There’s no place like home,” declared Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. But for Hawai‘i’s yellow-faced bees, artificial nest boxes—not necessarily home but a good facsimile— may be their best hope for survival. This is where Jason Graham comes in. Dr. Graham, a post-doctoral researcher in the department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, is researching the    ... more >>

Genetic analysis may not be one of the first tools that comes to mind when we think of conservation strategies, but it should be, as Ania Wieczorek and Carol Oshiro demonstrate with their recent study of the rare endemic plant Lobelia villosa. L. villosa only grows in wet forests and mountain bogs between around 4,000 and 5,000 feet in elevation in Mt. Waialeale and the Alaka‘i Swamp on th    ... more >>

Several CTAHR faculty participated in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, held in September in Honolulu, where they shared research on everything from Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death to agroecology to native bees. Before the Congress began, though, other members of the college helped to set the tone for the international event. Dr. Mehana Vaughan, assistan    ... more >>

Conservationists have sometimes been called tree-huggers. But as Megan Barnes, post-doctoral fellow in the department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, could tell you, it’s not enough to hug a tree. You have to analyze the physical environment the tree grows in, assess the fauna and flora living in and around it, calculate the economic and environmental impacts on it, and tabulate     ... more >>

Money may not grow on trees, but something that many consider even better does: chocolate. At least the raw material of it, cacao (Theobroma cacao), which originates in plump, opulent, tropical-looking pods borne directly from the trunk of the slender, graceful tree. H.C. “Skip” Bittenbender is an expert on the tree and the final product derived from its fruit, and he speaks of both     ... more >>

Extension forester J.B. Friday speaks for the trees. Right now, it’s the ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha) that need his advocacy, due to a devastating new disease that’s decimating forests on the Big Island. Rapid ‘ōhi‘a death (ROD) is estimated to have killed mil-lions of trees over 50,000 acres in the Puna, Hilo, Kā‘ū, and Kona    ... more >>

The right tree for the right place: this is horticulturalist Richard Criley’s focus. Both the location—away from utility lines, not too close to a sidewalk or drainage lines, positioned to provide shade where needed or to enhance a landscape with its beauty—and the tree choice itself—size, canopy density, flowering, fruiting, amenability to pruning—can influence the decision to plant a tree, and    ... more >>

What does a chickpea want? Not much, according to Amjad Ahmad. That’s why the UN has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses: Legumes are able to grow—and give bountiful nutrition to humans and animals—with relatively few inputs. They’re drought tolerant, and thanks to nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, they need little fertilizer. Dr. Ahmad, in the department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences    ... more >>

Food waste—and what to do about it—is big news. Research by ag economists Matthew Loke and PingSun Leung, in the department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, has shown that Hawai‘i residents waste a quarter of all food in the state—356 pounds per person—totaling 522.8 million pounds and more than $1 billion a year! While this is less waste, in terms of quantity, than in other states    ... more >>

Food brings people together. It’s essential to family and cultural traditions and can be an important way to connect with the ‘āinā. It nourishes bodies and spirits. But there’s one thing it shouldn’t do—make us sick. The FDA estimates some 48 million cases of foodborne illness affect the US every year, caused by bacteria and other microorganisms in milk, meat, and    ... more >>

The Hawai‘i Foods website’s tagline is “Nutrition with Aloha.” This might be more succinct and inclusive than “One of the few places to learn how much calcium is in tree fern shoots,”* but they’re equally true. And that’s only the start of what’s available: the site is even more satisfying than a three-choice plate lunch—and contains more nutritional     ... more >>

Roy Oyama finds farming relaxing, he recently commented. Maybe, compared with his other ag-related achievements and activities, it is. Owner of Oyama Farms, Roy is also past president of the Kauai Farm Bureau, the Kauai Farmers Association, and the Kauai Farmers Association Development. He’s a past or present member of the Kauai County Water Department Board, the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation    ... more >>

Maui’s lacking something the other islands have—and that’s a good thing. The destructive honeybee pest the varroa mite has not infested the bees there, creating important opportunities for research and outreach. One such is the Maui Master Gardener Honey Project, started by the UH Manoa Honeybee Project in 2014 to educate Maui Master Gardeners on beekeeping and honeybee issues so they could    ... more >>

The Urban Garden Center (UGC), an expansive 30-acre site in Pearl City, serves as a one-stop outreach educational center where the public can get help and inspiration for home gardens through school tours, workshops, and demonstrations. Techniques showcased include home-garden irrigation solutions, xeriscaping, grafting, and companion planting. The center often hosts the O‘ahu Agriculture and    ... more >>

The Hawaii Association for Family & Community Education (Hawaii FCE) offers something for everyone. Just ask Diane Hultman and Elizabeth “Liz” and Jeanette Salfen, three generations of family who volunteer through its Puna Wahine club on the Big Island. The non-profit volunteer organization was organized in Hawai‘i with support from Cooperative Extension in 1949 and now is comprised    ... more >>