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Albert Jornacion has cultivated a good life in Hawaii. The 42-year-old from Ilocos Sur is a field supervisor at Aloun Farms in Kapolei. He is in charge of harvesting crops for the second largest farm in the state.
Jornacion came to Hawaii in 1991 and joined 8 family members in Hawaii. His mom worked at Aloun Farms and paved the way for him and his brother to follow in her footsteps. “If you get a chance to come to Hawaii, of course you’re going to come,” says Jornacion, “I like to work. You get money. Over there (Philippines) you work and you cannot support your family.”
Jornacion and the sakadas, the first wave of Filipino farmers who arrived in Hawaii more than 100 years ago, have created an industry that the latest US Department of Agriculture statistics show brought in a total of $631.2 million in 2009. That figure is up from $605.6 million a year earlier.
Nearly a third of Hawaii’s current agriculture revenue comes from corn seed crops, which is fueled by a worldwide demand for ethanol production. During this period, demand grew for locally produced cattle and fruits. However demand for flowers dropped by 15 percent, due to crop losses attributable to drought and volcanic ash on the Big Island.
State Department of Agriculture Chairman, Russell Kokubun says, “Hawaii’s transition from mono-crop plantations, such as pineapple and sugarcane, to diversified agriculture, including nursery products, seed crops and other vegetable and fruit crops, is important to the state’s economy, environment and lifestyle.”
During the start of the last century, large farms drove our economy – sugarcane and pineapple were kings. Over the decades the higher cost of doing business along with lower prices for produce have prompted a deterioration of farming in our community. A US Department of Agriculture study in 2010 found there were 7,500 farms throughout Hawaii that covered 1,110,000 acres. That acreage is down from 1,300,000 in 2005. During this five year period, all crops saw a decline in production, with the exception of coffee, taro, and seed crops.
Filipinos in today’s Fields
Out of the 630,000 people in Hawaii’s labor force, the latest numbers show about 40,000 were out of a job, or about 6.4 percent. Molokai reports the highest unemployment at 17 percent, with Honolulu hovering at around 5.7 percent
Statistics from the State’s Department of Labor indicate there is a thinning of the agricultural workforce. (The industry includes those who work on farms, forestry, fishing, hunting and mining.) In 2000 2.3 percent of the population, or 12,000 people got their paychecks from the agriculture industry. In 2005, that percentage dropped to 1.3 and then inched up in 2010 to 1.6 percent. Workers of Filipino descent constitute the largest ethnic group employed in the agricultural industry throughout the ten year period.
Jornacion is proud to be working in the fields. He enjoys toiling in the sun and estimates 80 percent of his colleagues at Aloun Farms are from the Philippines. He has worked alongside Isidra Somora for the past 16 years. On this day, the spry woman originally from Pangansina is pulling drip irrigation tubes in a field which will be home to ewa sweet corn. She came to Hawaii in 1977 and never complains about her grueling responsibilities, “I like being in the field. It is good fun because you’re sweating. All the cholesterol gets carried out and you are healthy.”
Somora, like so many of her colleagues, sends money back to the Philippines every month. She has no children of her own but proudly says that she has helped her niece to finish nursing school.
Sea of Opportunity in Aquaculture
One sector of agriculture that shows much potential for growth is aquaculture. The 75 farmers in this sector generated $30.0 million in revenue last year, up from $21-million in 2006. Today, more than half that production came from algae sales ($16.7 million), which is valued for its food and energy bi-products.
“Hawaii is a recognized world leader in aquaculture, producing the finest seafood products for Hawaii consumers and export markets.” Kokubun says, “The early fishponds have evolved into high-tech aquaculture ventures, farming from the sea sumptuous varieties of fish, shrimp, lobster, abalone, and seaweed.”
Other commodities with promising returns in aquaculture include brood stock, fingerlings, shellfish, and ornamental fish for aquarium sales.
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