OFFICE OF PLANNING STATE OF HAWAII 235 South Beretania Street, 6th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2359, Honolulu, Hawaii 96804

Ref. No. P-13926

March 21 , 2013

Ms. Sue Sakamoto Hawaii Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill Agricultural Development Division 1428 South King St. Honolulu, Hawaii 96814-2512

Dear Ms. Sakamoto:

NEIL ABERCROMBIE GOVERNOR

JESSE K. SOUKI DIRECTOR

OFFICE OF PLANNING

Telephone: (808) 587-2846 Fax: (808) 587-2824

Web: http://hawaii.gov/dbedVop/

The State Office ofPlmming supports the Taro Security and Purity Task Force's proposal to conduct a survey oftaro lands on Oahu.

The state legislature created the Taro Security and Purity Task Force in 2008 with the passage of Act 21 1. The Task Force includes one representative from each of the following: (1) Office of Hawaiian Affairs; (2) Department of Agriculture, (3) Department of Land and Natural Resources, (4) the University ofHawaii , (5) Onipaa Na Hui Kalo, and (6) the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation. The Task Force also includes representatives from taro farming coinmw1ities. Tn general, the purpose of Act 211 was to encourage and support the farming of taro.

We understand that the project will accomplish the following objectives and outcomes. The overall objective is to develop a map that is easy to update and compatible with state geographic information system (GTS) map formats, which can be used as a tool by state agencies and community groups to identify taro lands that may be suitable for restoration. The long-term objective is to protect these unique lands and boost taro cultivation to help support sustainability and food security initiatives. Oahu was chosen as the first island, because it faces the greatest development pressure and has the largest population to feed. However, if successful, this model could potentially be used to create similar inventories on the other islands. The project will primarily be achieved through locating and mapping lands under state jurisdiction on Oahu that traditionally were used to cultivate taro through an archival map and document search; interviewing cultural practitioners, farmers, and others; conducting field surveys; and using GIS technology. The maps will be accompanied by a narrative describing the condition of the lands in terms of overgrowth, presence of supporting infrastructure, and current use.

This project proposal could potentially provide better information to government decision-makers in many areas, including county and state land use planning and permitting decisions. This effort is also consistent with several objectives of the Office of Planning' s,

Ms. Sue Sakamoto March 21, 2013 Page 2

Increased Food Security and Food Se(f-Sufficiency Strategy, which was developed through statewide agency and stakeholder coordination and published in December of2012. The Strategy is available for review at http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/special_plans.htm.

We look forward to the outcome of this important project.

c DOA DLNR Joan Conrow, TSPTF Grant writer, tsptfgrants@hotmail.com