ʻUlu Agroforestry in Hawaiʻi

Andrew Trump: Andrew is Vice President of Island Harvest Inc., an organic farm in North Kohala managing about 700 acres of macadamia nuts, and in recent years diversified with ‘ulu plantings managed using intensive silvopasture with over 1000 head of tropical hair sheep rotating through the orchard on a regular basis. Andrew has also been a board director for the Hawaii Ulu Co-op since 2018 and has helped the co-op with a number of initiatives, including assisting to develop our most recent agroforestry guide.

Noa Lincoln: Noa is a Professor of Indigenous Crops and Cropping Systems at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and the production advisor to the Hawai’i Ulu Cooperative.

Noel Dickinson: A small farmer, born and raised in Hawaii, Noel Dickinson is Coordinator for the Breadfruit Institute at National Tropical Botanical Garden. Noel attended the University of Hawaii in Hilo where she received a Plant Tissue Culture Certification in addition to a B.S. in Horticulture with specialization in Tropical Plant Science and Agroecology. Her work includes the establishment, management, and monitoring of the Regenerative Organic Breadfruit Agroforestry demonstration at McBryde Garden on the island of Kauai; as well as collaborative work to conserve the breadfruit collection across NTBG’s gardens.

Dave Sansone: Dave Sansone has 20 years of experience developing low-input and low-maintenance agroforestry systems that “let Nature do the work” to beat the weeds and increase production.  He offers consultation, design, installation, and education services to a wide range of clients.

Zach Mermel: Zach is the founder of Ola Design Group, an ecological land planning firm based on Hawai’i Island. Over the past 15 years, he has conducted more than 300 land consultations, and crafted dozens of landscape designs, across the archipelago, and also internationally.

Noeau Peralto: Dr. Noʻeau Peralto was born and raised in Waiākea Uka, Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and is a proud descendant of kūpuna from Koholālele, Hāmākua, where he now serves as the Executive Director of Hui Mālama i ke Ala ʻŪlili (huiMAU)–a grassroots, Native Hawaiian nonprofit organization whose mission is to re-establish the systems that sustain our community through place-based educational initiatives and ‘āina-centered practices that cultivate abundance, regenerate responsibilities, and promote collective health and well-being.

Harry Greene:  CIO and co-founder at Propagate Ventures, a firm that helps farmers & landowners make agroforestry work for them by balancing short-term income with long-term returns. Harry also Farms on 50 acres outside of Ithaca, New York.

Troy Keolanui, partner OK Farms: In 2002, he formed a partnership with Olson Trust to establish for O.K. Farms on the Wailuku river in Hilo, and over the past 20 years has worked to transform the property into a thriving diversified farm, eco-destination, and community site. The farm’s success has in large part been built on Troy’s vision and farming skills, his long-term relationships with local wholesalers, continuing willingness to learn and diversify, and, above all, his passion for this Hawai‘i land.