The Kohala Center…….Planting Piko: Experimenting with Agroforestry as a Community, plus Opportunities/Events

Planting Piko: Experimenting with Agroforestry as a Community
What does it take to grow forests together as a community? In February, farmers and community members from Waimea, Puʻukapu, Kawaihae, and Kohala, joined us at Keawewai as we planted phase two of our Native Forest Starter Kit trials, focused on establishing an agroforestry (growing food and forest plants together) experiment site.

Six circular “piko” were created as sites for experimental planting where native forest trees and shrubs could be interspersed with Hawaiian kō (sugarcane) varieties. Diverse perspectives from the farmers, foresters, and community members planting together helped to inform decisions around the unique arrangement of the plants at each piko while strengthening the bonds between the kānaka planting them. “Kō is strong against the wind, but only in the direction they’re used to having the wind blow,” shared one Puʻukapu farmer. “When the wind blows the other way, all the kō break; that’s what guided where we put the kō in our piko.” Another planter reflected: “I felt like the kō could act like a backboard, bouncing the moisture from the mist and fog that runs through here back onto the other plants.”

Will one placement of kō lead to healthier forest plants? Will the relative placement of trees and shrubs to create the conditions for some piko to grow faster than others? Our team will continue to care for these piko and kilo to see what the different planting styles can teach us. “Today makes me excited to go home and experiment with how I plant on my own ʻāina!” said one farmer. This excitement for planting native forests is exactly what we hope our Native Forest Starter Kits will continue to inspire across North Hawaiʻi.

ʻAwa and Aloe: A Propagation Practice Shared
We returned to Nāmoku and Kaukamōlī, Hāmākua, for one of our biggest Lā ʻAwa gatherings yet. Together with Kanaka Kava, we hosted over 65 participants, immersed in every stage of ʻawa cultivation from harvesting, preparing, processing, and planting.

One of the most memorable moments of the day came through a shared experiment in propagation. Two kūpuna present, introduced a technique using the sap of aloe to seal the freshly cut ends of ʻawa nodes. “The aloe helps prevent excess water and air from entering the cuttings,” one of them explained—an important step in reducing the risk of root rot. By implementing this method, each ʻawa node is given the best chance to survive as it begins to establish itself. It was a powerful reminder of how ʻike kūpuna continues to guide and evolve our practices—supporting mahiʻai of all experience levels, from the most seasoned farmers to first-time planters.

In total, 562 ʻawa nodes were propagated, and over 250 ʻawa plants were gifted to community members to take home—offering a way to continue their learning journeys and, in time, to reciprocate that learning within their own communities.