Sustainable and Organic Production Techniques

UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) has free and for sale publications with a wide range of information.

Free publications include downloadable fact sheets on producing fruits and nuts, home garden vegetables, ornamentals and flowers, green manures and cover crops, insect pests, plant disease, weed control, and crop and soil management.

Organic Agriculture at CTAHR: Website of the Organic Working Group for the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources

Visit ATTRA Organic Farming, for introductory information on all aspects of organic production. This website has downloadable publications for organic fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, field crops, livestock, pest control, fertilizers, marketing, regulation and certification. For a list of their organic publications, view Guide to ATTRA's Organic Publications (downloadable Adobe Acrobat file).

Organic Fruits and Vegetables from the Tropics (large pdf file) This UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) publication is an excellent reference for tropical organic fruit and vegetable production.

Organic Farming in Hawaii (downloadable Adobe Acrobat PDF file) is an issue of CTAHR’s “Vegetable Crops Update” (April 1999) authored by Ted Radovich and Hector Valenzuela (hector@hawaii.edu) which overviews organic farming in our state.

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA) has a newsletter, hosts workshops and field days, and provides certification services under the USDA’s National Organic Program.

Click here to join the Hawaii Organic Farming Discussion List, a brand new list intended to facilitate discussion among those interested in Organic/Ecological agriculture in Hawaii.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation is a non-profit whose mission is to sponsor research related to organic farming practices, to disseminate research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production systems, and to educate the public and decision-makers about organic farming issues.

SOIL HEALTH AND FERTILITY

The soil resource is one of the farm’s most valuable assets. The websites below will help you identify your farm’s soils and to understand how to manage them for long term crop productivity with excellent water quality.

Soils of Hawai'i

Phosphorus Fertilizer Management for Romaine Lettuce Grown in Fertile Volcanic Ash Soils of Hawai‘i

Phosphorus Fertilizer Management for Head Cabbage

Nitrogen Mineralization Potential in Important Agricultural Soils of Hawai‘i

Testing Your Soil: Why and How to Take a Soil-Test Sample

Soil Central: CTAHR webpage with info on soils of Hawaii, soil fertility and chemistry information, soil testing, and other useful links.

Soil Nutrient Management for Maui County: CTAHR extension information which includes information on soil basics, Soils of Maui, nutrient management and references.

Plant Nutrient Management in Hawaii's Soils. This CTAHR on-line publication contains practical research information on soils, fertilizers, and crop nutrient needs, written for the lay reader for Hawaii’s crops and soil conditions. Also available in hardcopy ($14).

Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center: CTAHR’s ADSC lab conducts plant disease analyses, feed and forage analyses, insect identification analyses, chemical analyses of soils, chemical analyses of plant tissue, and chemical analyses of water and nutrient solutions.

Building Soils for Better Crops from Sustainable Agriculture Publications ($19.95, ordering information). Practical introductory book on managing soils for crop production to reduce disease, increase fertility and keep high levels of production. Topics covered include: increasing soil organic matter, using appropriate tillage, incorporating animal manures, making and using composts, integrating cover crops into rotations, reducing erosion, and methods to avoid and decrease soil compaction. Available on-line as downloadable .pdf file.

Soil Quality Information Sheets: Introductory materials about the following soil topics: soil quality introduction, erosion, sediment deposition on cropland, compaction, salinization, soil biodiversity, available water capacity, pesticides, hydrophobicity, indicators for soil quality evaluation, pastureland soil quality, etc.

NRCS Soil Quality Institute Soil Biology Primer is an introduction to the living component of soil and how it contributes to agricultural productivity, and air and water quality. The Primer includes units describing the soil food web and its relationship to soil health, and units about bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, and earthworms.

ATTRA Soils and Compost: A list of downloadable publications on how to assess, improve and maintain soil health for both croplands and pastures. Several publications address fertilization and composting specifically for organic production.

ATTRA: Alternative Soil Testing Laboratories: Very extensive ATTRA article about “alternative” soil testing (which emphasize organic matter, soil tilth, microbial diversity, and nutrient mineralization) and listing laboratories conducting these tests.

How to Grow More Vegetables: Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops by John Jeavons, Ten Speed Press. 1995. 201 pp.

Taro: Mauka to Makai, CTAHR. Currently out of print.

University of Florida Fruitscapes provides basic information on temperate, subtropical, and tropical fruit crops.

Florida Cooperative Extension Electronic Information Data Source (EDIS): Tropical Fruit

The 12 Trees Project, Development of a Sustainable Polyculture Production and Marketing System for Exotic Tropical Fruits. NOTE: Some of the fruit tree species on this website are currently being evaluated by the Hawaii Weed Risk Assessment as potentially invasive.

Organic Fruits and Vegetables from the Tropics (large pdf file): UNCTAD reference for organic fruit production.

Honolulu Board of Water Supply Plants for O'ahu website shows a comprehensive list of native plants suitable for 9 climate zones on O'ahu.

BOOKS
Bornhorst, Heidi. Growing Native Hawaiian Plants; A How-to Guide for the Gardener, The Best Press, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 1971. (introductory guide on growing native plants)

Culliney, John L. and Koebele, Bruce P., A Native Hawaiian Garden, University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 1999. (more advanced guide to native plants and their propagation)

Growing Plants for Hawaiian Lei, CTAHR University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 2002. (guidebook to growing lei plants for home or commercially, including horticultural, cultural and business information). Click here for more information.

McDonald, Marie A., and Weissich, Paul R. Na Lei Makamae: The Treasured Lei, University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, Hawai'i, 2003. (Book about pre-contact leis and the native and canoe plants used in them).

Palmer, Daniel D. 2003. Hawai‘i’s Ferns and Fern Allies. UH Press, Honolulu

Sohmer, S.H., and R. Gustafson. 1987. Plants and Flowers of Hawai‘i. UH Press, Honolulu.

Wagner, Warren L., Derral R. Herbst, S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai‘i. UH Press. Honolulu.

Hawaiian plant listserve (hiplants-l@hawaii.edu): discussion of Hawaii's native plants. To subscribe, send mail to LISTSERV@HAWAII.EDU with the command SUBSCRIBE HIPLANTS-L

Managing Cover Crops Profitably : USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) book which explains cover crop characteristics and management, soil fertility, crop rotations, pest management and cover crop selection, plus gives information about introducing cover crops into any farming operation. Although written for the continental United States, it gives an excellent introduction on this important sustainable agriculture technique. An online pdf version of the book is available online and the second edition can be purchased (book $19, or CD-ROM $10).

ATTRA: Pest Management: Search this website for basic information about sustainable and organic pest control methods.

Sustainable Pest Control for the Tropics: This CTAHR website includes some introductory materials about tropical pest control (in the form of powerpoint presentations).

Organic Pest Control for the Tropics, View the PowerPoint presentation by Bob Shaffer (Soilculture@aol.com), Trustee, Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA) for an introduction

Sustainable Insect Control for the Tropics, View the PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Mark Wright (markwrig@hawaii.edu), Entomologist, University of Hawaii at Manoa, IPM 101 for the Tropics for an introduction.

Extension Entomology & UH-CTAHR Integrated Pest Management Program. Knowledge Master contains general information on pest hosts, distribution, damage, biology, and management. This website is helpful for pest identification. The management recommendations are for conventional agricultural practices and will most likely need modification for sustainable systems. Contact CTAHR experts directly for more information.

Sustainable Plant Disease Control for the Tropics, View the PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Janice Uchida (juchida@hawaii.edu), Plant Pathologist, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Sustainable Plant Disease Control 101 for an introduction.

Sustainable Nematode Control for the Tropics, View the PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Brent Sipes (sipes@hawaii.edu), Nematologist, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Sustainable Nematode Control 101 for an introduction.

Weeds of Hawai'i's Pastures and Natural Areas (order form): An identification and management guide ($20, ordering information). Invasive, alien plants are “uninvited guests” in most of Hawaii’s ecosystems. Native forests are invaded, and their precious native plant species are choked out. Extensive areas of pasture land have been colonized by plants that cannot be grazed. Weeds can be a fire hazard, and they can be painful impediments to access to natural areas. This book describes over 150 plants that are considered weeds in Hawai’i in most circumstances.

Steel in the Field: A Farmers Guide to Weed Management Tools (online .pdf and hardcopy publication) USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) book give practical advice on tools and techniques to control weeds while reducing or eliminating herbicides.