Pineapples in Paradise

What comes to mind when you think of Hawai'i? Paradise, right? Sun, sand, surf, warm breezes . . . I'm with you.

Okay, but what about Hawaiian food? My top three: pineapple, macadamia nuts, and poi. (Not that I've ever had poi, but too much television has undoubtedly shaped my perceptions.)

But Hawai'i is no longer paradise for the pineapple. That industry, so closely tied with many Americans' vision of Hawai'i, is showing signs of struggle.

In 2006, Del Monte planted its last crop of pineapple, citing the expense of growing in Hawai'i as the prime reason for shutting down operations after 90 years in the islands. Their departure leaves just two pineapple companies in the state, Dole Food Hawai'i and Maui Pineapple Co.

But last year, the latter shuttered its pineapple cannery, the last one in the U.S. The closure brought an end to an era for many Hawaiians, but the company remains, redirecting its attention to fresh fruit and juice in an effort to stay profitable.

The bottom line talks loudly. Growers in Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, China, India and Costa Rica can produce the fruit more cheaply, thrusting these countries to the top of list of suppliers worldwide (XLS|41 KB). As a result, the pineapple might become more symbol than reality in Hawai'i. Only time -- and the market -- will tell.

But in honor of pineapple's long, deep history in Hawai'i, and in conjunction with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, let me point you to a couple of unique resources from the Center for Oral History at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa that celebrate this fantastic fruit and the people who've brought it to us for decades.

The first, a short video clip (Quicktime | 4.4 MB), shows Venicia Guiala, a former pineapple field worker, demonstrating how she prepared for work in the hot, dusty pineapple fields. If you prefer, you can read the transcript, but I heartily recommend the video. Seeing Mrs. Guiala putting on her scarves, goggles and hat conveys more strongly than the words how difficult and uncomfortable that job must be.

The second provides a short introduction to the Center's oral history project on Women Workers in Hawai'i's Pineapple Industry, a combination of narrative and oral history excerpts.

But for a more contemporary twist on pineapple processing, check out this clip from YouTube. The music makes it an almost mesmerizingly peaceful experience. (Though I'd appreciate someone telling me what the song "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" has to do with peeling and coring pineapple.)

Finally, if you haven't given much thought to the role Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have played and continue to play in our country's agricultural endeavors, jump over to NAL's site on Asian Pacific Americans in agriculture. Among many other things, you can learn from the resources there the unique niche Chinese immigrants filled in 1850s California; the key role Filipinos played in the formation of the United Farm Workers; and the impact of Alien Land Laws on Japanese immigrant farmers.

Aloha.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Biography and Food and Nutrition and History of Agriculture and Marketing and Trade on May 06, 2008 EST | Permalink

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How Much Does It Take?

How much money does it take to run a national library?

Answer: It depends. The National Agricultural Library's (NAL) allocation for FY2006 was $22.8 million, but that same year the National Library of Medicine (NLM) received $315 million (PDF|8.52 KB).

How is NAL managing on a budget that is only a small fraction of NLM's?

Answer: Good question. And you're not the only one asking it. In fact, the question has been surfacing and re-surfacing for some time.

Back in 2000, USDA appointed an Interagency Panel to assess NAL's pursuit of its legislated mandate. Knowing the figures above, I'm sure you won't be surprised by the Panel's conclusion: that NAL is unable, with that level of support, to do what it was established to do.

The Panel went on to recommend annual increases to the NAL budget with a total target increase to $100 million (in 2001 dollars).

USDA then went on to ask the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB) -- a diverse 31-member panel that advises the Secretary of Agriculture on top priorities and policies for food and agricultural research, education, extension and economics -- to review the Interageny Panel's report and make its recommendations. Based on that review, along with thirty days of public comment, the NAREEE Board fully agreed with the Panel, but they took the funding recommendation one step further: The Board urged "an immediate increase of $10 million . . . to launch the revitalization process."

Sounds good. What happened?

Answer: The Library did not receive any additional funding. In fact, the stagnant appropriation yielded a net decrease in spendable dollars.

Then, in 2007, the NAREEE Board conducted a major five-year review of NAL, the first since their review of the Interagency Panel's recommendations. They released their findings (PDF|115 KB) in February 2008. Noting the intervening years of flat budgets, the Board declared NAL at a "tipping point," going on to describe the "critical cutbacks" on the table. To counteract the resulting loss of programs and services, the Board recommended "funding increases for NAL over the 'long term'" to shore up the collection and to repair or replace the Library's building.

How much of a funding increase did the Board recommend?

Answer: The NAREEE Board did not tie a dollar figure to its recommendation.

Spurred by their support, however, NAL staff crafted a discussion paper (PDF|35 MB) that brought together all the issues, figures, goals and ideas that staff had been wrestling with for over three years about where the Library wanted to go and what it would take to get there. Released just last week, the paper summarizes the Library’s programs, services, audiences and opportunities for growth and projects the costs for a variety of new endeavors.

Of course, the report does not represent the official policy or position of the Agricultural Research Service or the United States Department of Agriculture, but the Library has released it in hopes that it will stimulate discussion, evoke critical comment and spark debate about NAL's future.

Okay, what next?

Answer: Read the discussion paper, "Blueprint for Success," (PDF|35 MB) and let us know what role you see the Library taking in the future. Do our goals mesh with yours? Do you want us to expand our online resources, to restore journal subscriptions, to lead a national effort to collect the best of agricultural research?

Or tell us what value you place on the Library in the context of agricultural research. How do you use us? What more do you need us to do for you?

We are a national library, which means we're your library. What can we do to serve your needs regarding agriculture and the environment?

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Libraries on May 05, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Amber Waves?

Are you feeling the pinch at the grocery store yet?

Higher food prices are creating unrest in some parts of the world and simple belt-tightening in others.

The Washington Post devoted this past week to exploring the current food crisis brought on by food shortages and spiking inflation. If you haven't yet read their five-part series, I recommend you do.

• The New Economics of Hunger looks at skyrocketing grain prices and their impact on the global markets and the world's poor.


• Where Every Meal Is a Sacrifice focuses on the situation in Mauritania and other poor countries that are forced to import most of their food.


• Emptying the Breadbasket tells of the fall in wheat production in the U.S. as more farmers turn to corn and soybeans and examines some of the forces that led to the shift.


• Siphoning Off Corn to Fuel Our Cars examines the tug-of-war over corn as food and fuel and identifies the winners, losers and ongoing fighters in the battle.


• Clipping, Scrimping, Saving registers the impact of rising prices on American consumers across income levels and reveals what steps folks are taking to save money.

You can also hear Dan Morgan, Washington Post agriculture reporter and one of the series' authors, talk about what he learned while researching the series in an interview on C-SPAN. Morgan also answer questions during the hour-long video.

Of course, the global reach of these events means that far more than just the Post is writing about them. For other perspectives, you might also want to dip into the BBC's extensive coverage or read The Economist's recent cover story on what they termed The Silent Tsunami.

Finally, for information about food aid available from USDA and the Administration's response to recent events, see the Department's Food Aid page.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Food and Nutrition and Marketing and Trade and Plants and Crops on May 01, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Lessons from the Amish

Lots of empty offices here at NAL this week. Their regular occupants have traveled a few hundred miles to the northwest to join other ag info professionals at the annual USAIN Conference in Wooster, Ohio.

I got curious about what they might be discussing this week, so I took a few minutes to browse the conference program (PDF | 1.66 MB). Among all the great stuff there on biofuels, GIS data and other technology applications in agriculture, one presentation caught my eye -- this morning's session on sustainable farming titled "Lessons from the Amish."

One of the presenters in that session, Randy James, has written a book, Why Cows Learn Dutch, that packages a few of those lessons in stories mixed with wit, wisdom and colorful portraits of Amish life.

Among the key messages James has taken from the Amish:

• Bigger is not always better. "Economies of scale are real," but the small farm can stay competitive and find success through efficiency, flexibility, adaptability and diversification.
• Low tech can turn a profit. In one detailed example, James found that an Amish farmer can expect to spend $127 per acre of spelt wheat, while a non-Amish farmer's costs will run "well over $200 per acre." That acre might not neccesarily yield more at harvest, but those lower input costs can lead to greater profit.
• Vertical integration is not just for the big guys. Even small farmers can effectively control production, distribution and marketing, and in doing so, can generate income at every step.
• Science and technology are choices. Examine their impact carefully and embrace them cautiously.
• Community matters. Any activity should be evaluated in light of whether it "will add or detract from the strength and continuity of the community."
• Learning never stops. Though most Amish are formally educated only through the eigth grade, they understand that reading opens the door to life-long learning in agriculture, as in anything.

The warmth and intimacy of James' stories also showed how personally involved extension agents can become in the lives of their clientele. James based his book on relationships nurtured over twenty-plus years, working and eating side-by-side with the Amish while helping them get the most out of their fields and livestock. The friendships are geniune, the respect mutual.

Take a journey to Amish country yourself by checking the book out at your local library and giving it a read. You might learn a few lessons about farming, and I'm guessing you'll also learn a few things about life.

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Education on April 29, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Submitted by: Melissik on May 2, 2008 04:51 AM

Moos for You

Looking for something fun to do this weekend?

The 10th annual Maryland Day takes place tomorrow, April 26, from 10 a.m. til 4 p.m. on the University of Maryland Campus in College Park.

The day features over 400 hands-on exhibits, workshops and live performances, along with a massive give-away of 50,000 free cupcakes to mark the anniversary. (Last year's Maryland Day saw 77,000 visitors, so don't go thinking there'll be plenty of cupcakes for you late comers!)

The campus-wide open house includes Arts Alley, Sports & Rec Row, Science & Tech Way, and Biz & Society Hill. But I wouldn't be earning my NAL stripes if I didn't give special play to Ag Day Avenue, a collection of 72 different exibits and events demonstrating that ag ain't just about farming.

Answer questions and win prizes at Nutrition Jeopardy, walk through the Web of Life, learn what it takes to be a Maryland farmer or forester, or see what all the buzz is about in beekeeping.

Also be sure to visit with NAL's own Food Safety and Food and Nutrition Information Centers to get the latest on how to give your body what it needs. Tell 'em InfoFarm sent you.

Maryland Day will go on rain or shine, but the weather's supposed to be good. There's also free admission, free parking, good food, and did I mention the free cupcakes? What's stopping you? Get out there and enjoy!

Posted by Mary Ann Leonard

Added to Agritourism on April 25, 2008 EST | Permalink

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Submitted by: jordyn on April 27, 2008 07:03 PM