Saving Hawai‘i’s Endemic Plants, One Seed at a Time
The Army Natural Resources Program has nearly 22.5 million specimens in its seed bank and replants about 2,000 endangered plants each year.
Agriculture
CSAs Became a Lifeline in the Pandemic for Consumers and Farmers
The organizations that sell produce directly to consumers have enjoyed dramatic increases in demand during the pandemic. Much of their produce came from farmers whose sales to restaurants declined.
Meadow Gold's Strategy: Double Down on Local
The company’s new owner plans to expand its dairy products and juices while adding a line of soy milk and other plant-based beverages – all with local ingredients.
Handmade Noodles with Okinawan Sweet Potatoes are a Staple at this Kāne‘ohe Takeout Restaurant
Homegrown in Hawai‘i, these noodles are a work of art.
A Green Formula for Rejuvenation
Kupu used stimulus money to protect the ‘āina and provide new opportunities for hundreds of people. Part 9 of a series of stories about resilience during the pandemic.
A Pueo and his Keeper
Five-year-old Makamae perches on Shari Nishikawa’s protected arm at the Honolulu Zoo.
Fires Consume More Hawaiʻi Forest in Recent Years
Fires burned more than 30,000 acres of forest and brushland in both 2018 and 2019 – far more than any other year in more than a decade.
My Job: Outdoor Jack-of-All-Trades
Gerry Kaho‘okano used to Tahitian dance with John (Leong, CEO of Pono Pacific Land Management) and he needed help. So he went to work for him as a field laborer.
People and Places that Grow Hawai‘i’s Food
It seems everyone wants more locally grown food. Here are those making it happen: their successes, challenges and ideas about how to make Hawai‘i more self-sufficient in food. Alternately fought over and forgotten, land in Lualualei Valley has long served…
Kona Coffee Farmers Favor 100% Labeling Rule
These farmers want the Kona name to be reserved only for 100% Kona coffee.
Making Koa Sustainable
The native tree is a vital part of Hawaiʻi's forests and watersheds, and prized by woodworkers and by Hawaiian cultural practitioners. The challenge is making koa sustainable for all of its valuable roles. https://vimeo.com/366353476 Video by Jeff Hawe Koa has…
What Hawaiʻi Thinks About Marijuana Laws
We included this topic in two statewide surveys: The BOSS Survey of 405 local business leaders and the 808 Poll of 547 members of the general public. In both surveys, we led the discussion on marijuana with this question: "Would…
Loans Support Food Sustainability
When Zac Hosler needed funding in 2014 to build out his aquaponics business in South Kona, he believed he would be rejected by a bank. “Financing for farmers is hard to come by,” says the majority owner of Ha Farms…
Local Trees Can Help Solve Our Housing Crisis
A UH graduate’s relentless three-year quest proves even invasive trees can be turned into useful, even beautiful, dwellings.
Kona Coffee Fights Back
New equipment helps farmers battle the dreaded coffee beetle borer, but despite a labor shortage, farmers still rely on hand-picking rather than mechanical pickers. That may change for some growers as technology improves. Kealakekua, Hawaii Island – Coffee beans come…
Savoring Every Drop of Success
KRISTAL MUHICH IS A SURVIVOR. “I was adopted by my uncle when I was 4,” recalls the owner of Kauai Juice Co. “I really didn’t like school. I couldn’t wait to leave – I graduated from high school early when…
That Which Feeds Us
Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz exists in a world of dichotomy. He is a farmer and an intellectual.
Hawaii Farming's Uncertain Future
Hawaii's farmers can't catch a break. Rat lungworm has accelerated difficult changes in local farming. One local leader predicts a quarter of Hawaii’s produce farms will be out of business in a few years. They are already battered by high…
107 Years of Eggs on Oahu
Fourth-generation chicken farmer Chris Peterson inspects eggs over the candler, part of a machine that checks egg fertility and shell quality. The machine is crucial in handling the around 6,800 eggs per day from over 7,000 chickens at Petersons' Upland…
The Future of Farming
Imagine a world in which robots, drones and artificial intelligence plant, monitor, harvest, and deliver your food. This may sound like science fiction, but it is, in fact, the emerging reality in farming. “We’re seeing robots that can plant, water…
Not Your Father's Stock
Three Big Island breeders have welcomed 14 new alpacas to their pastures, part of what they say is a small but growing market in the state for the South American animals that resemble miniature llamas. Big…
The Need for Feed
The high cost of animal feed has long hindered the meat, poultry, dairy and seafood industries in the Islands, but local efforts on several fronts aim to reduce those expenses. Shipping feed from the Mainland costs about $150 to $200…
Budding Industry
Sixteen years ago, Hawaii legalized medical marijuana but never made it easy for qualified patients to obtain it. That’s about to change: Eight companies are preparing to open stores statewide that will sell state-tested and regulated medical marijuana for roughly…
Handmade Noodles with Okinawan Sweet Potatoes are a Staple at this Kāne‘ohe Takeout Restaurant
Homegrown in Hawai‘i, these noodles are a work of art.
How Will Urban Honolulu Deal With the Rising Ocean?
Eroding beaches, king tides and groundwater inundation are already impacting the urban core and it will only get much worse. Here’s what is being considered to limit the damage.
Local Architects Talk About Repurposing Existing Buildings in Post-Pandemic Hawai‘i
In some cases, it will make more sense to repurpose underused buildings than to tear them down and start from scratch. Recent examples include the office-to-residential conversion of 1132 Bishop Street and the transformation of the former Macy’s in Kailua into Lau Hala Shops.
