Agroforestry

Practical Agriculture Workshops
Hāmākua Harvest
NOTES from January 6, 2019 by Jim Crum

M. Kalani Souza and Craig Elevitch have worked throughout the Pacific Islands over the past decade teaching about indigenous and modern methods of growing crops together in agroforestry.

The benefits of agroforestry include revitalization of soil health, higher total production, better resilience to weather extremes, and local food security. This is a unique opportunity to learn about integrating crops together in ways that have profound short- and long-term benefits for both small and large growers.

We have become addicted to the Walmart teat. Focus should be on the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit
Priorities should be:
1. Feed the children
2. Make sure the elders are comfortable
3. Make sure women in the society are not afraid

Hawaii homegrown food network on YouTube
-air layering 
Agroforestry.org 
– books can be downloaded
– Breadfruit Production and Agroforestry both good ones. 

Breadfruit issue been worked in for 10 years with Micronesians. 
Our planet no longer has sustainable ag because of monocrop philosophy Rice, wheat, corn and oats are starting to fail. Need to move to breadfruit as the next great staple worldwide. 
Plantation ag has turned fertile soil into deserts. 
Plan is to give back more than we take as we encourage breadfruit production.
Need to revitalize breadfruit (ulu) 
Grow 10x the amount of food you need because expect no relief from a disaster for at least 72 hours 
This is also happening in the Caribbean 
Need to dispel the old plantation model and avoid monocultures. 
Triple bottom line=Social, economic, environmental. Don’t buy into it as a way to justify 
Hawaii can be a Noah’s ark model for the world. 

The solutions:
– grow and buy local first
– avoid micro climates
– small scale community driven entrepreneurs for food, 
– Agroforestry using models from history on the islands. 
– local food security. 

Ulu/Breadfruit
– like gulches
– doesn’t like the wind
– up to 1500 feet
– Hawaiian variety is very good. Start there. Get them from gulches. Second small gulch in upper laupahoehoe. Cut rhizome on the tree side. 
– they grow big. Need to prune them regularly at 10 feet. to keep them producing. Side branches are encouraged so you can pick them at 10 feet. 
– trees 40 ft apart 
– early canoes were made from ulu
– ulu fiti
– cutting from roots and 
– Chinese plums and Mac nut to protect it. 
– Puna has some good stock, but need to have it in a pot the first year or two. 
-Kukaiau, paauilo Mauka 
– rock wall about 8-9 foot radius around, starts smaller and extends as the tree grows