Posts Tagged ‘Hawai’i’

As we work to bring regenerative practices to the Kaʻamola ahupuaʻa, we try to be as innovative as possible and explore solutions to cross-cutting issues on the land and in the sea. Along the south shore of the island we have seen huge blooms of the invasive limu known as gorilla ogo. This seaweed suffocates the reef system below and kills off native limu in the area. Additionally, native fish species tend not to eat this limu.

With several acres cleared at our land base Keawanui, ‘Āina Momona has been working with our partners at Māla Kaluʻulu Cooperative to develop an agricultural plan for the site that will guide our food production and land restoration efforts for the coming years. We are currently in the design phase, looking at possible concepts that will work best for our goals and landscape.

This month our program director Jane Au was highlighted by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Indingeous People’s Unit for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Indigenous women are keepers of traditional knowledge that will play a crucial role in bettering the conservation and environmental movements of our time.

When COVID-19 first hit Hawaiʻi in early March, our team immediately took steps to prepare for the virus to hit Molokai’s shores, foreseeing that it would negatively impact the island’s access to essential items. Noting that the virus disproportionately affects elderly, indigenous and Pacific Island communities, and that Molokai has few medical resources on island, we saw the need to take action early and help prevent the spread here.

The farm at Mākaʻaka continues to serve as a distribution point for taro huli, a food source for local families, Hawaiian cultural and taro events, a repository for unverified varieties, a monitored reverification site for in vitro plants, a field lab for recording morphological characteristics and traditional planting practices, and a classroom for high school and at-risk youth, college students and teachers, as well as the Halau o Hāloa cohort.

‘Āina Momona created an Aloha ‘Āina Fellows Program, a land-based initiative on Molokai that works to engage emerging professionals and grow leadership capacity-building on the Island. Fellows worked with the community to collect data on the potential sale of Molokai Ranch, held informational meetings, gave professional presentations, attended weekly classes, and ran community work days at important, damaged sites in the natural environment.

‘Āina Momona organized the ‘Onipa‘a Kākou event on January 17, 2018, bringing the broader Hawaiian community together for this event, which raised awareness for several Native Hawaiian issues happening across the state. The day culminated in thousands of people joining in a day of unity to recognize the day of solemn injustice against the Native Hawaiian people 125 years ago.