Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: potatoes, sugarcane
- Fruits: avocados, bananas, citrus, figs, melons, papaya, pineapples
- Nuts: macadamia
- Vegetables: asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucurbits, eggplant, garlic, greens (leafy), greens (lettuces), onions, peas (culinary), peppers, radishes (culinary), sweet corn, sweet potatoes, taro, tomatoes
- Additional Plants: coffee, ginger, native plants, trees
- Animals: bees, fish, poultry
- Animal Products: eggs, honey
Practices
- Animal Production: aquaculture, livestock breeding
- Crop Production: agroforestry, application rate management, alley cropping, beekeeping, conservation tillage, continuous cropping, cover crops, crop improvement and selection, cropping systems, crop rotation, drought tolerance, fertigation, fertilizers, foliar feeding, food processing, food product quality/safety, forest farming, grafting, greenhouses, high tunnels or hoop houses, intercropping, irrigation, no-till, nutrient cycling, nutrient management, organic fertilizers, plant breeding and genetics, pollination, postharvest treatment, seed saving, strip tillage, tissue analysis, varieties and cultivars, water management, windbreaks
- Education and Training: demonstration, display, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, technical assistance, workshop, youth education
- Energy: solar energy
- Farm Business Management: community-supported agriculture, cooperatives, market study, risk management, value added
- Pest Management: biofumigation, biological control, biorational pesticides, botanical pesticides, chemical control, cultivation, cultural control, disease vectors, economic threshold, field monitoring/scouting, genetic resistance, integrated pest management, physical control, soil solarization, trap crops
- Production Systems: agroecosystems, aquaponics, dryland farming, hydroponics, organic agriculture, organic certification
- Soil Management: composting, earthworms, green manures, nutrient mineralization, organic matter, soil analysis, soil chemistry, soil microbiology, soil physics, soil quality/health
- Sustainable Communities: food hubs, local and regional food systems, urban agriculture
Abstract:
We propose to use WSARE PDP funding in support of our flagship, WSARE PDP workshops that targets Extension, USDA NRCS personnel and other agricultural professionals to network and attend presentations on projects and activities that improve their knowledge on identified priority subjects. We will continue to support CES agent travel, to allow agents to attend meetings relevant to their stakeholders. We will also collaborate with local teams of extension agents and NRCS staff on each island for design and delivery of the in-depth training programs on topics related to optimizing plant and soil health in integrated cropping systems. Examples of supported projects can be found here:
https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/soap/Events/PastEvents.aspx
Project objectives:
Overall, ongoing assistance from WSARE PDP will allow us to continue servicing and educating agricultural professionals in advancing sustainable agricultural practices which are in line with WSARE’s goals in advancing stewardship of the island’s natural resources by providing site-specific, sustainable farming and ranching methods that strengthens agricultural competitiveness; satisfies human food and fiber needs, maintain, conserve, enhance the quality and productivity of soil; conserve water, energy, natural resources, and maintain and improve the quality of surface and ground water.
We anticipate providing agricultural professionals and producers with the technologies, skills and competencies to increase on farm productivity and efficiency; safeguard human, farm, biological and natural resources; reduce unnecessary crop and chemical inputs; and improve the overall quality of life of Hawaii’s farmers and agricultural communities through education, outreach, and applied research.