Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Hold Mini-Conference on Maui

University of Hawaii Maui College campus. Courtesy of UHMC.

By Sonia Isotov

The 22nd Annual Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference kicks off September 13-16 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus on Oahu and continues with a free mini gathering on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.

Open to the public and presented by the statewide Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG), the events are geared for farmers, educators, orchard managers and proponents of sustainable agriculture. In 2011, the main conference was on Hawaii Island with smaller gatherings on Oahu, Maui and Kauai.

Maui’s free 2012 post-conference mini meeting is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the UH Maui College Coop Extension Community Services Building.

With the theme “Producing Quality Fruit for the Future of Hawaii,” all sessions headline keynote speakers Dr. Roberto Coronel, professor emeritus University of the Philippines Los Banos, and Chef Ernest Miller of Hollywood’s Farmer’s Kitchen, a non-profit community-oriented project of Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles.

Dr. Coronel, an author and award-winning fruit researcher, will discuss “On-Farm Fruit Biodiversity Conservation.” Dr. Coronel will share his experiences as owner-curator of the four-hectare RC Fruit Conservation Farm planted with 220 edible fruit and nut species from the tropical regions of the world and 136 registered fruit varieties.

Speaking on “The Rise, Decline and Rise of Food Preservation,” Chef Miller is the lead instructor for the Master Food Preserver Program for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County. A US delegate to Slow Food’s Terra Madre 2012, Miller will discuss food preservation for future security and value-added project development.

To sign up for the Maui post-conference mini meeting, contact Ian Cole at icole@ntbg.org or 808-346-3028. Forms and fee schedule for the full conference on Oahu can be found at www.htfg.org or by contacting HTFG president Ken Love at kenlove@hawaiiantel.net or Mark Suiso at suiso@aloha.net.