HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	110
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ESTABLISH A PROGRAM TO AWARD GRANTS TO FARMERS WHO IMPLEMENT NATURAL FARMING.

     WHEREAS, global natural farming is an agricultural method developed and refined over the past 50 years by Han Kyu Cho of the Republic of Korea; and

     WHEREAS, in more than 30 countries worldwide, global natural farming techniques have been demonstrated as a viable method of agricultural production without the use of conventional and imported pesticides and fertilizers; and

     WHEREAS, as a distinctive approach to organic farming, global natural farming uses local natural farm resources and indigenous microorganisms and involves the propagation of mycorrhizae along with adding specific nutritional inputs during critical growth stages of plants; and

     WHEREAS, the global natural farming methodology is not only safe for the environment, but actually rehabilitates the ecology of an area; and

     WHEREAS, as an example, there are currently six acres of land in Waianae, Oahu, being used for the natural farming of Vietnamese taro and Thai basil and since the project began in June 2010, the product quality has improved, product yield has increased, and production costs and water consumption have decreased; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii would benefit greatly by the propagation of this agricultural methodology; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, that the Department of Agriculture is urged to establish a program to award grants to farmers who implement natural farming; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture is requested to accept applications, on forms prescribed and prepared by the Department, from agricultural producers who intend to implement the Cho global natural farming methodology to qualify for receipt of natural farming grants; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture.

Report Title: 

Global Natural Farming; Department of Agriculture