Department of Agriculture

Confused about the issues surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?

Olelo will present a four-day series, GMOs.  Dinner?  Or Disaster?

The shows will cover the pros and cons of the issue over four nights next week Monday thru Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. for one hour each night.  On Oahu, it will be aired on Channel 55 and on neighbor islands, Channel 54.

Here’s the rundown for the shows:

Monday, June 24 and Tuesday, June 25

GMO Week starts with two pre-recorded shows from panels that convened earlier this month. The June 25 show will present a continuation of what airs on June 24. On the first night, 30 minutes of programming from the pro-GMO panel will be presented first, followed by 30 minutes from the anti-GMO panel. On the second night, the order will switch, with 30 minutes from the anti-GMO panel to air first, followed by the pro-GMO panel.

Chad Blair of Honolulu Civil Beat served as the moderator for a pro-GMO panel that featured Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, director of the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo; Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms and president of the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; and Adolph Helm, project manager for Dow AgriSciences’ Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i Mycogen Seeds, and the Seeds and Traits Research and Development Project, as well as a board member of the Hawai‘i Crop Improvement Association.

Beth-Ann Kozlovich of Hawai‘i Public Radio served as the moderator for the anti-GMO panel. That panel featured Walter Ritte, manager and teacher at Keawenui Fishpond and Learning Center of Moloka‘i; Gary Hooser, Kaua‘i County councilmember and chair of the Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee; and Scott Cooney, an adjunct professor of sustainability at the Shidler College of Business at UH Manoa.

Wednesday, June 26 and Thursday, June 27

In an ‘Ōlelo first, the public statewide is encouraged to participate in two live discussions on GMOs through live tweets or pre-submitted comments by phone. Questions or comments by phone should be submitted by calling 834.5303 no later than 4 p.m. on June 27. To submit questions via Twitter, the community is asked to use the hashtag #olelogmo. The ‘Ōlelo web page on this topic is www.olelo.org/gmo.

Questions submitted by the community will be among those discussed by the gathered experts.

The pro-GMO position in both live shows will be represented by the individuals who participated in the pre-recorded panel earlier this month: Dr. Dennis Gonsalves, Dean Okimoto and Adolph Helm.

The anti-GMO position in the June 26 and June 27 live ‘Olelo shows will be represented by the following:

Wednesday, June 26: Dr. William Steiner, dean of the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management; Dr. Hector Valenzuela, professor and crop extension specialist at the UH Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture; and Councilmember Gary Hooser of Kauai.

Thursday, June 27: Dr. Steiner and Councilmember Hooser will be joined by Bill Freese, science policy analyst with the non-profit Center for Food Safety in Washington, D.C.

‘Ōlelo hopes to air similar week-long signature productions three to four times each year to explore other important community issues in depth.

For more information, visit www.olelo.org.

About ‘Ōlelo Community Media

Established in 1989, ‘Ōlelo Community Media is a private, nonprofit provider of community access television services and resources on O‘ahu. It is committed to building, convening and strengthening communities and providing a voice for people to share their stories and ideas about issues of importance to foster community engagement and well-being.

‘Ōlelo’s mission is to strengthen our island voices and advance community engagement through innovative media. For more information, visit www.olelo.org.