Ho‘opili and Agriculture
Facts vs. Myths - Ho‘opili and Agriculture
There’s been some misinformation about Ho‘opili – a “walkable,” transit-ready, sustainable community planned for ‘Ewa – and what it means for local agriculture. Here are the facts about Ho‘opili, which is the first community in Hawai‘i to integrate food production – including small farms, community gardens and home gardens — as part of its design.
Myth: Ho‘opili will displace the last farmable land on O‘ahu.
Fact: Hawai‘i has more than 280,000 acres of arable, high-quality land reserved for agriculture. Ho‘opili’s 1,375 acres of arable land represents about 0.5% of this total.
Myth: All farming will end at Ho‘opili as soon as the project is built.
Fact: Farming will continue at Ho‘opili at the current scale for the majority of the
20-year build-out of the community. Ultimately, Ho‘opili will transition to a more sustainable, “method-intensive” farming community, using less land
and water.
Myth: Hawai‘i produces only 15% of its own food.
Fact: Hawai‘i farmers produce over 30% of the fruits and vegetables we consume. In order for Hawai‘i to attain 100% self-sufficiency, an additional 30,000 acres
of land is required. Currently, there are over 170,000 acres of fallow prime agriculture land available Statewide and 30,000 acres on O‘ahu.
Read about Ho‘opili's Urban Agriculture Initiative
There’s been some misinformation about Ho‘opili – a “walkable,” transit-ready, sustainable community planned for ‘Ewa – and what it means for local agriculture. Here are the facts about Ho‘opili, which is the first community in Hawai‘i to integrate food production – including small farms, community gardens and home gardens — as part of its design.
Myth: Ho‘opili will displace the last farmable land on O‘ahu.
Fact: Hawai‘i has more than 280,000 acres of arable, high-quality land reserved for agriculture. Ho‘opili’s 1,375 acres of arable land represents about 0.5% of this total.
Myth: All farming will end at Ho‘opili as soon as the project is built.
Fact: Farming will continue at Ho‘opili at the current scale for the majority of the
20-year build-out of the community. Ultimately, Ho‘opili will transition to a more sustainable, “method-intensive” farming community, using less land
and water.
Myth: Hawai‘i produces only 15% of its own food.
Fact: Hawai‘i farmers produce over 30% of the fruits and vegetables we consume. In order for Hawai‘i to attain 100% self-sufficiency, an additional 30,000 acres
of land is required. Currently, there are over 170,000 acres of fallow prime agriculture land available Statewide and 30,000 acres on O‘ahu.
Read about Ho‘opili's Urban Agriculture Initiative
