Alumni News

If you want keiki to understand the farm-to-plate concept, why not go straight to their stomachs? At schools across the pae 'aina, a new partnership known as the “Hoʻopili ʻAi Campaign – Uniting Keiki & Hawaiʻi Food Crops” is introducing K-5 students to Hawaiʻi-grown foods like kalo (taro), ʻulu (breadfruit), and ʻuala (sweet potato). Each classroom is given a box containing education materials and 25 individual pre-packaged produce for students and families to try at home.

Under the auspices of advisor Andy Reilly, our Fashion Design and Merchandising undergrads paid a visit to Farrington High School to support its students and evaluate their fashion designs. The visit was prompted by an invite from Erin Kamikawa, an instructor at Farrington in charge of the fashion curriculum, who is also a member of the FDM Advisory Board.

On Sunday, September 25th, CTAHR Alumni & Students gathered at Mānoa Chocolate in Kailua for a fun and educational afternoon, enjoying all things chocolate!  Co-founder Dylan Butterbaugh walked participants through the chocolate-making process, while tasting room manager Gracie Thacker guided us through the nuances of specialty chocolate tasting.

This past summer, Cheng-Sheng Lee, Executive Director of the Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, had the opportunity to see the progression of the Nenue project in Kona. With increasing unification in projects, he and Ocean Era President, Neil Sims, were able to discuss the possibilities and hopes for the future of aquaculture in Hawai’i.

With a game-changing grant from the federal Dept. of Agriculture, CTAHR researchers now have significant resources to assist Hawaiʻi farmers, ranchers, and foresters in implementing sustainable, climate-smart practices and establishing stronger markets that live beyond the life of the grant for locally produced, healthy food and forest products. Led by Susan Crow of the Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, the full-time project team of a diverse coalition of stakeholders will pursue: