Graduation Year
Spring 2013
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Environmental Analysis
Reader 1
Nancy Neiman Auerbach
Reader 2
Richard Hazlett
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2012 Jade Silver
Abstract
This thesis focuses on the past, present, and future of food sustainability on Maui. It begins by explaining ancient Hawaiian agriculture and how this complex system of agriculture was deeply rooted in the customs and traditions of the Hawaiian people. The second section explores how this sustainable agricultural system changed after the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. After western settlement, land that was once a communal resource became privatized. As land ownership shifted, the traditional subsistence agricultural system of Hawai’i began to change. Export crops such as sugar cane and pineapple became more widespread. As these crops shifted the way land was utilized in Hawai’i, the islands reduced the amount of crops grown for local consumption and became increasingly reliant on imported foods. The last section stresses the necessity of increasing the production of locally grown food on Maui. It discusses the locally grown food movement that has developed on Maui, and addresses the obstacles that prevent more food from being grown locally. Lastly, it suggests strategies to increase the amount of food produced for local consumption so that Maui can secure a more sustainable agricultural future.
Recommended Citation
Silver, Jade, "Food Security on Maui: Reinventing Agriculture in the Aloha State" (2013). Scripps Senior Theses. 143.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/143
