REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESILIENCE TO SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S SECONDARY AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM AND THE FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA PROGRAM.

SR126

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

126

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

Requesting the Department of education AND THE UNIVERSITY
OF HAWAII AT MANOA COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESILIENCE TO
SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S
�
secondary agricultural education program and the
future farmers of america program
.

����
WHEREAS, the
State imports more than eighty-five percent of its food and is considered
highly vulnerable in its food security; and

����
WHEREAS, to
address this vulnerability, the State has adopted various food and agricultural
self-sufficiency goals that necessitate strategic investment into the local
agricultural sector and related trades, particularly through the expansion of
education and training opportunities to address the State's declining
agricultural workforce; and

����
WHEREAS, since
1930, the Department of Education's Secondary Agricultural Education Program, now
known as the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Program, and the
companion agricultural leadership youth organization, Future Farmers of
America, have supported the development of a qualified local agricultural
workforce through an experiential educational curriculum; and

����
WHEREAS, through
agricultural content, Future Farmers of America leadership training, and
project-based learning known as the Supervised Agricultural Experience Program,
this curriculum teaches students the application of science and academic
skills, encourages civic engagement, and exposes them to diverse agricultural
career pathways; and

����
WHEREAS, before
2000, the Secondary Agricultural Education Program had a robust presence in
over thirty high schools and statewide Future Farmers of America enrollment totaled
over eight hundred members; and

����
WHEREAS, since
2000, however, enrollment in the Program has declined due to policy shifts
caused by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, local loss of science credit
for agriculture education courses, funding cuts due to implementation of the
Weighted Student Formula, closure of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College
of Education's Secondary Agriculture Teacher Degree Program, and loss of
centralized content specialists because of adoption of the School/Community
Based Management governance structure; and

����
WHEREAS, despite
this decline, increased student exposure to agricultural occupations through
the emerging regional kitchen initiative and new school gardening and
farm-to-school programs offers a unique opportunity to restore and develop the
Secondary Agricultural Education Program; and

����
WHEREAS, through
immediate and targeted professional development, the State can support its food
self-sufficiency goals and rising demand for agricultural producers and the
many occupations that support agricultural production; and

����
WHEREAS, employing
an extension agent at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical
Agriculture and Human Resilience offers an efficient professional development
solution by performing outreach and creating a direct line of agricultural best
practices to local schools conducting Future Farmers of America activities; and

����
WHEREAS, many
land grant universities have successfully deployed this model of establishing a
pipeline from lower to higher education to quickly transfer agricultural
technology and knowledge to teachers and students contemplating agricultural
careers; and

����
WHEREAS, the
University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human
Resilience, as one of the best tropical agriculture colleges in the world, is
uniquely well-suited to housing an extension agent to enable a high-quality
teacher workforce; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Education and the University of
Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience are requested
to support the Department of Education's Secondary Agricultural Education
Program and the Future Farmers of America program; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and
President of the University of Hawaii System.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
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DOE;
UH; CTAHR; Position; Secondary Agricultural Education Program; FFA; Funding