Our VICTree Gardens Program, or Virtually Interconnected Community Tree Gardens, started eight years ago when we took a closer look through the lens of disaster preparedness at our communities to measure our resilience to natural and man-made disasters. The program derives wisdom from relationships we have with Native Elders, scientists, mothers, and others in our community, and and offers a practical, achievable, dependable and localized solution: small tree gardens planted in yards, and the ability to virtually connect them all. Each of these Tree Gardens can create a perennial food forest designed to provide emergency nourishment for a family of four for four to six days in the event of a natural disaster.<\/p>\n For the past several years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)<\/strong> and the U.S. Office of International Affairs (OIA)<\/strong> have contracted with\u00a0M. Kalani Souza,<\/strong> Olohana founding director, and Olohana partner, Agroforestry Net\u2019s Craig Elevitch,<\/strong> as instructors to teach breadfruit agroforestry. They have traveled throughout Polynesia, Micronesia, U.S. affiliate islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands as instructors.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Working with 100 communities in Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, U.S.-affiliated islands, and internationally, in commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of Victory Gardens, we will plant 10,000 food forests and conduct a national indigenous phenology study.\u00a0It is a proposal to the MacArthur Foundation for their 2016 100&Change challenge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 2015 Olohana initialized two food forest installations: a demonstration site in Waimea for Kanu O Ka ‘Aina Learning Ohana Charter School<\/strong> and a breadfruit heritage food forest for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)<\/strong> 2016 conference Hawaii in Kaiholena in partnership with Hawaii National Park Service Ala Kahakai Trail Association.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Olohana partners with Micronesian Executive Leadership Initiative,<\/a> University of Hawaii at Manoa Shidler College of Business,<\/a> Agroforestry Net,<\/a> <\/strong>and Intertribal Counc<\/strong>il on Utility Policy<\/a><\/strong> to create local food and renewable energy micro-hubs for community self-sufficiency and economic development and opportunity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Olohana works with ten farms on the Big Island to establish food forest farms, from \u00bc acre homesteads to large commercial farms, some are well established as organic, polycultured farms and others Olohana assists in transitioning from coffee and mac nut monocrops to breadfruit agroforests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Breadfruit\/Ulu Initiative is a multi-pronged project. While food production using traditional growing practices of the Pacific Islands and tropics is the project’s first objective, energy production is part of the equation. Using plant byproducts and new technology, the Breadfruit\/Ulu Initiative will produce micro-energy hubs for local consumption and area distribution. Olohana partners with the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii, Intertribal Council on Utility Policy, Agroforestry Net,<\/strong> and others in the development of this initiative.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Breadfruit](\"http:\/\/olohana.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/breadfruit-by-ap2il-Flickr.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nVICTREE GARDENS: HOMEGROWN FOOD SECURITY<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n
BREADFRUIT AGROFORESTRY INSTRUCTION
\n& TRAINING\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/a><\/p>\n10,000 HOMEGROWN FOODFORESTS<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
BREADFRUIT HERITAGE FOOD FORESTS LIVING DEMONSTRATION SITES, HAWAII<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>BREADFRUIT\/ULU INITIATIVE: FOOD & ENERGY MICRO-HUBS<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>FOOD FOREST DEVELOPMENT\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\nEnergy Systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n
BREADFRUIT\/ULU INITIATIVE: FOOD & ENERGY MICRO-HUBS<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Community Economic Development<\/strong><\/h2>\n
ULU INITIATIVE: FOOD & ENERGY MICRO-HUBS<\/strong><\/h4>\n