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🌱 Maui Nui: Crop MonitorWelehu and Makali‘i (November 2 - December 30, 2024) |
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🔍 What You’ll Find In This Issue |
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What are you seeing in your Ahupuaʻa? |
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Earlier in December, we met with community members from Molokaʻi. Some topics we discussed include: Community-driven solutions: workforce training, data stewardship, and biocultural restoration, Mapping areas ideal for agriculture, and Importance of protecting resources like reefs and valleys from erosion, deer, and restrictive policies.
Harriet from Haʻikū suggested simplifying our updates as the last newsletter information was still overwhelming.
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Calendar adapted from Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
Mahi‘ai recommend planting on most days, but especially on Hoku (marked with ✅). Days not recommended for planting are marked with a thumbs down 👎. Days without an emoji are good planting days for different crop types! For example, on Kāloakūkahi, it is recommended to plant long or tall plants, such as bamboo, sugar cane, string beans, and eggplants, mamake, and others.
Makali‘i means “little eyes”, which appear on roots of yam [1]. During Kā‘elo, one should watch out for “enuhe,” which are plant-eating worms [1].
Check out Kamehameha Publishing for other recommendations. |
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❗️Maui: Crops in Ke‘alaloloa and Hāmākualoa experienced the most significant deviation from normal conditions among the moku in Maui County. ❗️Molokaʻi: In Kona, crops endured the most noticeable drop in rainfall from the historical average. ❗️Lānaʻi: Crops managed with slightly less rainfall, falling just below the typical annual levels. |
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The “normal” refers to the average annual conditions from 1991 to 2020. We calculated normal rainfall patterns for each moku over the wet (Ho‘oilo) and dry (Kau) seasons during those 30 years. To assess water availability for crops, we compared the total rainfall from the most recent wet and dry seasons to the normal values.
The following plots show rainfall deviations from normal for this year, spanning Welehu to ʻIkuwā. Each moku includes: Moku Total rainfall (in inches) from November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024 Percentage of normal: how total rainfall compares to the 1990–2020 average for the same months Departure from normal: the difference (in inches) from the normal value.
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⚠️ Less than 100% means that the region was drier than usual, which is the case for all the moku. |
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Maui
Across Maui, crops experienced significantly reduced rainfall compared to historical values. Every moku recorded below-average rainfall, ranging from 60% to 71% of normal. |
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Rainfall data from Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS). The largest departure occurred in Koʻolau, where crops on average received only 59.6 inches, 64% of the normal rainfall, falling 32.8 inches short. Similarly, Hāmākualoa and Hāna faced substantial deficits, with rainfall 60% and 65% of normal, respectively. Drier regions such as Honuaʻula and Lāhainā also struggled, receiving only 5.6 inches and 6 inches, approximately 68% and 70% of their average values.
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❓Is this information helpful? Is there something more you think we could do? Is there someone we should talk to? Reach out to us at atarano@asu.edu. |
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Molokaʻi
Crops across Molokaʻi received less rainfall than historical averages, with rainfall ranging from 64% to 72% of normal. |
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Rainfall data from Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS). The largest deficit occurred in Hālawa, where crops received 22.6 inches of rainfall, only 64% of the normal amount, leaving a shortfall of 12.4 inches. In Kona, rainfall was 65% of normal, with crops receiving just 8.2 inches, a departure of 4.3 inches. Kaluaʻaha saw slightly better conditions, with 15.3 inches (69% of normal), but still fell short by 6.7 inches. Meanwhile, Pālāʻau and Kaluaʻkoi recorded 68% and 72% of normal rainfall, with deficits of 5.4 inches and 6.9 inches, respectively.
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Lānaʻi
Between November 1, 2023 to October 31st, 2024, crops on Lānaʻi received slightly less rainfall than historical averages, with values ranging from 78% to 79% of normal. Rainfall deficits were less severe compared to other islands during the most recent wet and dry seasons. |
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💡 How have you observed water stress affecting your crops? Have you needed to increase watering, or are you planting more drought-resistant varieties? |
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💰 Opportunities Shared through Maui County Dept. of Agriculture
We’ll keep you posted on upcoming opportunities from Maui County’s Department of Agriculture. Here is what’s in store this month!
Applications close December 31st, 2024
The Seeds of Wellbeing team is seeking 10 Ag Resilience Navigators to serve Hawaiʻi's agriculture community. Recruited Resilience Navigators will serve for 1-year and receive a $2,500 stipend after completing the following requirements: 3x in-person retreats in April, July, & October (dates and locations TBD) 2x in-person networking event on O'ahu | February 27th, 2025 & September 5th, 2025 4x bi-monthly zoom sessions on the Third Thursdays 4:00pm-5:30pm Complete a pre-post evaluation survey Complete two virtual mental health trainings (QPR & CMMT)
Farmers/Ranchers who generate at least $1000 in ag related annual revenue are eligible to apply. |
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Presenting at the American Geophysical Union |
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From December 9th to 13th, our hui presented at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting, which is one of the largest science conferences. We appreciated the opportunity to catch up in-person, learn more about each other’s craft, and share with others what we love the most about our projects. |
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We shared a presentation titled Strengthening Food Security in Maui County: Integrating Earth Observations, Machine Learning, and Local Knowledge. We had so many great questions from visitors about integrating local knowledge into projects, how we collect data, and why Kaulana Mahina has become such a favorite part of the newsletter. |
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| Amber and Kehau also presented on their work: Healing & Resilience Creative Arts Summer Youth Program the Re-envisioning of Lahaina Through the Eyes Youth: Needs, Lessons Learned, and Future Hopes. Their presentation sparked a ton of engagement with the audience eager to hear more about their experiences and insights from the Healing & Resilience Creative Arts Summer Program. |
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👀 What would you like to see?We are happy to provide more detailed information that the community needs on a case-by-case, as approved by the community. Some of the previous values can be divided by your Ahupuaʻa or your zip code. You can email us at atarano@asu.edu to request information.
Have questions?Visit our website for Frequently Asked Questions or email us at atarano@asu.edu.
References
[1] Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club. Year 2025 Ancient Hawaiian Moon Calendar Related to Fishing & Farming. https://www.pkhcc.org/mooncalendar/ |
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