#CTAHR

Two programs are teaching new farmers how to grow and sell their products at a time when local agriculture is sorely needed.

Trauma from vehicle collisions caused the majority of documented deaths for the Pueo (Hawaiian short-eared owl), according to a statewide study led by researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. The findings represent the most extensive mortality assessment to date for this culturally significant raptor, which is native to the Hawaiian Islands.

For Maui, ‘ulu is especially notable to those in Lahaina, which was traditionally known as Ka Malu ʻUlu O Lele or “The shaded breadfruit grove of Lele” for its ancient breadfruit groves. Since the 2023 wildfire, efforts are underway to revive the native agricultural food system.

Maui County Farm Bureau launched this year’s Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair by naming Dr. Harold Keyser as this year’s Maui Legacy Farmer. The 17th edition of the event took place on May 30 at the War Memorial Special Events Field.

All the different components of Maui agriculture will come together on Saturday, May 30, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at War Memorial Special Events Field in Wailuku, as Maui County Farm Bureau (MCFB) and Maui 4-H Livestock Association hosts its 17th Maui AgFest & 4-H Livestock Fair.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers identified 10 new species and seven new groups of Hawaiian leaf-roller moths. While new species are frequently discovered, the description of a new genus of insects is a much rarer event; seven groups at once is almost unheard of.

A new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa challenges a long-standing scientific narrative about the decline of Hawaiʻi’s native waterbirds, finding no evidence that Native Hawaiians hunted the species to extinction.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa launched a new educational video emphasizing community collaboration in the fight against the devastating Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) that threatens Hawaiʻi’s native forests.

Hawaiʻi residents with hypertension (high blood pressure) who struggle to afford healthy food will soon receive a powerful new prescription from their doctors: fresh, local produce. A new program will provide patients with $100 a month in vouchers to buy fruits, vegetables and poi at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

In 2018, an invertebrate biologist discovered an unfamiliar black caterpillar feeding on a māmaki plant in Olowalu Valley. Experts confirmed the caterpillar was ramie moth, a species native to Southeast Asia that aggressively feeds on plants in the nettle family, like māmaki. The biologist’s sighting marked the first confirmation of ramie moth in Hawaiʻi and the US.

High feed costs and a reliance on imported feed are everyday challenges for Hawaiʻi’s poultry farmers. However, the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa may have found a promising locally grown alternative: kalo (taro).

The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has officially changed its name to the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, in a step that its dean, Parwinder Grewal, says will better reflect the college’s mission and vision.

Due to high rates of stress, depression and suicide among this demographic, CTAHR developed Seeds of Wellbeing (SOW) with original funding support from the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture/USDA-NIFA in fall 2021 to promote better mental health for those who work in the agriculture industry.

The summer edition of “EAT THINK DRINK,” hosted by Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation (HAF), will feature two Maui business that delve into the heart of Hawaiʻi’s beef industry. The event will include a panel discussion with industry leaders, as well as a dinner featuring locally sourced beef.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources will host free grant-writing classes for farmers, entrepreneurs and small businesses Feb. 23 on Molokaʻi, Feb. 27 on Maui, and Feb. 29 on Lānaʻi.

Two people who have successfully helped the Maui Invasive Species Committee since its inception are Teya Penniman, acting manager, and Christy Martin, who started with MISC in 2000, but now helps with statewide issues including policy and funding. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota interviewed Martin and Penniman as part of this People of Maui series.

The AG RESEARCH Act would provide competitive grants to schools of agriculture for altering, modernizing, renovating or remodeling research facilities and equipment. The USDA Secretary is directed to distribute the grants equitably based on geography, diversity and size of institutions.

The team of researchers hope that these findings will shed light on the magnitude of threat wild pigs pose to global biodiversity when compared to other problematic species that receive greater research and management attention like feral cats, rodents and wild dogs.

The Hawai`i Department of Agriculture is now accepting proposals for the Grow Hawai`i Agriculture Initiative 2021, an initiative to quickly scale up commercial agricultural production including the production of value-added products with the goal to increase the contribution of agriculture to the state’s gross domestic product.

Keiki participants are asked to create a recipe highlighting a local vegetable, fruit, or protein and submit a cooking video with details on the local farmer.