Aloha Reporter » Agriculture

Hawaii’s newest crop: Chocolate

ar — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:39:22 +0000

In a state better known for pineapples and macadamias, cacao is becoming a popular crop with small farmers. And at one orchard, guests get to see the whole process, from raw bean to chocolate bar.

A gecko savors cacao beans on Bob and Pam Cooper's cacao farm on Hawaii's Big Island. (Jay Jones / For The Times)

From The LA Times …

The TV commercial for an insurance company — the one in which a gecko is seen putting a dollar bill that’s bigger than it is into a vending machine for a bag of chips — is certainly memorable. But it’s also implausible.

Anyone who truly knows the little lizards realizes they’ll take a sweet treat over a salty one (like chips) every time. Just ask Bob and Pam Cooper.

The Coopers aren’t herpetologists. They’re farmers who grow cacao trees on Hawaii’s Big Island. They know from experience how much geckos love the gooey, sweet mucilage that covers the raw beans from which cocoa and chocolate are made.

Report Blasts Hawaii Aquaculture

ar — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:40:08 +0000

Credit: NOAA

Environmental Group Claims Fish Farming Not Environmentally Sustainable

A new report from a national environmental organization blasts Hawaii’s aquaculture industry, saying it damages the environment and is not sustainable. Companies that farm fish in Hawaii dispute the report.

Hawaii has been a testing ground for large-scale industrial fish farming. Currently there are two fish farms here, one off Kona on the Big Island, another off Ewa. More are planned.

Scientists, environmentalists, and native Hawaiians gathered at the Capitol today to urge sustainable fish farming based on more traditional methods. They point to the report by Food and Waterwatch, an environmental organization that says waste from large fish pens damages the bottom. The report also claims the farmed fish spread disease to wild populations.

Drought Getting Extreme in Hawaii

ar — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:21:27 +0000

By Paul Yeager

When we think of Hawaii, we typically think of a lush and green island paradise with warm sunshine alternating with frequent showers riding the cooling trade winds.

We don’t typically think of a state susceptible to serious drought. But the worst drought conditions in the nation are currently occurring in Hawaii, resulting in water restrictions, posing a threat to crops and even reducing the size of cattle herds.

And it’s likely to continue for months.

Ka’ala Farm teaches lessons taught centuries ago

ar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:06:28 +0000

Whether you’re stuck in traffic on the H-1 Freeway, or waiting in line at the grocery store, it’s easy to get bogged down with life. But there’s a place on the leeward coast that gets down to the basics and teaches people how to live off the ‘aina.

Deep in the heart of Wai’anae valley lives a place untouched by modern technology. No iPods here. Just a guitar in your arms, and a song on your lips.

Folks at Ka’ala Farm live the way native Hawaiians did hundreds of years ago.

“Their ancestors are the ones that survived in these areas,” said Butch Detroye, who helps run Ka’ala Farm. “They sustained life for generations inside here and all of that aloha they put to sustaining life, that’s the aloha that’s still here.”

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Source: KHNL 8 News

Two Hawaii USDA officials named

ar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:07:04 +0000

The Obama administration announced Monday it has appointed two new officials to lead Hawaii’s federal agriculture agencies.

Diane Ley has been appointed executive director for the Farm Service Agency and Donna Kiyosaki has been named director for rural development, both in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Ley is currently the deputy director at the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development.

Kiyosaki is senior vice president for Waimana Enterprises, a local development company that works on projects involving energy development, water and telecommunications infrastructure.

Source: Pacific Business News