Restoring ahupua‘a

Grow Good Hawaii’s mission is to restore nature and to strengthen Hawaii’s food security by implementing community-based, agroecological solutions in urban areas. We focus on urban—or human inhabited—areas because we believe in community empowerment and because these areas can connect upland nature with coastal ecosystems and the ocean. They are the “missing link” in bringing nature and abundance back from mauka to makai.

Ahupua’a: Restoring Nature, Abundance, and Relationships

In searching for answers to challenges we face in the present, we realized that they can often be found in the past. Chief among these is the ahupua‘a. The ahupua‘a is an ancient Hawaiian land division and resource management system that perfectly fits Hawai‘i’s topology in which nature—and wai (water)—flows from mountain tops through valleys and plains down to the ocean. Most, if not all, of these boundaries are still intact as “watersheds”. The ahupua‘a is a comprehensive approach that can be updated to account for modern-day urban realities. By regenerating the ‘āina (land; “that which feeds”), productive capacity, and healthy relationships that once existed in ahupua‘a across Hawai‘i Nei, we can ensure a more resilient community and a brighter future for all.