Bill > SB3318

This bill aims to enhance Hawaii's food and climate resiliency by establishing several new programs and incentives. Starting with taxable years after December 31, 2025, it creates an "Agroecological and Climate-Smart Farming Practices Tax Credit" administered by the Department of Taxation, offering a credit of up to $25,000 per taxpayer for adopting sustainable farming methods that improve soil health, manage pests naturally, and conserve native plants, including traditional Hawaiian agricultural systems like loi kalo (taro patches) and loko ia (fishponds). The bill also establishes the "Hawaii Farm to Families Program," managed by the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, which will provide funds to food banks to purchase, store, and transport fresh, locally grown food to food-insecure communities, with the department required to report on the program's activities to the Legislature in 2027 and 2028. Finally, it mandates the Department of Education to strengthen the state's farm-to-school meals program by streamlining procurement for local farmers, creating a database of eligible farms, increasing financial incentives for schools to buy local, and ensuring the inclusion of culturally appropriate foods like kalo, uala (sweet potato), and ulu (breadfruit) in school meals, building upon existing goals to have at least thirty percent of school food purchases be local by 2030.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=3318&year=2026