allowing crops to spoil in fields, my first phone calls went to local farmers and ranchers to purchase their produce and meats. My administration quickly committed to providing $30,000 a week to buy local produce and meats for community distribution.
The Maui Farm Bureau and Hawaii Farmers Union United coordinated purchase and distribution. We partnered with dozens of farm operators, food distributors, community organizations and others for drive-through food distribution events. Residents lined up in cars and trucks to receive much needed boxes of fresh food and other necessities. By the end of 2020, more than 8 million pounds of food was distributed through community partnerships with groups like the Maui Food Bank, Feed My Sheep, community nonprofits, churches, businesses, social service agencies and countless volunteers.
My administration also dramatically increased support for food distribution programs such as Maui Food Bank. Traditionally, funding has been around $400,000 a year, but from October through December 2020, Maui Food Bank received $2.6 million in Maui County CARES Act money.
Please list any initiatives you have supported in Maui County to increase food access and food production that you are proud of:
I am very proud of the role of the County’s new Department of Agriculture that will play an increasing role in local food production. The new appointee to head the Department of Agriculture Director is Kali Arce, pending confirmation by Council.
Director Arce is a longtime farmer and Molokai homesteader with a graduate degree in Agriculture. She is also experienced in traditional Hawaiian farming principles. She and her staff are tasked with the development and management of a sustainable regional agricultural system that will provide a secure source of healthy, fresh food for Maui County. The Department will also be able to assist farmers and ranchers with successfully applying for and receiving federal, state and county grants.
To assist our farmers and ranchers, we have assisted in addressing their problems, such as Axis deer and other feral animals that wreak havoc.
My administration recently launched a $1.5 million program administered by Lokahi Pacific to help Maui County farmers and ranchers cope with these invasive species. Farmers and ranchers can receive a grant of up to $30,000 for fencing and to mitigate crop damage. We will need substantial state and federal funding to actually solve the axis deer problem, but these grants will help in the interim.
Hawaiʻi imports roughly 85% of our food supply. How will your platform address increasing local food production?
It goes without saying, but access to sufficient water is vital for a farm or ranch to survive and compete with imports. In addition to the concrete steps my administration has taken that I’ve described earlier, we have also focused on improving access to water. One major example is the new Central Maui Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which will provide high quality R-1 treated water for agricultural irrigation. This water can be used for food crops and cattle, and most important, it redirects demand from potable water to a reliable alternate source.
My administration is also working with Haleakala Ranch to implement a project using the R-1 water from the Kihei Wastewater Reclamation Facility for cattle in this dry region. Not only will this help our ranchers, but it also will aid in making South Maui less vulnerable to wildfires by creating green belts.
Please indicate your position on the following policies:
Creating County funding mechanisms to support DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks. SUPPORT
Increasing local food procurement for Maui County schools. SUPPORT
Increasing Farm to School initiatives including school gardens. SUPPORT
Pursuing County Farm to Food Bank Funding. SUPPORT
Developing regional organic waste and composting services. SUPPORT
Restructuring the Department of Water Supply and Department of Wastewater to encourage strategies for conservation, efficient water use, storage, and growing water resources. SUPPORT
Increasing the budget for the Maui County Department of Agriculture. SUPPORT
Offering subsidies to local farms that have shown the ability to sustain production. REQUEST FOR MORE INFORMATION
Supporting policies that allow for increased affordable housing for farmworkers. SUPPORT
Improving policies around hunting and utilizing invasive protein sources. SUPPORT
Funding updated shared processing facilities, including slaughterhouses and food hubs. SUPPORT
Implementing new inspection policies to reduce the spread of invasive species. SUPPORT
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.
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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?
No