It’s not easy to find locally developed seeds that will grow into robust plants and perform well in Hawai‘i’s unique tropical conditions. Or vegetables that are resistant to local pests and plant diseases. Fortunately for professional growers and backyard enthusiasts, the UH Seed Laboratory has just the answer.

Maui County is working on a grant to support farms with farm (not domestic) animals, to make sure they have the feed they need in case there’s an interruption in the supply chain, loss of revenue, etc. The grant application needs data regarding farmers’ monthly needs. Please forward this information to stakeholders and partners who may be in need of assistance.

With more than half-a-million housing units packed into our tiny state, containerized vegetable gardening is ideal for small spaces: apartments, condominiums, patios, as well as areas with poor soil conditions. With sufficient growing space, soil drainage and aeration, sunlight, adequate nutrients, and irrigation, you can grow vegetables quickly—right at home.

Community support from volunteer club leaders and engaged parents is key to the survival of our Hawai‘i 4-H program. In return, during the COVID-19 pandemic, East Hawai‘i 4-H members from the Super Stars 4-H Club and Hawai‘i Island 4-H Shooting Sports Club are making the best of shelter-in-place orders by sewing face masks for community members who need them.

Cooperative Extension is pursuing a variety of ways to help communities and stakeholders hit hard by the pandemic. On Moloka‘i, food security is paramount. The largest grocery story on the island is under a 14-day quarantine, and students who depended on free or reduced-price school lunches are struggling. But Extension agent Glenn Teves is hard at work on short- and long-term solutions.

The pig farmers had no feed for their pigs. The papaya farmers had no market for their papayas. But CTAHR brought them together. Extension livestock agent Mike DuPonte, a member of the Hawaii Island Pork Association, is coordinating with Hawaii Papaya Industry Association president Eric Weinert to feed surplus papayas to the pigs.

UH Hilo professor Ryan Perroy attached a special pruning saw and gripper claw to a drone to collect samples of ROD-infected ‘ōhi‘a lehua. He won a $70,000 prize for the “Kūkūau,” as he has named the device, in the ‘Ōhi‘a Challenge to develop an innovation to help stop ROD.

Join the third installment in a series of nine webinars of the Renewable Resources Extension Act, “Engaging Local Communities to Restore Fire-Adapted Ecosystems,” on Thursday, April 23, 7:00 a.m. Hawai‘i time (1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time). It will discuss how to help forest and rangeland managers maintain ecologically resilient landscapes and fire-safe communities.

Hawai‘i has an array of soils and climates, with no one-size-fits-all answer for selecting a garden site. The first consideration is access to water, especially in a fairly dry area. The site should also be free from large rocks and tree stumps, with good sun exposure, not be shaded by large trees or structures. Read on for some more tips for giving your garden a good home!

UH Mānoa Facilities is asking for donations of masks for its 300 employees, all of whom are still at work on campus keeping the buildings and grounds safe, sanitary, and operational. They include the janitors, the groundskeepers, the repair people, those who pick up the trash, all those who do the often-unnoticed but utterly crucial work that allows the rest of the University to do theirs.

Hawai‘i 4-H is challenging all 12- to 18-year-olds in Hawai‘i to participate in a county-to-statewide cooking competition! Contestants will prepare their favorite dish in a 5- to 7-minute video highlighting a local commodity. They should demonstrate how to create a healthful recipe and include some kitchen and food safety tips. County winners will be selected to compete in a state competition.

Did you ever want to grow your own food? Indoors and without soil? You can…with micro-hydroponics! Micro-hydroponics allows you to grow miniature vegetable plants hydroponically (without soil) in your house, apartment, garage, or lanai. Read on for more information in this guest post by Dr. Kent Kobayashi!

If you haven’t checked out the COVID-19 Resources for Hawai‘i page at the CTAHR website, now’s the time to do it! You’ll find lots there that you can use yourself and even more that you can share with your stakeholders, from Food Safety and Sourcing to Mental Health and what to do At Home for the duration. And please contribute anything you have to add as well!

For years, a dedicated group of volunteers called the Fruit Hui has maintained the research orchard at CTAHR’s Urban Garden Center in Pearl City. Harvesting over 200 pounds of fresh tropical fruit a week, the volunteers donate all excess fruit to the Hawaii Foodbank. The group of certified Master Gardener volunteers plans to continue to harvest weekly now that access to fresh food has become even more critical during the COVID-19 crisis.

Nancy Ooki, Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) point of contact for the state of Hawai‘i, is creating a COVID-19 webpage for the Extension Emergency Response section of the CTAHR website. The goal is to add as many CTAHR- and UH-created resources as possible. Please submit resources to Nancy Ooki at ooki@hawaii.edu.

CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension Offices and Research Stations across the state remain open—virtually. All sites are closed to the public, but you may continue your work with Extension agents contacting them via email or phone. Established CTAHR volunteers are permitted to continue their ongoing efforts at Extension facilities by working individually and practicing social distancing along CDC guidelines.

In light of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Hawai‘i Island Cooperative Extension offices and research stations will be closed to the public, except for employees and current students, in the same way that the 10 UH campuses are. Stakeholders may continue to work with their Extension agents through email and telephone, and they can continue to access information via the CTAHR website, which will continue to be updated. 

The Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center on UHM campus is temporarily unable to accept new samples, though offices will be open on Monday, March 23. This is due to ongoing needed repairs to the office that are more extensive than originally thought, rather than the COVID-19 epidemic, but the epidemic may end up affecting the construction work. Updates will be given as needed.

Retired faculty Julia Zee joined The Food Basket, Hawai‘i Island’s food bank, in distributing emergency food boxes island wide. She also printed 500 copies of a “Safe Food Handling” handout (atached) to include in each box. The farm food safety education team has also sent out information to farmers and agricultural stakeholders about farm food safety strategies and to support the continued supply of locally grown foods.

The college is advertising for an associate dean for Cooperative Extension. The successful candidate will provide leadership and establish goals for a relevant and effective agricultural and human resources Cooperative Extension program.