Current Projects

Department of Hawaiian Homelands Agroforestry Support

Through support from the United States Forest Service, we are supporting four communities in East Hawaii to develop community and homeowner agroforestry to support a range of outcomes, including food security, economic livelihood, and cultural benefit and outcomes. Lab member Kahiau Kiyuna helped conduct thorough baseline mapping for each site to support planning and implementation, which can be read about in storymap form here. Lab member Lehua Patnaude and Ash Coulms, through support by KUPU, have propagated many of the trees that will go into there community plots.

Sustainability of Rainfed Hawaiian Agriculture

The vast dryland rainfed systems of Maui and Hawai‘i Island were amazing achievements that were highly intensive and sustained for hundreds of years without the use of external inputs or legume crops. Previous research has demonstrated how these systems were situated in specific soil domains, or "sweet spots" of soil properties. However, little is know about the long-term impacts of centuries of indigenous farming on the soils. An NSF funded project examines these long-term impacts of cultivation by kanaka māoli and investigates the sustainability of these systems that once blanketed vast areas of Hawai'i.

Nitrogen Fixation in Kō (Hawaiian sugarcane)

Indigenous agriculture around the world needed ways to sustain nitrogen that was removed through harvest. Many mechanisms are documented: the overflowing of the Nile in the fertile crescent, the use of legumes in Mesoamerica, and the widespread application of night soil in southeast Asia. However, in Oceanic systems we have no clear idea how nitrogen was sustained over centuries. One potential the ICS lab has been exploring is the nitrogen fixation potential of sugarcane. These heirloom varieties have been shown to have associations with nitrogen fixing bacteria, and studies have documented nitrogen fixation while plants are growing, and when the plants are decomposing. Appropriate management of sugarcane may have resulted in significant nitrogen inputs to traditional Hawaiian agricultural systems.

Breadfruit Variety Trials

The ICS lab has established 10 replicate sites across the state of Hawaii for observation of 5 breadfruit varieties: 'Ulu Maoli, Ma‘afala, Pua‘a, Otea, and Fiti. We examine the phenology, growth, production, disease/pests, and other parameters of the trees to see how they react to climate and soil type. In addition, we recently began to study post-harvest conditions of fruit harvested from these sites to better understand how the stage of maturity, method of storage, and various other factors present at harvest effect the composition of the fruit, and how long it may be stored. Current ICS lab members are working to create more replicate sites for observation of breadfruit, and learning to propagate trees as well.

Community Forests and Family Trees for Native Hawaiian Health and Well-Being

This project supports the communities and individual families of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (HHAs) on the eastern side of Hawai‘i Island to support the mission of rehabilitation of native Hawaiian people and culture. As with most indigenous peoples, Hawaiian culture, identity, and well-being stem from interaction with the land. The Hawaiian word for land is ‘āina, literally translated as “that which feeds,” which carries with it a set of meanings that encompass the growing of food as well as the mental and spiritual sustenance derived from interactions with the land.

We are working with native Hawaiian communities to address local issues of environmental and social justice by supporting agroforestry initiatives on designated community space as well as individual family lots. Use of the community lands are guided by a master plan that includes areas for community forests or agroforestry, but these areas often remain undeveloped because no funding is allocated to support implementation.

The focus of this project includes: 1) Development of Community Forests; 2) Educational Outreach and Engagement; and 3) Supporting Community Tree Plantings.

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