Food Integrity Campaign |
February 7, 2013
Kauai, Hawaii’s year-round growing season makes it an ideal place for biotech and pesticide companies to test new seeds and chemicals, such that some fields in Kauai rank among the most intensively sprayed agricultural land in the U.S. Pesticides drift from those fields, sickening residents and polluting Kauai’s unique ecosystem. Contacted for help by local activists, FIC investigated the close relationships between Hawaii lawmakers and pesticide company lobbyists. Activists successfully advocated for a local law to create buffer zones around homes and schools, among other protections, which continues to face legal challenges. FIC continues to work with people affected by pesticides, including the widely-used pesticide, Round-Up.