agriculture

The program moves to Maui on Dec. 15, and Friday is the deadline to register. Each participant can anonymously dispose of up to 250 pounds. Adam Williams with the Department of Agriculture urged Maui farmers and businesses to turn over old pesticides, free of charge.

The state Department of Agriculture is collecting old pesticides to ensure they're disposed of safely; insight on caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease in Hawaiʻi; and a new documentary on the ʻakikiki, or Kauaʻi honeycreeper.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival wrapped up over the weekend on the Big Island. But as HPR’s Krista Rados reports, this harvest season marks more than just tasty coffee. Top of mind were the hardships that Kona farmers face with labor shortages and environmental concerns on a day-to-day basis.

Every year, Maui resident Lauryn Rego and her family go seven days using 100% locally sourced food. That means substituting a lot of staples like bread and rice — even cooking oil. The Eat Local Challenge seeks to raise awareness of the local alternatives, support Hawaiʻi farmers, and increase sustainability. HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol has more.

Right now nearly 90% of Hawaiʻi’s food is imported, but Oʻahu resident Sasha Leitner hopes her new business, Hawaii Greens Freight Farms, can help change that.

The latest on Ramona Okumura, a former Hawaiʻi resident and humanitarian worker stuck in Gaza; Resident safety amid a fire in a remote area of Mililani; A U.S. Department of Agriculture plan to spread non-native seeds on the burned landscapes on Maui; The benefits of freight farming; Today's edition of "StoryCorps: The Military Voices Initiative"

Hana Hou Hawaiʻi Chocolate

The move is 20 years in the making. A state law known as Act 90, which passed in 2003, allowed about 100,000 acres of Department of Land and Natural Resources farmland in pasture to move to the Department of Agriculture. But before this year, only 19,000 acres had been transferred. HPR's Mark Ladao has more.

If you know Oʻahu farmer Gabe Sachter-Smith, you know he’s bananas for bananas. Sachter-Smith started studying the fruit when he was 14 years old. Today, he's the owner of Hawaii Banana Source, an organic farm on the North Shore.

Gov. Josh Green gives updates on Maui and Gaza; Alliance Francaise classical music show; Banana Festival in Waimea Valley