Hawai'i Community-Based Food Security

View the project final report

• 2012 annual report
• 2013 annual report
• 2014 annual report

Commodities

• Fruits: melons, avocados, bananas, figs, citrus, pineapples, general tree fruits
• Nuts: macadamia
• Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, cucurbits, eggplant, greens (leafy), onions, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), sweet corn, tomatoes
• Additional Plants: herbs, native plants
• Animals: bees, poultry, rabbits, fish

Practices

• Crop Production: windbreaks
• Education and Training: extension, workshop, technical assistance
• Farm Business Management: new enterprise development, budgets/cost and returns, marketing management, value added
• Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, soil stabilization, hedges - woody
• Pest Management: biological control, botanical pesticides, cultural control, integrated pest management, mulches - living
• Production Systems: holistic management, organic agriculture, permaculture, transitioning to organic
• Soil Management: earthworms, green manures, organic matter, soil microbiology, soil quality/health
• Sustainable Communities: local and regional food systems, new business opportunities, urban agriculture

This project produced a written publication and statewide workshop series focusing on sustainable perennial food-producing landscapes. Integrating perennial food plants in private and public landscapes has many advantages, including:

• Increasing food production in urban, periurban, and rural areas where the food is consumed, avoiding reliance on fossil-fuel dependent distribution systems.

• Reallocating some of the fertilizer, pest management, fuel, and labor resources that are currently consumed in ornamental landscapes to growing food.

• Providing opportunities to supply small, local farmers markets with produce.

• Expanding opportunities for value-added cottage industries such as preserves, baked goods, fermented products, and other specialty items.

1. A sustainable, perennial food-producing landscapes manual for Hawai‘i covering traditional and modern agroforestry systems, local sources of soil fertility, pest and disease control, livestock, and planning and implementation. 
2. Professional development workshops on five Hawaiian Islands covering the main topics of the manual.
3. A marketing/information kit for landscape professionals.
4. A policy brief for elected officials, civil servants, and NGOs.