Two Honolulu City Council members have introduced five resolutions designed to protect important farmland and increase the viability of agriculture.

Members Donovan Dela Cruz, 2nd (Wahiawa, North Shore, 'Ahuimanu) and Ann Kobayashi, 5th (Makiki, Manoa, Kapahulu, Palolo) said the resolutions are a means to relieve pressure on O'ahu's shrinking and threatened farming industry.

The measures also are a way to continue discussions about farm issues that will lead to meaningful legislation, they said.

"They are starting points," said Dela Cruz. "From my perspective, there's been a little bit of frustration because the city hasn't done much to really help agriculture."

Almost everyone recognizes the importance of maintaining an agriculture component to Hawai'i's economy, but little has been done, Dela Cruz said, adding that he wants to get the discussion going and implementing such measures as the state Important Agriculture Lands Act of 2005.

The act calls for the development of state and city incentives to keep land productive and profitable for farmers. Farmers are given incentives to declare their land for agriculture production in perpetuity.

Under one resolution, the city would establish a commission that among other things could come up with those incentives, said Alan Takemoto, executive director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.

"We believe the counties have a major role in facilitating and easing some of the regulatory processes that are currently in place so that farmers and ranchers can expand and develop their operations," Takemoto said, adding that the resolutions offer a variety of ways to help farmers in a way the city has never done before.

"I think for many years the county has had a distant approach, and now they are taking a pro-active approach in trying to formulize relationships and efforts to support the industry."

Most of the recommendations in the resolutions come from the Agricultural Development Task Force, which has been meeting for years.

Dean Okimoto, vice chairman of the group and a farmer, said one of the important issues addressed by the resolutions is agriculture subdivisions. The task force is being asked to look at ways to tighten up land use ordinances that will help the City Council develop legislation.

One way to protect agriculture land is to limit the size of a farm house, Okimoto said. Farmers have argued against the limitation, saying a successful farmer should be allowed to put up a 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot house, but that would reduce the amount of land in cultivation.

"If that's what we're trying to prevent, let's limit the size of the house and tell the farmer if you're doing great, go out and buy a house in Kunia or Kapolei heights and keep the house on the farm for someone whose going to protect your farm," he said.

Kobayashi said she wants the resolutions to draw attention to the importance of agriculture and the part it plays in the community's sustainability. Hawai'i has become too dependent on Mainland food, she said.

"Already we've lost our dairies," Kobayashi said. "We have to be sustainable because of our location in the Pacific Ocean. Agriculture is so important to our way of life, our economy. We have to keep it alive."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.