Resources and Links

Hawaii-specific Information on Organic Farming

Overview of Organic Food Crop Systems in Hawai‘i (Nov 2009, .pdf): Prior to 2007, the specific challenges faced by organic producers in Hawai‘i were unknown. In that year, UH-CTAHR initiated an analysis of organic agricultural systems, in partnership with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) and The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation (HFBF), to determine the issues faced by this group and the actions required to address critical issues. This publication describes this effort, gives a summary of the results, and includes a discussion of the implications suggested by the analysis.

Soil Health and Fertility

Composting

Pest Control

BENEFICIAL INSECT FLASH CARDS (set of downloadable flash cards, jpg files). AVAILABLE April 2015: Beneficial Insect Flashcard sets can be purchased for $10 from your local Master Gardener Office. Click HERE to find the one nearest to you.

COVER CROPS, GREEN MANURES, LIVING MULCHES for PEST CONTROL

GENERAL

Food safety

Biotechnology

Virtual Field Days (on-line videos)

YouTube logo

HISustainAg channel
on YouTube

 

Producing Organic Papaya Seed: Dr. Ted Radovich, Extension Specialist at CTAHR's Sustainable and Organic Farming Systems Laboratory, outlines how to screen papaya plants to determine which have not been genetically engineered, how to bag flowers to exclude pollen from other trees, and how to process seed. [8:45 min]

Banana Bunchy Top in Hawaii: Four-part video series by Dr. Scot Nelson, CTAHR Extension Specialist for Plant Disease, and Jari Sugano, CES Extension Agent.

Growing Bananas: Four-part video series by Dr. Scot Nelson, CTAHR Extension Specialist for Plant Disease.

Evaluating Native Hawaiian Groundcovers: Dr. James Leary, Invasive Weed Scientist with CTAHR, initiates a project to evaluate the effectiveness of Hawaiian plants as ground covers for an organic farming system at MA'O Farms.

Sunn hemp for Soil Health and Nematode Management: Dr. Koon-Hui Wang explains how sunn hemp cover crops can control nematodes and improve soil fertility in Hawai'i. [7:44 min]

Vermicompost in Hawai'i: It's Production and Use: Dr. Ted Radovich, Extension Specialist at CTAHR's Sustainable and Organic Farming Systems Laboratory, outlines how to set up a successful small scale vermicomposting system. [6:47 min]

Organizations

Hawaii Organic Farmers Association is a non-profit organization that provides education about organic certification and sustainability in Hawaii. Located at 474 Kalanikoa St #203, Hilo, HI 96720; phone (808) 969-7780, email hofa@hawaiiorganicfarmers.org or visit the website for more information.

The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) specializes in the review of
substances for use in organic production, processing, and handling.

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.

The USDA National Organic Program website contains extensive information about
organic production for both producers and consumers, including regulation and
certification updates, Q&A and press releases.

Cerfication Services

The USDA National Organic Program oversees certification services nationally. Some providers used in Hawa 'i include:

This list is not comprehensive and does not constitute an endorsement of any certification service.

Funding

Cost Sharing for Organic Certification: Hawaii DOA grant program. Contact HDOA's Market Development Branch at (808) 973-9595.

Marketing Organic Products

Grower-Retailer Interface: On 03/09/09, UH-CTAHR hosted a meeting to improve communication and linkages between local growers and retailers (Whole Foods and Kokua Market). Notes from the meeting and handouts are available.

The Market for Hawaii-Grown Natural and Organic Beef

The USDA Economic Research Service has a briefing website on organic farming and marketing with an overview of organic production in the US, updated statistics on the growth of this sector of agriculture and valuable links.

General Information on Organic Farming (mainland and international)

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 (PDF).

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements is an international
organization for organic agriculture. The website offers the IFOAM Training
Manual for Organic Agriculture in the Tropics. Although designed for
agricultural educators, the content gives an excellent introduction to organic
production in tropical regions.

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.

Transitioning to Organic Production: USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Network
(SAN) 32 page publication ( PDF) features farmer profiles to explain how conventional farmers can move into organic production methods.

UC Davis

Resource guide for organic insect and disease management (Cornell University)

Biologically intensive and organic agriculture (Washington State University)

Organic Agriculture at FAO

Online information service for non-chemical pest management in the Tropics