{"id":212210,"date":"2025-03-13T09:31:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T19:31:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=212210"},"modified":"2025-03-19T08:39:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T18:39:30","slug":"agroforestry-key-to-carbon-neutrality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/03\/13\/agroforestry-key-to-carbon-neutrality\/","title":{"rendered":"Agroforestry key to Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s path to carbon neutrality goal"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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A dry system at Kahaluʻu<\/span>, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island, an example of a multi-strata agroforestry system in restoration today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Converting Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s unused agricultural lands to agroforestry systems could significantly boost carbon storage on land while providing multiple benefits to local communities, according to a study by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa, Kamehameha Schools and the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.<\/p>\n

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A mesic system at Puʻulani<\/span>, Heʻeia<\/span>, Oʻahu<\/span>, an example of a multi-strata agroforestry system in restoration today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This approach could also help reduce extreme fire risks from Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s unmanaged grasslands, boost local food production and revive Indigenous and place-based land management practices—all while helping the state meet its 2045 carbon neutrality target.<\/p>\n

The study found that more than 370,000 acres of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s unmanaged agricultural land—an area roughly the size of Oʻahu<\/span>—is suitable for agroforestry under current climate conditions. Even under projected drier conditions by mid-century, almost 300,000 acres, larger than the size of Los Angeles, would remain viable.<\/p>\n

Repurposing former plantation lands<\/h2>\n
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A wet system at Honoliʻi<\/span>, Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island, an example of a multi-strata agroforestry system in restoration today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study, published in Scientific Reports<\/em><\/a>, evaluates the suitability of currently unmanaged agricultural land for transitions to agroforestry systems that combine native and other valued trees with crops and other tended products. The authors then modeled carbon storage in these systems based on the types of canopy and midstory trees present in current agroforestry systems in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. They estimate that restored systems could store 92–125 metric tons of carbon per hectare just in the above-ground vegetation, which is similar to native forests.<\/p>\n

Results suggest that three quarters of the potential restoration area would significantly increase carbon storage compared to the current land cover (mostly non-native grasslands and shrublands). They also find that benefits would be highest in areas that were previously in pineapple and sugar plantations as there is the greatest potential to increase soil carbon storage through agroforestry transitions in areas where soils have been degraded through intensive cultivation. They find that transitioning all potential areas would reduce emissions by about 42 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years, equivalent or roughly the equivalent of 100 million barrels of oil, which is about two years of oil use across the state of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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A wet system at Waip\u0101, Kauaʻi<\/span>, an example of a multi-strata agroforestry system in restoration today<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study suggests that agroforestry offers an effective natural climate solution for agricultural zoned lands that also supports local communities and food security.<\/p>\n

“Our study demonstrates the importance of Indigenous and place-based agroforestry as a multi-benefit system that can sequester carbon while also producing local food and providing a suite of other cultural, ecological and economic benefits,” said lead author Leah Bremer, associate director at the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience<\/a>, and faculty associate specialist at UHERO<\/abbr><\/a> and Water Resources Research Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The research team combined interviews with agroforestry practitioners, literature review and spatial modeling to evaluate potential carbon benefits across different rainfall zones and soil types throughout the Hawaiian Islands.<\/p>\n

Other authors on this paper are: Gina McGuire, Zoe Hastings Silao, Natalie Kurashima, Tamara Ticktin, Susan E. Crow, Christian P. Giardina, Kawika B. Winter, Nathan DeMaagd and Clay Trauernicht. This study was funded by the UH<\/abbr> Sea Grant College Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The study found that more than 370,000 acres of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s unmanaged agricultural land is suitable for agroforestry under current climate conditions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[301,197,1467,1465,1363,1314,635,1026,73,9,438,343,347],"class_list":["post-212210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-college-of-social-sciences","tag-economics","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-native-hawaiian-place-of-learning","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-sea-grant-college-program","tag-social-science","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uh-sea-grant","tag-uhero","tag-water-resources-research-center","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t