Hirono Urges USDA Secretary to Create New Climate Hub in Hawaii to Address Unique Climate Challenges

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack urging the USDA to establish a Climate Hub in Hawaii to better serve the state and the Pacific basin. Climate Hubs help agricultural producers with climate-informed decision making. Currently, there are 10 Climate Hubs across the country—Hawaii belongs to the Southwest Climate Hub located in New Mexico. However, Hawaii’s geography and climate-related challenges are unique from the continental U.S., meaning that the data and information generated by the Southwest Climate Hub are often not as applicable for producers and land managers in the state.

“Understanding the unique challenges our producers and natural resource managers face as well as providing trusted information and tools requires frequent presence, engagement, and established relationships within local communities,” wrote Senator Hirono in the letter. “Establishing a hub in Hawaii would further the Climate Hubs’ goal of ensuring equity and environmental justice by focusing on the unique needs of our diverse, historically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers that have often been overlooked.”

In her letter, Senator Hirono also invited Secretary Vilsack to visit Hawaii in order to witness, firsthand, the unique challenges that local producers and natural resource managers face, as well as learn more about the value a Climate Hub in Hawaii would provide to local communities.

The USDA Climate Hubs are the product of collaboration across various USDA agencies. They are led and hosted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Forest Service (FS), with contributions from many agencies including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the Risk Management Agency (RMA). Their mission is to develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies, with USDA agencies and partners, to agricultural and natural resource managers that enable climate-informed decision-making, and to provide access to assistance to implement those decisions.

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

The Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack

Secretary of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250

Dear Secretary Vilsack:

I am writing to request the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) consider establishing a climate hub in Hawaii to serve Hawaii and the Pacific basin. There are currently 10 regional hubs located across the continental United States and Puerto Rico, with Hawaii belonging to the Southwest Regional Hub located in New Mexico. Given the vast differences in climate considerations and agricultural practices between the Southwestern continental U.S. and Hawaii, combined with the growing impacts of climate change faced by our natural resource managers and agricultural producers, I ask that you consider establishing a new hub in Hawaii.

The USDA Climate Hubs were formally established in 2014 under your leadership. They are led and hosted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Forest Service (FS) and include contributions by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the Risk Management Agency (RMA). They also coordinate with other federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as university and non-profit partners. There are USDA facilities in Hawaii currently interested in hosting a new hub that are well-positioned to facilitate this kind of partnership between USDA, other federal agencies, and external partners.

The mission of the USDA Climate Hubs is to “…develop and deliver science-based information and technologies to natural resource and agricultural managers: enabling climate-informed decision making, reducing agricultural risk, and building resilience to climate change.” Despite these hubs having been in existence for eight years, hub staff visitation to Hawaii has been sparse. Understanding the unique challenges our producers and natural resource managers face as well as providing trusted information and tools requires frequent presence, engagement, and established relationships within local communities. Having a hub physically located in the state would facilitate the establishment of trusted relationships necessary to ensure the success of the USDA Climate Hubs’ mission in Hawaii and the Pacific basin.

Additionally, the Climate Hubs’ five-year strategic plan for 2020-2025 identifies three overarching strategic goals and notes that woven throughout those goals are the themes of equity and environmental justice. Hawaii is a majority-minority state, and a significant number of our agricultural producers are considered socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Establishing a hub in Hawaii would further the Climate Hubs’ goal of ensuring equity and environmental justice by focusing on the unique needs of our diverse, historically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers that have often been overlooked.

Finally, environmental and agricultural variables that exist in Hawaii and the Pacific basin vary greatly from those that are common throughout the Southwestern continental United States. For example, while wildfire is as much a concern in Hawaii as it is in the western continental United States, unlike the mainland, Hawaii native ecosystems are not wildfire adapted. This means that while wildfire is a key part of ecosystem functions in mainland forests, wildfire does not play a key role in native ecosystem functions across Hawaii and many Pacific islands. Additionally, Hawaii has diverse tropical cropping systems that include multiple growing seasons each year, the majority of which are on small farms. In contrast, farms in the Southwestern United States tend to be much larger, have one growing season, and include commodities such as corn, wheat, and cotton that are not grown in Hawaii and the Pacific basin. Having a Climate Hub physically located in Hawaii would allow a more acute focus on the unique challenges that our agricultural producers and natural resource managers face and in turn, would better facilitate delivery of information and tools tailored to our unique adaptation needs.

A number of local agricultural and natural resource stakeholders support establishing a USDA Climate Hub in Hawaii. I appreciate your consideration of this request and invite you to visit Hawaii to see the unique challenges that our producers and natural resource managers face and learn more about the value that a USDA Climate Hub in Hawaii would provide to our local communities.

Sincerely,

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