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ULANA ʻIKE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Projects for improving local food production through understanding historical methods/strategies

As part of a broader effort to catalyze a cross-Pacific regional collaborative hub integrating research, outreach, and education to advance sustainable Indigenous Aquaculture practices. The Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence partnered with Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa, Washington Sea Grant, and Alaska Sea Grant to convene a cross-regional summit bringing together diverse experts, knowledge holders, practitioners, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Northwest tribal leaders, senior and youth community members and Sea Grant outreach staff to learn about local and regional examples of traditional Indigenous Aquaculture systems. The summit was held on Oʻahu in February 2020. Over 125 Indigenous aquaculture practitioners came together representing a dozen tribal nations from the Pacific Northwest as well as Indigenous communities in Alaska, California, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Hawaiʻi, and Aotearoa. The gathering fostered relationship building and space to share knowledge and advance Indigenous aquaculture practice and methodologies.

The Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence collaborated with Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa, Kua’aina Ulu ‘Auamo, and the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center to facilitate, assess and synthesize the research needs and information gaps of loko iʻa across the Hawaiian Islands. The end result was a Loko Iʻa Needs Assessment Report which represents the first comprehensive compilation of the research ideas and needs within the community of fishpond managers, landowners, and stewardship organizations to inform adaptation of fishpond practices toward their resilience and sustainability in the face of a changing climate. The Loko Iʻa Needs Assessment has already been disseminated among place-based stewards, researchers, and policy makers in Hawaiʻi. Efforts continue to utilize this report and its findings to activate new and richer collaborations between organizations that directly care for loko ia and auxiliary supporters such as academic institutions, policy advocates, funders, food system workers, and volunteer organizations. The report was featured in Oceanography magazine (view here).

Na ʻOno o Ka ʻĀina Indigenous Foods Course Featuring the Ahupuaʻa of Heʻeia 

The Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence partnered with the Heʻeia NERR and Paepae o Heʻeia to develop a seven week course for employees in the food industry facing unemployment or reduced hours as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The course piloted distance-learning techniques, and focused on the Indigenous foods of Heʻeia including history, ecology, cultural practices, cultivation and harvesting techniques, and methods for preparing and preserving. Training instructors included Hawaiian agriculture and aquaculture practitioners from Heʻeia. Evaluation feedback from the course was highly positive with participants emphasizing that they feel more knowledgeable about Indigenous foods and comfortable working with them. 100% of course participants were interested in staying connected to Heʻeia after the course including through volunteering and sourcing ingredients.

IN THIS SECTION

Learn more about the Ulana ka ʻIke Center of Excellence

CONTACT

Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence
uhsg.ulanaike@hawaii.edu

Director
Rosie Alegado
rosie.alegado@hawaii.edu

Projects & Partnerships Coordinator
Katy Hintzen
hintzen@hawaii.edu

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