a visit to northern china - the problem of agriculture

I visited China in February to participate in a feasibility study for the prospect of feeding Oahu.  Problem:  high food prices in Hawaii.  Too many imports, and the shipping costs are driving prices too high.  We anticipate that food prices for imports will go even higher as crude oil pushes to $150 per barrel, and the dollar continues to weaken.  
the findings?  not good.  still too expensive to raise food here in a profitable way - primarily because of food and land costs, and secondly because politically it would be unpopular with the current food distribution industry.  Revolutionary change is never easy.

An an architect, yours truly has to look at the larger situation of our state and country - which is why I'm always following global events - since they impact Hawaii in one way or another.  The butterfly effect is happening in a major way across our globe this month.  Printing a few dollars here leads to major upheaval in the Arab world.  Since food and oil is traded in dollars  - when we print a few more greenbacks, what happens to food prices?  Through the roof.  Which is why anyone would begin a riot in the streets.  I don't care who you are.... if we can't feed our families and our children, then revolution is necessary.  Why else would one take to the streets?  Why would someone sacrifice their lives against helicopters and men with machine guns?  Basic things like food and water... there is nothing left to fight for.  

But the real puzzle I am stewing over is how to feed us here at home?  How can we be self-reliant instead of a welfare state?  What?  Us, Hawaii, a welfare state?  If you don't produce more than you consume, you are in the negative -  needing subsidies and handouts...  you need welfare.  Yup - that's what we are, and the sooner we admit it, the sooner we can do something about it.  Food, energy - that's where the inflation will hit us.  And when food and gas get too expensive, it will blacken the water like octopus ink.  And we could have rioting in our streets.  

The solution is in our land.  My understanding right now is that Hawaii has a whole bunch of unused agricultural lands that are slowly being sold off by the old plantation families.  They have no idea what to do with it.  Diversified agriculture doesn't seem to work for them because the model is foreign.  So they keep the land up for sale - never giving a farmer a long lease hoping that they can sell it.  And since there are no long leases, the farmers cannot make a living because there is no price stability in the rent model.  With ultra-tight margins - no once can risk setting up a farm.  Hence the dilemma.  A catch-22. 

Can a new model or method or solution in agricultural land planning emerge that will solve our agricultural utilization?  Is there a way to find a new model for growing and selling food to make use of the land matrix we currently have established?  If anyone out there has any ideas, I'm all ears.

Here's an interesting idea floating around the state capitol - as i understand it:  that the state has the responsibility to feed our school children and our prisoners.  Both of which are consuming imported food.  Probably not the healthiest food either - although we are trying pretty hard to keep it very nutritional.  But what if we grew our own food, and since it is not travelling on a boat for 7 days, maybe it would be fresher and more nutritious?  And could it lead to less health problems?  Which might help save the State of Hawaii some dollars by consuming local foods, and cutting on the health care expenses.  Just maybe?  
Now what if we could have some of our prisoners, and students actually help work on the farms.  Since the labor cost is the issue, maybe we need to go back to the days where the students did work the farms.  (the reason why we have spring break and summer vacation to begin with was to have the kids help during the planting and harvest season) - is that going back in time?  Maybe it's exactly what we need?  Maybe, in our hubris, we thought that we were above farming?  And where did thinking like that lead to?

whatever is happening to us now is the direct result of our attitudes and decisions over these last 40-50 years.