Where Can You Grow Them?

Grad student Hunter Heaivilin (NREM) will be the next presenter at the weekly Seminar Series on Climate Change Adaptation presented by UH Manoa’s Institute for Sustainability and Resilience. He will speak on “Assessment of Climate Change Impact to Hawaii Crops” on October 22, from 12 to 1:20 p.m. (lunch starts at noon, the presentation at 12:15) at the iLab (Building 37). Not only is it crucial to understand crop suitability ranges and how these ranges may be shifting if Hawai‘i’s agricultural sector is going to continue to diversify; this understanding is important for climate change adaptation more generally. Hunter’s study assessed the potential impacts of late-century climate change on Hawai‘i’s top commodity crops using geospatial land-suitability analysis. Land-suitability maps of commodity crops were produced by spatially extrapolating their crop niches (e.g., soils, topography, temperature, and precipitation) using a geographic information system (GIS) for the current and future climate conditions. Current and future maps were then compared to determine crops and lands with stable suitability for continued production. The current suitability modeling results were verified against recent agricultural land-use mapping and by crop expert review. His study is intended to help producers and policymakers make informed decisions about production diversification and adaptation to climate change. Please advertise the talk to those who might be interested, and RSVP here for lunch by Thursday, October 18. Remember, the organizers would like to reduce the amount of waste produced during these lunches, so please be sure to bring your own plate/bowl and utensils. Audiences can also connect via Zoom. To call in, dial +1 669 900 6833 +1 646 876 9923. The meeting ID is 692 906 957.