Rice Cultivation on the Big Island

[MarkP]

You lost me at "irrevocable", considering that these islands all started out as smoking slag heaps, courtesy of Pele. I will admit though that I don't want to try the experiment of starting over considering how long the first go around took.

[JWFITZ]

I guess when I use the word irrevocable I mean it in the sense of the common usage, meaning "unchangable/correctable,remediable" within the psychological perspective of the human species, and an imaginable amount of time from the human perspective. I would assume most would find that usage sensible. Taking the time frame few of 100s of millions of years is quite another thing, and makes every topic on this forum utterly pointless.

[AlohaSteven]

"rice cultivation...If so, then which sorts of varieties and where?"


Well, now we know rice has grown on the Big Island in the past and could again.

Does anyone know if viable rice seed stock is even available on the Big Island if a person wants to grow a small patch in their back yard? Are there USDA or Hawaii plant inspection agency approved sources for rice seed? If one wants to bring a handful of viable rice seed in from elsewhere then what sorts of flaming hoops need to be jumped through to do it properly, all legal and suchlike?

I mentioned the best rice I've ever eaten was a dark purple variety grown in small patches, by hand, on the island of Bali. To talk story for a moment, the occasion was my 18th birthday and local friends there were throwing the Balinese equivalent of a luau for me, with a roast pig and everything. One of the best birthdays ever. The rice was very special and rare even there because for a long time the government had been pressuring folks to abandon the diverse traditional strains of rice and switch over to varieties which needed machine processing, fertilizers, herbicides for weed control, and so on. The advantage to the govt was that the yields were bigger from the Green Revolution rice strains so more people could be fed (in theory, if all the rest of the infrastructure had been there and distribution was equitable) and larger harvest totals could be boasted in Soviet-style fashion. Plus which, the contracts for all those petrochemical-based chemicals and machines (the seed-heads of these rice hang on really tight so they can be machine-harvested) and mills tended to concentrate wealth in the hands of the elite. The disadvantage to the local folks was in losing crop diversity (and therefore pest resilience and a wider range of nutrients) and control over their own diets. They needed to grow white rice to sell to earn money to pay for the stuff needed to grow and process the white rice and then buy food (!) with cash left over from all that. There was, of course, resistance to doing anything so backward and contrary to common sense and self-interest. The government sent in the military to burn the fields of farmers who dared to defy the orders to grow only the high-yield hybrid white polished rices. So, the traditional dark purple rice I was served for my 18th birthday, cooked with skin on (not polished), was not only special in terms of nutrition and taste but also in terms of rarity and risk involved in its production.

If I could get ahold of some viable seed from that same dark purple rice on Bali, then I'd sure like to try growing some. Delicious.

So, anyone know where to buy viable rice seed to grow plants, or failing that, what the process is to bring viable seed in and give it a try?

[Liz]

Steve, Keep us posted on what you find out about this small rice cultivation. I find it a fascinating topic. That purple rice story was great - what a special treat for your birthday. Wish I could taste it someday, too.

Buzz, Thanks for that link.

aloha, Liz

"The best things in life aren't things."

[AlohaSteven]

Here is an update, Liz.

Awhile back I made a call to the Master Gardeners at the UH Agricultural Extension Service (they are available to answer questions 9am to noon on Tuesdays and Fridays). The question was taken and a Master Gardener called me back today. She gave me the link to the useful article we had already found (definitely worth reading if you have not already done so - "Reign of Rice" by Wanda A. Adams at http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/articl...taste.html ) along with this new link to a brief yet informative site, also worth reading:
Rice Growing Instructions
http://www.organicaseed.com/rice.html

To find starter seed or rice plants already here in Hawaii, her suggestion was to check at bazaars associated with Japanese churches and scout around the places on the islands mentioned in the Adams article, looking for volunteer plants which have gone wild and survived overlooked in areas not long since already paved over Waikiki-style. Good suggestions, both. She referred me to the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture for information beyond those links and suggestions.

I called the Dept. of Agriculture and was referred back to the UH Ag Extension Service by the front desk for answers to questions regarding cultivation, but put through to a worker in Plant Quarantine for answers to my questions regarding seed and plant importation. A worker at Plant Quarantine said that if rice seed or plants can be located already in the Hawaiian Isles, then it is OK to bring them to the Big Island and grow them here. If a person wants to import rice seed from California, Louisiana, or anywhere else inside the USA then this, too, is OK as long as the words "Plant Material - May Be Opened For Inspection" are clearly written on the outside of the package. If insects or other problems are found on inspection the rice seed shipment from inside the USA shipment will be destroyed, otherwise it will be passed through. The regulations are different for actual rice plants than for viable rice seed: she says rice plants may not be imported except by permit, an application for which is available via this site http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/pq/permit

Regarding the permitting process for importing rice seeds or rice plants originating outside of the USA, I was referred to the United States Department of Agriculture on Oahu. A worker there courteously took the details of my question and says she will research the question and get back to me with a reply.

It occurs to me that while there may be some benefits to testing stains of rice imported from afar (that delicious dark purple Balinese rice comes to mind) there is always a risk associated with any importation. Even completely healthy germplasm and plants free of transmissible viruses, fungi, insects can turn out to precipitate unanticipated cascades of consequences. If there are indeed existing strains of rice surviving in the Hawaiian wild from the old days, or carefully nurtured in private gardens or hillside terrace farm patches, then it would be wonderful to amplify the available stock such that locals who want to test the cultivation of small plots at their sites may do so without needing to resort to bringing in seed from elsewhere. A practical advantage of this Hawaiian-local approach is that any strains still alive locally after all these decades would probably have evolved in subtle ways, developing adaptations to best resist local pests, thrive in local soils, and physiologically tolerate the local wet-dry monsoon cycle and light-dark day-length regime.

When I hear back from the USDA worker on Oahu I'll pass along that information.

If anyone knows any elderly gardeners who might know of existing rice seed and plant stocks in the islands, then please do ask them about this this topic. Even their best guess as to where to go and look for rice plants which have gone wild could be very useful ...and who knows but that someone might have been quietly nurturing along a plot for decades.

[Liz]

Thanks for the info, Steve. Lots to think on here.

It does makes great sense to find a local strain to expand on. Let's all keep our eyes open while we're out and about - maybe one of us will find a small treasure trove that's been quietly thriving either on its own in the wild, or in someone's secluded garden. Yeah, and ask the elders in our neighborhoods, too.

aloha, Liz

"The best things in life aren't things."

[AlohaSteven]

The gal with USDA on Oahu has been out ill, alas. She was really nice when I spoke with her on the phone; I hope she recovers soon.

A coworker taking her calls chatted with me today. He gave me some names of people and organizations to contact and made a call himself. Very helpful.

The fellow with APHIS in Oahu says importation of rice seed or seedlings from overseas into Hawaii by private individuals is prohibited. In order to obtain a permit one would need to be working in conjunction with a government agency and/or university research program, in practical reality. For Hawaii the most likely candidate turns out to be the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, located on the Big Island.

I contacted the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center. A worker there wrote "I don’t know of anyone raising rice on the Big Island. However, I am by no means an expert in rice. Perhaps, the University of Hawaii may have some insights on where you might get some old time rice strains or cultivars" ...and kindly forwarded the request to a person hopefully in the know at UH.

Meanwhile, back on Oahu, the helpful fellow at APHIS wrote again saying "Anoai Awakea! Good evening! I found a possible source of a variety of rice grown here in Hawaii. The farm is on the island of Kauai....I called the farm to save you the time and found out they do not grow rice anymore and in fact are looking for seed too, for
a sweet variety. As far as this farmer knows no one in Hawaii raises
rice commercially. I'm waiting to hear from a private agriculture research corporation to give me leads to Mainland sources but you should know who the Mainland growers are - yes/no? It looks as though you may have to start with a variety or hybrid developed outside of Hawaii first and then continue to search for a way to get the purple variety later. Maybe you should connect with this Kauai grower and the both of you could work together and get some help. I have learned that government agencies pay more attention to stakeholders who make request as a group than as individuals. Good luck and let me know if you have any success."

The folks with whom I've spoken and emailed back and forth at UH Ag Extension, the Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture, the USDA/APHIs, and at the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center have all been so friendly and helpful.

The answer to the APHIS fellow's question "you should know who the Mainland growers are - yes/no?" is a qualified "yes." My brother-in-law comes from one of the largest rice-farming families in California and a friend of mine is a professor at Tulane, so I am sure I can have some viable rice seed mailed over from the mainland to test in trial plots when the time comes, but I'd still rather locate strains which have been under cultivation in Hawaii for decades and so are likely well-adapted to local conditions and somewhat pest-resistant.



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"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

Pres. John Adams, Scholar and Statesman


"There's a scientific reason to be concerned and there's a scientific reason to push for action. But there's no scientific reason to despair."

NASA climate analyst Gavin Schmidt

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[james weatherford]

Rice, as pointed out, was previously cultivated here, including in Waipio Valley.
On a hike into Waipio about 8+ years ago, we got a ride in a truck going down. He was headed to work there. Said that he understood folks living over in the next valley were growing some rice. Anybody been there?

My experience with rice: two years in the Peace Corps, Philippines; including visiting IRRI a few times.
'Lowland' -- wet -- rice, should grow most places wet land taro will.
But, the real opportunity (birds, bugs, beasts, bacteria, etc permitting) is 'upland rice' -- no standing water required.
IRRI has some upland rice varieties that have be raised in Cuba. My lazy, do-nothing self has not yet tried to get any seed.
Reckon it is worth a try and will be doing so when we get situated with our land at Pahoa (there is actually soil there!).

Certainly, root crops like taro and sweet potato tend to produce more calories per land area than grain crops; and roots are good sources of minerals like calcium and phosphorous.
However, protein and some amino acids fall off considerably, relative to whole grain.
Have eaten some nice, but very small, potatoes grown in Volcano. But, at lower elevations where sugar was grown? Anybody had good success?

Here is a grain that we need to really to look closely at: Maize -- a.k.a., "corn", and not 'sweet corn', but the dry grain.
Grows where rice and potatoes will not. Produces up to 3 crops/yr. High nutrition. Easier than rice to harvest and mill.


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[Kapohocat]

Hey Dr J i hear you might be down the road a bit from us in the enchanted forest!

[james weatherford]

quote:

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Originally posted by Kapohocat

Hey Dr J i hear you might be down the road a bit from us in the enchanted forest!

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Enchanted forest?

Our land is just makai of Pahoa, ~0.40 mi off the bypass.
...zat what u meant?

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park