{"id":93905,"date":"2019-04-02T15:14:58","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T01:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=93905"},"modified":"2021-02-12T13:27:42","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T23:27:42","slug":"biocultural-restoration-of-traditional-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/04\/02\/biocultural-restoration-of-traditional-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Biocultural restoration of traditional agriculture contributes to Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s sustainability goals"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Family participants restoring loʻi<\/span> kalo as part of Kakoʻo<\/span> ʻ\u014ciwi\u2019s ʻohana or family biocultural restoration program. Photo courtesy of Casey Ching.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of the largest collection of scientific publications authored by Native Hawaiians that focuses on biocultural restoration in Hawaiʻi<\/span>, an interdisciplinary research team from the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a>, The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/a> (TNC<\/abbr>) and the community-based non-profit Kakoʻo<\/span> ʻ\u014ciwi<\/span><\/a> demonstrated how biocultural restoration of traditional agriculture (loʻi<\/span> kalo) produces healthy local food, supports vibrant communities and provides clean water to downstream coral reef and fish pond ecosystems. Biocultural restoration is an approach that incorporates both humanity and its connections to nature in a larger effort to restore the health, function and resilience of both land- and seascapes.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the research team showed how such biocultural restoration efforts can significantly contribute to State of Hawaiʻi<\/span> sustainability goals<\/a> around local food production, carbon neutrality and ecosystem protection.<\/p>\n

The article, “Biocultural Restoration of Traditional Agriculture: Cultural, Environmental, and Economic Outcomes of Loʻi<\/span> Kalo Restoration in Heʻeia<\/span>, Oʻahu<\/span>,”<\/a> was published as part of a special issue on biocultural restoration in Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/a> in the journal Sustainability<\/em>. Nearly 100 authors contributed to 14 articles in the special issue. More than a third of the authors are of Native Hawaiian ancestry; each paper had at least one Native Hawaiian author; and several papers had a Hawaiian lead author.<\/p>\n