12-06-2006, 04:54 AM
Hats off to anyone creating a viable agricultural activity on small plots of land. But when we speak of agriculture in the context of land use and growth management "viable agriculture" has to mean someone making all or part of their income from their agricultural activities. I would be in favor of conferring whatever tax or other governmental benefits agricultural classification yields to anyone who can provide a business license and a 1040 Part C showing significant agriculture investment and return. Otherwise it's backyard gardening, even if they sell their produce. However great that is it can't be considered, from our working group point of view, a long term effort in retaining an agricultural character in Puna.