It’s amazing to me how PBS Insights has been supposedly leading the discussions about agriculture here in Hawaii.  When I’ve seen the past several episodes is extremely disappointing and actually infuriating to me.  From having an episode with Hector Valenzuela (aka Babes Against Biotech F*ck Monsanto sign holder) with social sciences candidate Andrea Brower and a magazine with Vandana Shiva on it, I am befuddled with where this station is leaning.  To add more insult is putting on Gary Hooser and his “18 tons” propaganda is totally disappointing.

These people are not farmers or the voice of farmers in Hawaii and why are they leading the charge to grow ag?  I somehow feel that it’s a ratings issue that they are trying to seek out.  Not only is that but there is also an unintended, or possibly intentional action, to continue to fuel the attacks against farmers.

The latest broadcast of PBS Insights included Mana Ai’s Daniel Anthony, Kanu Hawaii’s Kaleo Ten, DOH Peter Oshiro, and Center for Food Safety’s Kasha Ho.  (I can’t forget that Daniel Anthony posted a comment on a public forum telling Farmers for Choice to drink Roundup and that he’d bring the cup.)  Kanu Hawaii is a group that touts itself as “empowering people to build more environmentally sustainable, compassionate, and resilient communities rooted in personal commitments to change.”  Then finally the fact that Center for Food Safety is added on here, that already tells me that this is going to be full of misinformation from that activist group.

Watch the video here…

As I watched this, I had to shake my head.

• Kasha Ho: “There is not enough land for people to farm on because of the agribusiness companies growing GMOs for export.” Of course she put NO facts out there which is typical of this group.  The reality is that there is 7% of agriculture land used by the seed companies and not all of it is GMOs.  Some of those lands are subleased to smaller farmers in ag parks to grow food.

• Kasha Ho: “It’s about the right to know!”  No, it’s not about the right to know as stated by your boss.  Andrew Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety Executive Director stated, “We are going to force them to label this food, then we can organize people to not buy it.” http://bit.ly/1mIEOXN

• Kaleo Ten: “Growing your own food is as easy as squeezing tomato seeds on some dirt.”  Um no, that isn’t always the case.  If it were true, more people would be growing their own and we’re not.

• Kaleo Ten: “Eat local and then go organic.”  Organic isn’t any healthier than conventional and that is where the evidence leads.  That’s why the organic industry has to hit it hard with the fear mongering.

• Host Mahealani Richardson: “Is wax safe to eat?” Um, yes, several fruits actually produce its own wax.  Food grade wax has been approved and helps with keeping the food fresh in shipping here.  Learn more about it from Best Food Facts.

It’s amazing to me that a publicly funded TV station is putting on activists groups like the Center for Food Safety.  They show science shows like NOVA and others that show what’s happening with technology and then feature the biggest anti-science folks on there.

Kasha Ho kept harping on get to know your farmer and so on.  How much do we really have to know?  Her comments made me think of this video.

Many of these guests kept harping on eat local grown and that’s going to help grow the local food supply here.  You’ve missed a huge part.  Where’s the farmer in this picture here?  How are we supporting our farmers keep doing what they do to grow local food?

It’s a crying shame to have this and saddening to me.