Maui Food Sustainability

I've been thinking about the idea of the island of Maui being self sustainable in terms of food. Would something like this be possible? Could we really supply all that we consume in homes and restaurants on this small island in the middle of the Pacific ocean?

I would like to think it is, but I haven't done the calculations. I read that supermarkets only have a 3 day food supply. So if for some reason, we couldn't ship food here, we would only be stocked for three days. It may not be possible to make Maui completely self sustaining, but I'm sure we are far from being as good as we could. How could we create an independent food surplus?

I don't believe it would require all to take to their backyards armed with hoes and seeds, although that wouldn't be a bad thing. I don't think we would have to slow down much, though again, it might not be negative. It would require, however, a shift in values and philosophies about the land, capitalism, human interaction and heightened awareness of the natural world. This would probably prove to be the largest obstacle, as we are creatures of habit.

Some steps we could take to move towards paradise sustainability would be to:
-have fruit/productive trees in parks and public areas
I would love to walk through a park and pick some fresh mangoes or mulberries from the tree I was sitting under. Nutritious and free.

-use unused lots in the "city" for food production
I wouldn't say Maui has any real cities, but the unused urban land could be used for something productive that could either be sold in a market, or donated to families/communities who need it. People could volunteer or be community service hours for lawbreakers.

-school gardens
Schools could independently provide some of their food, reducing need for gov't funds. Students could have the satisfaction that they grew their own food.

-youth gardening programs
Getting the youth accustomed to veggies and gardens would be a large step. If more people grew up with gardening skills, they would be more apt to use them.

-rooftop gardens
What wasted space the roof is. They get great sun and rain exposure and take up a large percent of urban space. Reclaim the roof.

-city parks/gardens
Imagine a park where all could go to see how gardening is done. With beautiful as well as useful/productive plants, people would be inspired to recreate it at home. the park garden would provide useful examples of plant companions, resource management and layout to assist the home gardener. The garden could also sell plants to subsidize its existence.

-dedicated place for a farmers market
I have been to the Maui farmers market in the Maui Mall. It looks pretty sad, with a couple of tables of fruits and vegetables. And come on, the Maui Mall! Who goes there? If Maui had an area designated for a farmers market, possibly enclosed, complete with information on farms, gardens, growers, latest guidelines, tips, contact information, etc., it might be a more fruitful venture for all.

-Maui specific online resources and education
You might often read gardening tips that are irrelevant to your situation. Do I really need to read about last frosts here on Maui? No. What I want is water requirements and heat/sun preferences, soil recommendations, etc. that relate to my situation.

-label food with foodmiles (the distance it travels from farm to store)
I am willing to bet that if all things being the same, you would choose the strawberry that travelled 5 miles, opposed to 500. That would motivate local farms to supply the local demand.

Just some ideas. I will to share them with those at the Master Gardener class, including the instructor.

Master Gardener: Week 2 Botany and Plant Propagation

Let's delve right into it. Today was plant botany and propagation. Lot's of horticulture minutae was tossed around today about dicotyledons and chlorophyll and stomata and germination and xylem's and rhizomes and... that it was hard to catch it all. Although I don't have a superb memory, it is amazing what interest will do for your retention of the subject. Many of the concepts were familiar, but again, many were not. I did my best to find places to fit the information in my brain.

The plant propagation section was especially fun, as we had hands on time working with plants and practicing various methods of propagation. There are many ways to propagate a plant, the most common being from seed. Some other common ways are division, grafting, layering, budding, and cutting. Of these, I had experience with cutting.

These pictures are from the MCC demonstration garden. We are learning and practicing "air layering," a propagation technique.

I now have new tools in my attack on the yard. Next week we will cover soils. Can't start nowhere but from the ground up.

Master Gardener: Day 1

Today was day one of the 2009 Master Gardener (hereinafter noted as "M.G.")program on Maui. Starting at 9:00AM and going til 3:30, it was a day packed with talking. It was a day of introductions of the program, which incidentally began in Seattle in 1972, introductions of students (of which there are roughly 45), introductions of staff, and introductions to the kinds of things we can expect.


Anne Gachuhi, Maui's M.G. coordinator, gave us a fat binder full of information about gardening in Hawaii. Jayme Grzebik, coordinator for the M.G. program on O'ahu, came to introduce the Urban Garden they have there. If memory serves me (and it often doesn't), they have 30 acres of land in Pearly City, between Home Despot and the H-1 freeway. From the looks of it, they do some really cool stuff out there. Lots of stuff for people to look at as far as "how-to" examples, all maintained by their M.G. volunteers.

The part that was most interesting though, was hearing the other students introduce themselves. Many of the students are already highly involved in gardening/growing stuff communities. From people like myself with little experience and just a backyard plot to work with, to community organizers, to transplanted long-time farmers, there is a wide variety of folk. The reasons for joining the program are just as diverse.

Having just recently returned from Taiwan, I am looking forward to joining this community on Maui. From first impressions, this group seems vigorous and hungry to eat of the land. It may prove to be the key to what lies ahead for me.

Rain, Rain Come to Stay

This weekend we received a downpour of rain and gusty winds. A windfall for all farmers and a chance to relieve us of the drought that we've been in. I've been busy indoors germinating seeds for tomatoes, lettuces, sunflowers, and other various plants. As I type, we are getting a break in the atypical weather, the sun shines, but the wind still blusters along.

I went to the Maui Farmer's Bureau Agriculture Festival yesterday at the Maui Tropical Plantation. It was a crowded event, despite the torrential rains. I arrived shortly after 9AM, hoping to gain insight to the ag community on Maui. Happily, it is vibrant, with a wide range of people doing various things on the island. I spoke with a lady that owns a bamboo forest out in Kipahulu, towards Hana. They supplied the bamboo timber that was used in a school building out in Hana that was the subject of a Discovery channel show. They specialize in growing "clumping" bamboo. As noted in the name, these varieties grow in clumps, as opposed to bamboo that sends out runners, which can quickly turn a peaceful bamboo plant into an aggressive nuisance. Clumpers are easier to control, and therefore no longer presents the problem of bamboo taking over the yard.
The Univ. of Hawaii CTAHR was present, with education in plant care, pest management, and gardening tips and techniques. They helped me identify some trees that are growing in my parents' back yard and also questions I had as to why my taro plant was not doing so well.

I had been searching for a nursery that stocked natives for a while. Fortunately Ho'olawa Farms was on hand. I bought some native plants that should do well in our conditions. I was looking for some ground cover plants to prevent erosion and that didn't need too much water or sun.

There was a host of locally made products from jellies to coffee, and flower arrangements to t-shirts. Even with the downturn in the economy, it is good to see such great support of local businesses.

On another note, I have an interview on Thursday for the Master Gardener course being put on by the UH CTAHR Maui division. I mentioned this in a previous post.

Master Gardener

Has a nice ring to it don't it? I can imagine meeting someone new:

Random person: "Hi, I'm __________. Nice to meet you."
Me: "I'm a Master Gardener. What was your name again?"

or

Friend: "Randall, I'd like you to meet Michelle."
Me (to friend): "Is she a Master Gardener?"
Friend: "Mmm, I don't think so."
Me: "Let's go."

Fun and games aside, I signed up for a Master Gardener course to be given at MCC. If accepted, I will don a badge: "Master Gardener. Plant Pimp."

This would be a great opportunity for me to learn about gardening and meet other like-minded people in my community. The 13 week course includes topics like organics, native plants, vegetables, pruning, etc. Hope I get in.