Honua Highlights was the portion of the first-ever in-person Laulima Symposium when attendees could take the main stage – and Kent Kobayashi seized the day.
“I was excited to share what controlled environment agriculture is and how it can help in growing crops for food security and self-sufficiency in Hawaiʻi” says Kent, of the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences.
In controlled environment agriculture, high technology can be used to help grow crops more efficiently, thus promoting environmental sustainability and food security, explains Kent, the Hawaiʻi member of the multi-state coordinating committee “NCERA-101: Controlled Environment Technology and Use.”
The Highlights portion was also an opportunity for Kent to talk about his research into space farming, i.e., growing crops in simulated Martian and lunar soils.
The STEM-centered Laulima Symposium was a chance for local scientists, engineers, teachers, researchers, and students to present the latest work in science, technology, engineering and math. This year’s event at the KROC Center in Kapolei was the symposium’s first-ever in-person gathering.
Watch Kent’s video presentation, “Controlled Environment Agriculture: Help Meet Hawaii's Food Security and Self-Sufficiency in Food Production.”