Knox, Robin

Knox, Robin

Office Seeking: Maui Council Member (South Maui)

Party: Democrat
Website: robin4maui.com

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 will address food insecurity by supporting programs that will eliminate our dependency on imported food. I will work to fund the new Department of Agriculture, to support small farms and start-ups, top ensure that farmers get a high priority for water. I will work with farmer's, sanitarians, and food scientists to identify and fund the development of the infrastructure needed to support a local food supply. such as, adequate water supply, slaughterhouse, commercial kitchens throughout the County, and refrigerated storage and transport. I will support funding to assist farmers with regulatory and tax compliance. I will work to establish composting and regenerative agricultural practices. I support management of the axis deer herds a s a food source.

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

I support Grow Some Good and Common Ground Collective, and the MAui Food Hub. I strive to buy all my produce, meat, and fish from local sources, supporting our local agricultural economy.

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

In addition to the measures I outlined under addressing food security, I will provide consumers with coupons or other incentives to promote purchase of local foods.

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.

I strongly support all of the positions outlined above. As an environmental and agricultural scientist, I am knowledgeable about how to support a locally grown, safe and healthy, food supply.

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?

I think we need to provide more access to locally grown fresh food to houseless and lower income residents. One way to address this issue is through programs such as Da Bux, and through grant sponsored farmer's markets with cooking and recipe demonstrations, health and nutrition information to help families learn why local food is important, and make it fun and easy to use local foods in planning family meals. For houseless and low income residents, I would also support community groups such as Homeless Hungry Heroes and Hale Kaukau by providing local foods that can be prepared for the food service programs they provide.