March 2017 – Nihopeku

March 13, 2017

Dean’s Column: Is food independence realistically achievable on the Big Island?

There are few annual crops where the farmer can recover costs of high fertilizer and soil amendment inputs required for desired yields coupled with disease and pests in this environment.

By Bruce Mathews.

On January 9, the Hawaiʻi Island Food Alliance Food Access Working Group, together with The Food Basket, The Kohala Center, and the state Department of Health, hosted a presentation in Hilo by Ken Meter (president of the Cross-roads Resource Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota) that was entitled “Growing Secure Food Systems in Hawaiʻi”. The presentation focused on how the pre-European contact native Hawaiians were completely food independent and that the 1900s resulted in a downward spiral in food production in Hawaiʻi, which was particularly rapid from the 1940s onward. The mid 1960s was the last time that about half the food consumed in Hawaiʻi was produced here. The stated goal was to instigate change that results in greatly improved food independence on the Big Island. There was even quite a bit of discussion regarding community-based food systems and avoiding the cash-based economy, and doing food barter.

March 13, 2017

UH Hilo’s Ag Club revitalizes with new officers

Ag Club members engage in activities that enhance their academic experience at UH Hilo, primarily through service to the university and community at large.

By Aleysia Rae Kaha.

Missing: Josh Boranian

The Agriculture Club (Ag Club) at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo plays a vital role in encouraging students in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management (CAFNRM) to engage in relevant activities that will enhance their academic experience in the university. Members partake in opportunities such as field trips, workshops, and fundraising that allow them to network with alumni who could be potential employers. Above all, the club renders service to the university and community at large.

A registered student organization, the Ag Club is instrumental in spearheading one of the most memorable gatherings of faculty, staff and students of the college at the end of each semester—the Ag Seniors Awards and Banquet. This spring semester, the club has more than 40 students from the college signed up to participate in the banquet.

March 13, 2017

New course at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resource Management: Agritourism

The course explores how Hawai‘i can move forward by integrating the rise in tourism, the interest of farmers to diversify, new markets, and the wildly popular foodie movements.

Brooke Hansen holding young coconut sprout. — Brooke Hansen

Brooke Hansen, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, is piloting a new agriculture course this semester geared toward the rapidly growing field of agritourism: Agricultural and Food Tourism (AG 194). The course explores how Hawai‘i can move forward by tapping into and integrating the rise in tourism, the interest by farmers to diversify and explore new markets and the wildly popular foodie movements (farm-to-table, locavore, Hawai‘i Regional Cuisine, food festivals, etc.).

March 13, 2017

Crop of the Month: Anthurium

The anthurium is a native of Colombia first brought to Hawai‘i from London in 1889. It is highly sought for its vibrant colors and its ability to maintain its flowers for an extended period throughout the year.

By Damon Adamson.

Admired for their beautiful coloration, intricate and petite or bold and substantial appearance, as well as their incredible diversity expressed in form, the anthurium (Araceae andraeanum) is often overlooked as a crop or commercially viable alternative to traditional fruit or vegetable production models. The anthurium boasts over 100 genera and about 1,500 separate species common names include tail flower and flamingo flower.

March 13, 2017

Pest of the Month: Yellow Himalayan Raspberry

Domesticated animal injuries and the widespread suffocation of native plants throughout the Hawaiian islands is often the result if the Yellow Himalayan Raspberry is left unchecked.

By Damon Adamson.

Yellow Himalayan Raspberry flower, leaves, start beside a rock. — Yellow Himalayan Raspberry

Native to the continent of Asia and surrounding islands (Tropical China, India, Sri Lanka, and the Philippine Islands), the Yellow Himalayan Raspberry (Rubus ellipticus) was introduced to Hawaiʻi in 1960 for its edible fruit and ornamental purposes, but rapidly escaped cultivation in 1961 and is now thoroughly documented on the island of Hawaiʻi. At present, the greatest infestation on Hawaiʻi is centered in the Volcano community adjacent to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and many mid-elevation forests (1060-1200 m).

March 13, 2017

PHOTOS: UH Hilo Farm and on-campus labs

SNAPSHOTS: Featuring faculty and students of the UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management and their hands-on activities. Photos by Risa Kabua Myazoe.

Group of students and faculty standing in greenhouse. — Classmates in course on circulating and non-circulating hydroponic methods (HORT 263) pose for a photo at UH Hilo Farm Laboratory with Prof. of Horticulture Bill Sakai (far right).