Kokua Learning Farm - Agroforestry Orchard

We partnered with Kokua Hawaii Foundation and received a grant from Kaulunani Urban Forestry Program to develop an Agroforestry Orchard at the Kokua Learning Farm in Haleiwa. The first planting took place in February 2022 with high school interns. This system incorporates a series of mounded 85’ long tree rows spaced 7’ apart. The citrus are planted on alternating rows, while the row in between them is comprised of fast growing species including papaya, pigeon pea, and cassava. These are considered edible service rows that establish a preferred microclimate for the citrus and produce fast yielding fruit , tubers, and peas. Each row is heavily mulched and incorporates a diversity of ground covers, pollinators, and perennial vegetables. In between the rows we trialed a variety of cover crops. The buckwheat provided the quickest forage source for the hungry bees, the sunn hemp also provided good pollinator forage, and the piper sudan provided nearly 7 months of mulch after repeated mowing events. This helped keep the pathways free of invasive weeds while building soil at the same time.