{"id":238773,"date":"2026-08-10T12:58:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T22:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=238773"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:00:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T23:00:30","slug":"hilo-gardens-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/10\/hilo-gardens-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Hilo gardens to serve as outdoor UH<\/abbr> classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>
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CTAHR<\/abbr> Dean Parwinder Grewal and Cindy Cui, CEO<\/abbr> of Nani Mau Gardens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) signed a memorandum of understanding with Nani Mau Gardens to expand agricultural education, research and community outreach on Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island. The 22-acre botanical site in Hilo will serve as an outdoor classroom and research facility for CTAHR<\/abbr> students, faculty and the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island community.<\/p>\n

“This agreement connects our academic, research, and extension programs with a magnificent botanical resource on Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island,” said CTAHR<\/abbr> Dean Parwinder Grewal. “Our students will be trained in real-world settings, while our faculty work alongside community partners to address urgent agricultural challenges facing tropical island ecosystems.”<\/p>\n

“Nani Mau has been part of Hilo\u2019s story for more than 50 years,” said Cindy Cui, CEO<\/abbr> of Nani Mau Gardens. “Working with CTAHR<\/abbr> lets us preserve this landmark while giving it a new purpose: teaching the next generation how to care for our water, our plants and our island.”<\/p>\n

More than 2,000 species of tropical plants<\/h2>\n

Founded in 1970, Nani Mau Gardens houses more than 2,000 species of tropical plants, including flowering trees, palms, fruit crops and native Hawaiian flora. Under the agreement, CTAHR<\/abbr> faculty and Cooperative Extension agents will use the botanical grounds for workshops and field research on pest management, soil health, biosecurity and plant propagation techniques suited to island microclimates.<\/p>\n

In addition to student learning, the collaboration will support workforce development across the local agricultural sector. CTAHR<\/abbr> and Nani Mau Gardens plan to host joint public events, workshops for local farmers and educational tours for school groups throughout the year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nani Mau Gardens to expand agricultural education and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":238783,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[212,265,9],"class_list":["post-238773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-cooperative-extension-service","tag-uh-manoa","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