Journal Article
Co-Production of Knowledge at Sumida Farm Trains a New Generation of Community-Engaged Scientists
Jennifer Engels; Barbara Bruno; Emi Suzuki; Kyle Suzuki; Henrietta Dulai; Mackenzie Manning; Donn Viviani; Kekuʻiapōiula Keliipuleole; Brandon Dela Cruz; Kathy Ho; Kyle Kila; Tehani Malterre; Ariel Thepsenavong; Leah Bremer; Christopher Wada; Sheree Watson; Ahmed Elshall; Aida Arik; Kimberly Burnett
Oceanography · Vol. 37, Issue 1 · pp. 38-39 · 2024
Abstract
The Sumida watercress farm near Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor), O‘ahu has been in continuous operation since 1928. This family-run farm (Figure 1a) produces 70% of the state’s watercress crop, making it critical to Hawai‘i’s food production. The farm’s watercress relies completely on water from freshwater springs. However, the amount of water flowing from the springs has declined by half over the last century as a result of groundwater pumping, climate change, and other drivers (Oki, 2005). Mo‘olelo (oral histories) published in Hawaiian language newspapers from 1834 to 1948 document the springs’ use for agriculture and recreation by Hawaiian ali‘i (chiefs) for more than 1,000 years (Engels et al., 2020).