Dozens of volunteers gathered among rows of kalo (taro) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Urban Garden Center (UGC) in Pearl City for a community workday on September 8. The event combined the harvest crop with agricultural research and a commitment to feeding local families struggling with Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living.
The kalo field was grown by Jensen Uyeda, an extension agent with the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience. The plants were from several varieties: Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese and more. Those who had harvested kalo before helped the newcomers who were eager to learn.
Everyone who participated got the chance to bring home huli (kalo top), for planting, as well as corms for their own use. For example, Adam Kekaula Hanohano planned to bring Hawaiian kalo back to his farm on Oʻahu’s North Shore.
Culinary innovation, food security
UGC is also collaborating with Lauren Tamamoto from Kapiʻolani Community College Culinary Innovation Center to turn the harvested kalo into innovative, value-added products. This partnership is designed to boost food security by creating new uses for local products and integrating student-driven innovation.
Tamamoto is working with her students on product development, creating items such as a shelf-stable, freeze-dried curry with kalo cubes for emergency food, and instant hash browns. This exercise in culinary creativity helps develop new products for the Culinary Institute of the Pacific’s new restaurant.
The main portion of the harvest was set aside for donation to The Pantry, bringing the bounty of the field to the wider community. UGC has donated more than 2,000 pounds of kalo to The Pantry in the last two years.
The kalo harvest follows UGC’s cabbage harvest and green onion giveaways this summer. Since 2019, UGC has donated more than 30 tons of fresh produce—including fruits, vegetables and herbs—to The Pantry, Hawaiʻi Foodbank and Aloha Harvest to help feed local families.
