Programs and Initiatives

National USDA Initiatives and Their Lead Contacts

Animal Waste Management (Glen Fukumoto)

Has been approved by ECOP and ESCOP as a national initiative. This initiative will be an integrated program, with involvement of extension, research, cooperative agencies, and other organizations vitally interested in the topic.

 

Child Care (Dana Davidson)

Reaches the full continuum of children---infants and toddlers, pre-school, school age, and out-of-school-time for teens---in a variety of settings. Child care includes many cross-cutting societal issues involving education, economics, environment, and employment.

 

Children, Youth And Families At Risk (CYFAR)-State Strengthening Grant (Carol Ikeda)

Supports comprehensive, intensive, community-based programs developed with active citizen participation in all phases to assure that critical needs of children and families are met. The initiative promotes building resiliency and protective factors in youth, families and communities.

 

Community Resources Economic Development (Alton Arakaki)

Program is to facilitate economic growth in rural areas to (1) enhance economic security for rural families, and (2) preserve and promote the lifestyle and values of rural communities.

 

Diversity (Ruddy Wong and Lynn Nakamura-Tengan)

Cooperative Extension will increase and sustain the diversity of the System's workforce including leadership, to better reflect the diversity of the population of the Nation, States, and territories.

 

4-H National Technology Corps (Claire Nakatsuka)

Provides opportunities for 4-H/Youth to acquire skills and knowledge for using computer technology to access information and strengthen networking.

 

4-H Expansion-Urban And Rural (Carol Ikeda)

Programs are directed to metropolitan areas of over 50,000 population with emphasis on urban youth from low-income and minority families. 4-H rural community development programs relate to the subject community development and are to be carried out in rural areas with less than 50,000 population.

 

Grandparents Raising Children (Rhonda Yoshino)

Involves networking amongst agencies and organizations to address issues and concerns related to the dramatic increases in the number of children living with and being cared for by their grandparents.

 

Healthy People…Healthy Communities (Naomi Kanehiro)

A national initiative of the Cooperative Extension System in partnership with the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) with the mission of promoting the capacity of individuals, families, and communities to increase healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices and make informed choices.

 

Managing Change In Agriculture

Helps people in the agricultural sector--producers, families, agribusinesses and rural communities--respond positively to a large number of significant changes in agricultural and natural resource industries. As a national educational initiative of the Cooperative Extension System, it builds on the innovative, educational programs already underway in several states and commits a significant share of the System's resources to help people understand change and develop creative strategic responses.

 

Risk Management Education (Kent Fleming)

Teaches producers how to understand and better manage the risk that is inherent in all agricultural production. Producers learn how to use practical risk management tools and adopt a process for thinking broadly and effectively about risks and making better economic decisions, based on their individual risk-bearing preferences and capabilities.

 

Small Farm Program (Hector Valenzuela)

To improve the income levels and the economic viability of the small farm enterprises through partnerships with the Land Grant System, public and private sectors by encouraging research, extension and education programs that meet the specific needs of small farmers.

 

Work Force Preparation: Preparing Citizens For Job Flexibility And Effectiveness (Helene Zeug)

An initiative designed to help people make the transition from school to work, welfare-to-work, and work-to-work in ways that contribute to the economic stability of communities, enhance the financial security and quality of life for individuals and families, and strengthen the pool of competent employees.

 

Y2K Preparation (Scott Campbell)

Year 2000 contingency planning is the process of anticipating how and when systems may fail or face disruptions as a result of Y2K-induced problems.

 

Expanded Food And Nutrition Education Program-EFNEP (Naomi Kanehiro)

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), in collaboration with community agencies, offers consumer nutrition life skills education for limited income families with young children. Focus areas include the food guide pyramid, safe food handling, managing food budgets and resources, meal planning, food shopping, food preparation methods, and recipe basics.

 

Farm Safety (Loren Gautz)

Hawaii's Farm Safety Extension Program will increase farm safety awareness and adoption of safe farming practices and reduce the number of farm injuries, fatalities, and occupational illnesses.

 

Food Safety And Quality (Aurora Hodgson)

From FY 1999-2001, CTAHR will support the National Food Safety Initiative through its research and education activities to minimize the incidence of food borne risks by promoting the development, transfer and implementation of new technologies and safe food production and handling practices for the commercial food industry from producers to processors, wholesalers, distributors, food service and retailers, and consumers.

 

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (Ron Mau)

Pests and diseases remain significant bottlenecks in maintaining the economic viability of the diversified agricultural sector. Highest priorities for the IPM program in Hawaii are integrated pest management implementation on 75 percent of crop acres and IPM education.

 

National Agricultural Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (NAPIAP) (Barry Brennan)

The goal of the Pesticide Impact Assessment Program (PIAP) is to (1) provide information describing the role, benefits, and costs of agricultural pesticides and alternative pest control options in order to promote accurate, timely analysis of pesticide regulatory and policy options, and (2) to develop and maintain an index to pesticide uses for products licensed for sale in Hawaii.

 

The pesticide impact assessment program is to provide the most objective and accurate data available for defining and evaluating benefits and risks of selected pesticides having critical agricultural and forestry uses.

 

Pesticide Applicator Training Program (PAT) (Charles Nagamine; Barry Brennan)

The goal of the Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) program is to promote pesticide safety and risk mitigation through education and training. The PAT program helps assure the proper, effective, and safe use as well as storage and disposal of pesticides. Private and commercial applicators are assisted in meeting the initial and continuing standards of certification to apply Restricted Use Pesticides.

 

The pesticide applicator training program helps assure the proper, effective, and safe use as well as storage and disposal of pesticides. Applicators are assisted in meeting the initial and continuing standards of certification to apply restricted use of pesticide and address adverse risks associated with pesticide misuse.

 

Renewable Resources Extension Act (RREA) (Samir El-Swaify)

CTAHR's Renewable Resources Extension performance plan over the next four years addresses several GPRA objectives and performance goals (over the next four years) with a primary focus on tropical forestry extension in cooperation with sister state and federal agencies, and the Hawaii Forests and Communities Initiative. It will also encompass a three year forestry program with support from the Fund for Rural America (FRA). RREA's locus will be the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. This new department will become CTAHR's custodian of forestry and range activities.

 

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension (SARE) (Richard Bowen)

The Hawaii Sustainable Agriculture program is to develop, transfer, and promote the adoption of efficient and sustainable agricultural, forestry, and other resource conservation policies, programs, technologies, and practices that ensure ecosystems integrity and biodiversity.

 

Water Quality (Carl Evensen)

The Hawaii Water Quality Extension program is a comprehensive effort involving the activities of agents, specialists, researchers, and staff throughout CTAHR. These activities include crop nutrient management, livestock waste management, pollution control and risk assessment, "drinking water safety", public policy development, and environmental education.

 

Animal Waste Management (Glen Fukumoto / Mike Duponte)

Island ecosystems are subject to rapid environmental degradation due to a limited buffering capacity and rapid nutrient cycling. Limited landmass and relatively close proximity of livestock and dairy operations to populated areas create problems in dealing with animal wastes. This initiative combines research and extension activities to do demonstration research on uses of animal wastes as fertilizer. The project also incorporates green wastes as appropriate.

 

Enhancing Taro Production in Hawaii (Alton Arakaki / Jim Silva / Janice Uchida)

This initiative began as a rapid response to a critical disease problem that was impacting up to 90% of some farmers' crops. This initiative is determining information to reduce the incidence of disease and to improve nutrient management and other practices for this Polynesian staple. Impacts include alteration of decades old practices that resulted in increased production and the savings of thousands of dollars through reduced fertilizer costs. Because this crop is traditionally grown in submerged conditions near waterways or streams, other efforts are aimed at minimizing the negative effects on water quality.

 

Fruit and Vegetable Education (Julia Zee)

A team of extension faculty is working with research and education to encourage consumers to increase their consumption of locally grown produce. Focus groups were conducted to help assess vegetable preferences and factors that influence vegetable intake among the target audiences. Results of the focus group interviews showed that participants knew the importance of eating fruits and vegetables; thus, educational programs will focus on "how to include more fruits and vegetables to increase the number of servings consumed."

 

Measuring Successes/Outcomes (Dana Davidson)

This initiative focuses on outcome measurements in two CES programs, the Family Community Education (FCE) Program and the 4-H Program. The objectives of this initiative are to measure the effectiveness of training CES staff and volunteers to use outcome measures, to develop culturally sensitive measures of program effectiveness for use with Hawaii's diverse ethnic mix, to demonstrate an increase in collaboration between CES staff and stakeholders, and to apply outcome measurements developed at the state and national levels. 4-H in Hawaii has been randomly selected to participate in a national impact assessment through the University of Arizona to provide national baseline data on 4-H programs.

 

Papaya Education (Mel Nishina)

Until the papaya ring spot virus nearly wiped out the industry, Hawaii farmers enjoyed a market share of nearly 80% of the U.S. papaya market. The industry is being revived due to the introduction of a genetically enhanced, ring spot virus resistant papaya, UH Rainbow. As a result, hundreds of acres of new papaya plantings are being installed. This initiative is transferring research-derived material through an extension program designed to meet the needs of new papaya farmers.

 

Tropical Fruit Industry Development (Mike Nagao)

One of the niches available to Hawaii is the production of tropical fruits both for local consumption and export markets. An industry analysis is currently being completed, and further input is currently being sought from the industry prior to the adoption of new projects in this area.

Revised: November, 1999

CTAHR's Cooperative Extension Service programs, conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are provided to the people of Hawaii without regard to race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The University of Hawaii is an equal opportunity / affirmative action institution.