A Farm for the Future
Former sugar plantation now producing limes,
lemons, oranges … and avocados
story by Chris Amundson
Photo by Mahi Pono
Mahi Pono employees plant lime trees on land that once grew sugar cane, now resulting in produce destined for local supermarkets.
It has been five years in the making. Where sugarcane fields once covered Central Maui, now row after row of limes, lemons, oranges and tangerines blanket thousands of acres of fertile volcanic soil.
Those orchards are finally beginning to bear fruit, and their sweet produce is showing up in stores on island: Costco, Target, Tamura’s, ABC Stores, Pukalani Superette, Takamiya Market and Down to Earth.
Sugar helped build modern Maui, but that era came to an end in 2016 when Alexander & Baldwin Co. closed its last plantation in Hawai‘i — Maui’s Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co., citing high operating costs and the decline in sugar prices.
What would become of vast swaths of Maui after the collapse of the sugar plantation? For two years, Maui waited and wondered until news broke in 2018 that a newly formed company, Mahi Pono, purchased 41,000 acres of former plantation land. Mahi Pono is a join venture between California agriculture company, Pomona Farming, LLC, and Public Sector Pension Investment Board, a Canadian pension investment manager.
In contrast to the sugar production, Mahi Pono aims to transform agriculture on Maui by building a sustainable and diversified farming system that includes fruits and vegetables. Last year, Mahi Pono delivered more than 6,000 watermelons and 2,000 pounds of onions to market under the Maui Harvest brand. Recently, limes, lemons, oranges and other fruit began appearing in stores across the Valley Isle and on neighbor islands. Mahi Pono is ramping up fast and plans to produce more than 35 million pounds of crops this year, said Shan Tsutsui, chief operating officer.
True to its mission of diversified agriculture, coming soon to market will be kale, coffee beans, macadamia nuts and avocados. Tsutsui said Maui’s soil and climate are ideal for growing avocados, which are “always in demand.” A recent test plot in the farm’s “upper fields” shows promising results for avocados. This has encouraged the company to plant 150 acres of avocados this year, with produce expected to be ready for market by 2028.
Mahi Pono’s shift to diversified agriculture is helping diversify Maui’s economy. When the sugar industry collapsed, an estimated 675 sugar mill jobs evaporated with it. That trend is beginning to turn, as Mahi Pono directly employs 350 people on Maui with plans to increase its workforce to 1,000 by 2027.
At the heart of this agricultural transformation is a desire to reduce Hawaii’s dependency on imported goods, which make up 85 percent of total consumables used in the islands. With more than 2,500 miles of North Pacific separating Hawaii from the mainland, a prolonged disruption to shipping routes could be catastrophic for Hawaii. Fortunately, with every crop planted, grown and harvested, the islands become more self-sufficient and resilient.
Who knew a few rows of limes and lemons could have such a profound effect?
‘Earth to Sky’ Takes Root
Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden hosts Hawaii’s largest art installation
by Mona de Crinis
Photo by Ryan Siphers
Some reach toward the heavens, others challenge conventional cosmology, and a few seem to eschew the very laws of physics themselves. Fashioned from metals, found materials and the extraordinary mind of internationally renowned artist Steve Tobin — creator of the 18-foot bronze, The Trinity Root, memorializing 9/11 — a sculptural wonderland invites contemplative exploration at Imua Discovery Garden.
Earth to Sky opened to the public earlier this year drawing worldwide recognition for content, cause and collaboration. On loan throughout 2024 to Imua Family Services, a Maui nonprofit agency providing child developmental services, the exhibit represents the largest individual traveling art installation in state history and the collective manifestation of good. In addition to raising vital funds for the nonprofit, this enterprising undertaking promises to cement the Wailuku Historic District in the annals of Pacific Rim public art experiences.
“I can’t imagine a better place or more perfect fit than Imua Discovery Garden where nature is revered and celebrated,” Tobin said of the groundbreaking installation.
While there was brief discussion of postponing the installation in wake of the devastating wildfires, Imua Executive Director Dean Wong emphatically disagreed. “We need you now more than ever,” he told the sculptor.
Tobin’s works are forged through a mysterious alchemy fusing science, industry, language and pantheism. Although each piece is unique in structure, material and meaning, they are threaded together with singular purpose: to reawaken us to the planet’s ever-pulsing energy — both seen and unseen.
“We’ve become immune to our surroundings. You see a tree, and you dismiss it so you can function, rather than just stand gazing at the tree in awe,” Tobin said.
Like “little windows into the environment,” Tobin’s work amplifies our ecosystem through intentional geometry designed to activate organic elements. “I find patterns in nature, and I try to visually represent essential elements so people can see the way I see,” he said.
Occupying only 5 percent of available space, his pieces appear woven into the mosaic of manicured lawns and stately monkeypod trees, enlivening rather than eclipsing Imua Discovery Garden’s pastoral setting — an enigmatic quality Wong deeply values.
The visionary behind Imua’s play- and nature-based preschool programs, Wong knows bonding with the aina can positively impact a child’s development. Bringing Tobin’s pieces to Imua Discovery Garden supports this driving ideology while shining a bright light on the nonprofit and the island as a whole.
One part fundraiser, one part art installation and two parts pure enchantment, Earth to Sky heralds the future of cultural tourism, Wong believes. As today’s conscientious visitors seek to give back rather than take from, this pioneering exhibit allows them to do both: extend a hand to Maui families and walk away with renewed appreciation for the spark of life contained within even a single leaf.
As for Tobin, he hopes his pieces embolden local artists young and old. “I’d like to meet with them, hear their ideas and concerns, and possibly curate an exhibition of Hawaiian artists that will travel to different gardens on the mainland,” he said.
At a time when Maui hungers for overall stability, Earth to Sky offers sanctuary — a much-needed opportunity for healing and growth, Wong suggested. “After the fires, I think people are looking for something uplifting like this.”
Saving Hawai‘i’s False Killer Whale
Watch for these whales, which are really dolphins, while whale watching
by Mona de Crinis
Photo by Robin W. Biard/Cascadia Research
It’s whale season — the happiest time of the year in Maui Nui waters. Vessels of all kinds, from commercial tour boats to single-person kayaks, are exploring Auau Channel in search of Maui’s most celebrated sighting: the beloved humpback whale.
While you’re enjoying that whale-watch excursion keep your eyes peeled for another, more elusive marine mammal: the false killer whale.
Scientifically named Pseudorca crassidens and sometimes referred to as “blackfish,” false killer whales aren’t whales at all but rather a large species of dolphin so named because of teeth and skull similarities to killer whales.
Highly social mammals, false killer whales form strong bonds within clusters, or pods, that travel and forage together, hunting cooperatively and sharing prey with the group. Adult females reach 16 feet; males reach 20 feet and can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Like most dolphin species, these marine mammals are intelligent, sentient ocean dwellers with a life span of approximately 60 years. Except time may run out for Hawaii’s enigmatic blackfish.
Federally listed as endangered in 2012, the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale population was in rapid decline in the early 2000s, possibly due to environmental contaminants, competition with fisheries for food and unintentional hooking.
Today, researchers believe fewer than 170 individuals remain. While exact historic population numbers are unknown, large aggregations, or clusters, in the hundreds were observed in the 1980s.
Fortunately, organizations and agencies dedicated to the protection of false killer whales work to mitigate threats and increase the likelihood of survival.
“Through our collaborative efforts and proactive measures, we strive to safeguard the future of these magnificent creatures and the delicate marine ecosystem they inhabit,” said Jens Currie, chief scientist at Pacific Whale Foundation.
The Maui-based ocean conservation nonprofit recently collaborated with the University of Hawaii Marine Mammal Research Program to successfully deploy a suction-cup CATS video tag on a false killer whale — a research first — allowing data collection of the elusive cetacean’s movements, behaviors and social interactions over time.
One campaign that has proven invaluable is enlisting the public as community scientists to help gather vital data on this often hard-to-spot marine mammal. Engaging the community means more eyes and ears on the water, Currie said, which conversely leads to an enhanced understanding of false killer whales and effective recovery management.
So, the next time you’re out on a boat scanning the horizon for pec slaps and peduncle throws, look a little harder. If that black shape in the distance materializes into a false killer whale, call the NOAA False Killer Whale Hotline immediately at 888-256-9840, option 5.
Make that upcoming whale watch a research expedition as a newly minted Maui community scientist and contribute to the recovery of this endangered species.
