Pacific Basin Agriculture Research Center Construction ($15,509,000)
The requested funding would be used to complete construction of this ARS facility.
Please provide $15.509 million to enable completion of construction of the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, a research facility dedicated to addressing the unique agricultural problems of Hawaii and the American Pacific. A combination of downsizing and value engineering has reduced the total cost of the facility from nearly $60 million to about $45 million. Funds appropriated by the Congress for the USDA Agricultural Research Service will enable this agency to complete construction of the final phases of this facility – primarily additional laboratories, a greenhouse, and an insectary.
The agricultural research needed to support and sustain agriculture in the tropical/ subtropical American Pacific is generally not available from the temperate zone research infrastructure of the U.S. mainland. A firm research base is needed for the transformation of agriculture in the region from large-scale sugarcane and pineapple to smaller-scale, diversified agriculture. This research facility provides a strong complement to the land-grant research structure in the region.
Recipient: ARS-Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center
99 Aupuni Stret, Suite 204
Hilo, HI 96720
Why this is a good use of taxpayer dollars: This facility provides the agricultural research needed to support and sustain agriculture in the tropical/ subtropical American Pacific, which is generally not available from the temperate zone research infrastructure of the U.S. mainland.
