Learning / The best ways to truly embrace the good health and joy that Hawai’i offers are to grow at least some of our own food, even in a small way, and to support local family and organic farmers by buying their fresh produce.

Alas, high costs for farmers–including land, labor, fuel, water and more–have put Hawai’i in a food crisis. On O’ahu, we no longer grow local chickens or milk. Eggs will be next. The state wouldn’t last more than a week without its continuous flow of import from the outside world. The sooner we understand this and do what we can to help turn it around, the better.

When a fire in Waialua burned over 5,000 acres of land in 2007, small farms were devastated but, in the end, we are all paying the price. Weedy fire prone grass will grow in the burnt areas, setting the stage for the next disastrous wildfire. With no large-scale planned erosion control, all the valuable topsoil could now wash off the steep farmlands and onto our reefs without good native forests or farmed plants holding onto those precious bits of organic matter.

Zoning laws need to change in favor of working family farms rather than the gated luxury second-home developments of “gentleman farmers.” We need agricultural lands in perpetuity and low rates for water and land taxes for real farmers. How about preservation and conservation in perpetuity, too? Governor Lingle talks about changing our economic base and this one way to do so while filling a real and vital need. We all got to eat!

One great asset we do have is a thriving system of local greenmarkets such as the Kapio’lani Community College farmers’ market, which Joan Namkoong, gourmet “foodie” and farmers’ friend, helped launch into a vital, thriving event that happens every Saturday. It’s profitable for farmers and a fun, inspiring social event for the rest of us–especially those who live nearby.

There is something about getting your hands dirty, watching green life grow and understanding the science of plants that is a pure joy and miracle–and you can eat your results.

A new book on edible gardening, Pathways to Abundant Gardens (Permanent Agricultural Resources, 2007), by prolific Big Island permaculturist Craig Elevitch reminds us of the true value of having a green thumb and a green heart. His style of farming is good for humans and for the ‘aina. Pathways will inspire many who want to do more to grow their own food.

Chock full of earthly wisdom, the coffee-table-size volume abounds with color portraits of local organic gardeners and their plots. The shots capture the real grit of the gardens (complete with overgrown alien grassy edges) and the dedicated people who get in the dirt to grow, not just for show. Gardeners explain and illustrate how to conquer such invasives as Guinea grass, which was brought in years ago for the cattle industry and is now a major pest that also spreads wild fires.

Pathways shows how to start small and relatively simply, providing a great pictorial step-by-step instruction. Long-term farmers who work in Hawai’i’s various microclimates that Hawai’i is famous for share their tips throughout. So much of successful growing is about the soil, and compost is such an easy way to nourish your garden. Reusing green wastes in this way keeps them out of landfills (and from running onto the coral reefs) while holding valuable organic matter on the ‘aina where it belongs. Old-time farmers knew and practiced this. Only since World War II have farmers used synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides rather than recycling green wastes back onto the land. Many of our modern farm and human health problems are a direct result of these chemicals, but books such as Pathways can help us all turn the tide on this really scary scenario. For the deeper digger, Elevitch includes a list of references.

Heidi Bornhorst is the Director of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens.

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