Since day one of the 118th Congress, I’ve had Hawai'i’s agriculture on my mind and hit the ground running meeting with farmers, producers, nutrition advocates, and workers to hear their experiences and needs firsthand.
The Farm Bill is renegotiated in Congress every five years and is a large package of bills that have a huge impact on our communities, rural areas, food nutrition programs, resources for farmers, and ultimately— the food that Hawai?i’s families, keiki, and kupuna rely on.
I am proud to be the only member of Hawai'i’s Delegation to hold a seat on the Agriculture Committee, making me uniquely positioned to ensure that Hawai?i’s agriculture economy is accounted for in Farm Bill negotiations. It is my honor to take the needs and voices of Hawai?i’s agriculture community directly to the halls of Congress.
As Congress begins consideration of the 2023 Farm Bill, my constituents need to have their voices heard so we can better meet the needs of producers in Hawai‘i and improve our food systems to sustainably increase local food production.
That’s why I launched a statewide listening tour to hear directly from Farm Bill stakeholders about what they’re hoping to see from the 2023 Farm Bill.
I traveled to FIVE islands over FIVE days and held FIVE Farm Bill Listening Sessions to hear directly from the community about how we can reform our agricultural programs to better meet the needs of producers in Hawai‘i and improve our food systems to sustainably increase local food production.
I traveled across the Second Congressional District— from Waianae to Waimea—holding Farm Bill Listening Sessions with farmers, ranchers, workers, & nutrition advocates about what Hawai'i needs from the 2023 Farm Bill. I received a lot of great feedback, ideas, and thoughts from the community that I'm taking back to Congress.
You can follow my tour using this map below to see where I've been, what I heard, and who I’ve met with. I'm looking forward to more!
Mahalo,
