Agricultural production on Oahu's farms has been significantly impacted by the diversification of crops. This is due to the modernization of agriculture, which has improved efficiency and productivity, leading to the end of large-scale plantations and the decline of agriculture as an industry. To promote diversified agriculture, the government has implemented a voluntary program that provides tax credits to farmland owners who meet certain criteria, such as whether the land is capable of producing sustained high agricultural returns. Some land in Hawaii is designated as Important Agricultural Land (IAL) to further encourage crop diversification. The A Decade of Mealani A Taste of the Hawaiian Range Agricultural Festival is an event hosted by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) that focuses on local agricultural products.
It educates kitchen professionals about the wide range of quality agricultural products for the local food system, and also educates the community at large about high-quality products grown locally through a food tasting event. Matthew Loke, administrator of the state Department of Agriculture, explains that not all land labeled as agricultural is arable. The size of a household plays an important role in agricultural production. Households with larger sizes have more capacity to undertake various agricultural activities. The A Decade of Mealani A Taste of the Hawaiian Range Agricultural Festival is CTAHR's largest community outreach program that promotes Hawaii's agriculture industry. Livelihoods in rural areas continue to depend on the production of agricultural food and the sale of agricultural products.
Kurashima and colleagues have studied how three traditional Native Hawaiian farming systems (dryland, agroforestry, and lo'i, that is, agriculture with irrigated ponds) could contribute to meeting Hawaii's food sufficiency needs in the face of climate change problems. In conclusion, crop diversification has had a major impact on Oahu's farms. The government has implemented a voluntary program that provides tax credits to farmland owners who meet certain criteria. The A Decade of Mealani A Taste of the Hawaiian Range Agricultural Festival is an event hosted by CTAHR that focuses on local agricultural products and educates kitchen professionals and the community at large about high-quality products grown locally. Household size also plays an important role in agricultural production.
Finally, Kurashima and colleagues have studied how three traditional Native Hawaiian farming systems could contribute to meeting Hawaii's food sufficiency needs in the face of climate change problems.
