For local farmers, the success of this year’s Hawaiçi State Farm Fair isn’t just a triumph of handsome cattle and abundant food, it’s a further indication that the public’s growing interest in green living and sustainability is making an easier sell of the “buy local” mantra.

Today, thousands packed the Bishop Museum grounds to browse the assemblage of locally grown and locally manufactured goods, try a hand at any of dozens of interactive exhibits, and lay a hand or two on the livestock on display.
Dean Okimoto, president of the Hawaiçi Farm Bureau Federation, said he expects about 20,000 people to visit the fair this year, compared to 15,000 last year.
“A lot of it is just rediscovering agriculture,” Okimoto said. “The general public doesn’t know what agriculture does.”
Okimoto said the green movement has raised the public’s overall awareness of the benefits of locally grown food, an awareness that this year has been reflected in greater support of the fair and the federation.
The fair continues tomorrow from 9 a.m.
For more on this story, see tomorrow’s Honolulu Advertiser.