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Last week’s edition of PBS Hawai‘i’s “Insights” featured a panel on the topic of Indigenous Agriculture with, from left, Albie Miles (UH-West O‘ahu), Noa Lincoln (UH Mānoa), host Lara Yamada, Dr. Natalie Kurashima (KS integrated resources manager) and Kamuela Enos (MA‘O Organic Farms).

PBS "Insights" discussion focuses on indigenous agriculture as sustainable model

July 12, 2019

Contributed by Kyle Galdeira

Our kūpuna engaged in indigenous agricultural practices for generations to support their sustainable lifestyle, and we can look to their cultural traditions and ‘ike to find solutions to meet today’s global challenges related to food production and climate change.

This approach to recognizing historical successes and approaches to guide the future was presented through a panel on the topic of Indigenous Agriculture last week on PBS Hawai‘i’s “Insights.”

The program was built around a study by researchers including Kamehameha Schools Integrated Resources Manager Dr. Natalie Kurashima, which was published in the journal “Nature Sustainability” in March. The study highlighted the vital role indigenous agriculture can play in producing food, while supporting biodiversity and indigenous well-being in Hawaiʻi under intense land use and climate fluctuations.

“For me, indigenous agriculture is just one way to connect people to place,” Kurashima said. She was joined on the panel by: Kamuela Enos, social enterprise director of MA‘O Organic Farms; Albie Miles, assistant professor of sustainable community food systems at the University of Hawai'i–West O'ahu; and Noa Lincoln, assistant professor of indigenous crops and cropping systems at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

During the broadcast, Enos highlighted the collaboration with KS as MAʻO’s social enterprise program and farm operation in Lualualei, Waiʻanae expands.

“Because of the scaling and the resources … we’ve been able to attract incredible resources like Kamehameha Schools to the table as partners,” Enos said.

Watch the episode online or view an encore presentation on PBS Hawai‘i on Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m.


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partnering for success,native hawaiian leadership

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