UH West O'ahu trains future sustainable food and agriculture professionals

University to offer new concentration in sustainable community food systems this fall

University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu
Contact:
Julie Funasaki Yuen, (808) 689-2604
Public Info Officer, University of Hawaii - West Oahu
Posted: Apr 13, 2015

UH West O'ahu Student Organic Garden
UH West O'ahu Student Organic Garden

KAPOLEI --- The University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu is taking an important first step in supporting Hawaiʻi’s future sustainable food agriculture professionals by offering the bachelor of applied science in sustainable community food systems this fall. This exciting multi-disciplinary program addresses the key issues of environmental quality, social equity, community food security and economic development in Hawaiʻi and beyond by providing higher education and training to support the local food and agriculture industry.

UH West Oʻahu is the only University of Hawaiʻi campus to offer the bachelor’s degree in sustainable community food systems, an experiential and applied education focused on the analysis of key ecological and social issues in the food system. The new concentration incorporates problem-based and hands-on learning to develop food system professionals capable of solving real-world problems and transitioning Hawaiʻi’s food and agriculture sector toward greater ecological sustainability and social equity. Integrated into the sustainable community food systems curriculum and located on the UH West Oʻahu campus, the UHWO Student Organic Garden serves as one of many “living laboratories” where students directly apply the theoretical knowledge taught in the classroom.

“The food system of Hawaiʻi is at a crossroads,” said UH West Oʻahu Assistant Professor of Sustainable Community Food Systems, Dr. Albie Miles. “Importing an estimated 90 percent of its food, fertilizer, energy and seed, the Hawaiian Islands are uniquely vulnerable to statewide food insecurity in the face of rapid global climate change or economic disturbances. Food insecurity and diet-related health disparities have long impacted the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities of Hawai‘i. These are but a few of the pressing issues we systematically explore in the sustainable community food systems bachelor’s degree program with the aim of training a new generation of food system professionals to think across traditional disciplinary boundaries and to actively solve current problems through work in agriculture, policy-making, planning, business, research and education.”

The bachelor of applied science in sustainable community food systems prepares students for a variety of careers including

·      Natural resource management

·      Agriculture and food policy

·      Sustainable inputs and value-added food businesses

·      Social enterprise and non-profit organization management

·      Certified organic agriculture production and research

·      Social work

·      K-12 education and more.

The concentration was developed in partnership with Kamehameha Schools’ ʻĀina-Based Education Department and the Waiʻanae Coast’s MAʻO Organic Farms. Funding from Kamehameha Schools was used for sustainable community food systems academic program development, to conduct a food system assessment of Oʻahu, and in support of the UHWO Student Organic Garden. Bi-weekly weekend “work parties” are held in the garden where students, faculty and staff come together to prepare soil, build compost, plant fruit trees, install irrigation, sow seed, weed and harvest.

“We’re excited to continue our collaboration with UHWO on the Sustainable Community Food Systems program,” said Director of Kamehameha Schools ʻĀina-Based Education Department, Dr. Brandon Ledward. “From a Hawaiian perspective, food is social, cultural, political, economic, and spiritual. As such, it is best approached from a systems-perspective. This new concentration – and the career pathways it supports – will increase our community’s capacity to understand, to engage with, and to innovate solutions to our food system that honor our natural resources and native culture.”

MAʻO Organic Farms is a key UH West Oʻahu community partner and was instrumental in the sustainable community food systems program development, providing valuable input about sustainable organic farming that serves the Native Hawaiian community and is based on traditional practices. Qualified West Oʻahu area students receive college stipends in exchange for working on the Waiʻanae farm as part of MAʻO’s Youth Leadership Training Program.

To apply to UH West Oʻahu, visit uhwo.hawaii.edu/admissions, call (808) 689-2900 or email uhwo.admissions@hawaii.edu. The fall 2015 application deadline is July 1. For more information about the UH West Oʻahu bachelor of applied science in sustainable community food systems, visit the UH West Oʻahu sustainable community food systems web page.

Established in 1976, the University of Hawaiʻi - West O‘ahu offers quality education, small classes and personalized attention with academic programs that emphasize the exploration of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural studies. UH West O‘ahu serves approximately 2,700 students at its brand new, state-of-the-art campus that opened in the City of Kapolei in 2012. For more information, visit www.uhwo.hawaii.edu, call (808) 689-2800 or toll-free (866) 299-8656. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Kamehameha Schools is a private, educational, charitable trust founded and endowed by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Kamehameha Schools operates a statewide educational system enrolling over 6,900 students of Native Hawaiian ancestry at K-12 campuses on Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi and 30 preschools statewide. Over 40,400 additional learners and caregivers are served each year through a range of other Kamehameha Schools outreach programs, community collaborations and financial aid opportunities in Hawaiʻi and across the continental United States. Income generated from its endowment portfolio of Hawaiʻi real estate and other investments funds the Schools’ educational mission. Nā Mamo Mahi‘ai – Growing Farmers is a goal set through the 2009 Kamehameha Schools’ land legacy Strategic Agricultural Plan. More information can be found at www.ksbe.edu.