Contents

1.0 Organic Farming; An Overview of the Organic Farming Industry in Hawaii
1.1 Contents
1.2 Introduction
1.3 What is Organic Farming?
1.4 What is Organic Certification?
1.5 Principles of Organic Farming
1.6 The Certification process
2.0 Organic Standards for Certification
2.1 Prohibited Substances
2.2 Record Keeping
2.3 Management Plan
2.4 The Organic Market
2.5 The Japan Market
2.6 Barriers to Organic Farming According to a Grower Survey in the Continental U.S. Survey of Organic Farmers in the USA, 1993
2.7 Organic Market Factoids
3.0 Organic Farming Research in Hawaii
4.0 Resources
4.1 Certification Guidelines
4.2 Resources and Educational Materials
4.3 Videos Available
4.4 Selected Web Sites
4.5 Retail Markets in Hawaii
4.51 Oahu
4.52 Hawaii
5.53 Maui
4.54 Kauai
5.0 Research belief: Effect of Seaweed Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture
5.1 Methods
5.2 Results and Discussion
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Literature Cited
5.5 Product description provided by Distributor
6.0 Additional Resources
6.1 Farmer References for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
6.2 Weed Control
6.3 Pests, Insects, and Diseases
6.4 Soil Fertility Management
6.5 Managing Cover Crops Profitably
6.6 General References - Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture
6.7 Acknowledgments and Sources of Information

 

Introduction
Organic farming, the practice of growing crops without
the application of synthetic chemicals, is a well estab-lished
industry throughout the world, and Wall Street is
paying notice (Business Week, Oct. 6, 1997). Over the
past 20 years the industry has gained popularity in Eu-rope,
Japan, New Zealand, Australia, in the U.S., and in
many other countries. In the U.S., even though the or-ganic
industry is still relatively small, it increased in size
by over 20% annually during this decade. The increased
popularity of organics has run parallel to the greater
consumer awareness concerning the health and environ-mental
risks involved with conventional agriculture- an
industry that is highly dependent on synthetic pesticide
and fertilizer inputs. As a result several countries, in-cluding
South Korea, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and
the Netherlands have made goals toward >50% pesti-cide
use reduction in agriculture. The development of
organic practices for the intensive production of horti-cultural
crops is less-well established in the tropics than
in temperate areas. However, information borrowed from
temperate regions can be added to the rich indigenous
knowledge that exists in the tropics to develop organic
or nature farming practices that are adapted to local environmental
conditions. The potential exists in Hawaii
to develop a strong organic industry that becomes internationally
recognized, which may provide an additional
lure for tourists that arrive from regions where a high
environmental consciousness exists (such as Europe,
Canada, Japan, and the Western U.S). In many parts of
the world and in the US, growers are gaining competi-tive
advantages in their markets with ‘eco-labels’ and
with other similar environmentally-friendly marketing
schemes. Another benefit of organic locally-grown pro-duce
is that the consumer tends to become more famil-iar
with local food security issues, gains a greater ap-preciation
for the need to preserve natural resources, and
becomes better informed about the relationships that
exist between the food distribution system, human health
and the environment.

What is Organic Farming?
Organic farming is a form of agriculture which does not
use synthetic inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers
because of the disruptive effects that the synthetic chemi-cals
can cause on the ecological balance considered es-sential
to maintain a sustainable system indefinitely.
Organic farming thus differs from other alternative ag-
Organic Farming
An overview of the Organic Farming Industry in Hawaii

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 2
What is Organic Certification?
Certification is an assurance to consumers, retailers and
brokers of organic produce that the produce marketed
as “certified organic” has been grown under pre-ap-proved
standards set by the certifying agency. Due to an
absence of state and federal regulations, private organi-zations
were relied on in the past for setting standards
and certifying organic farmers. Today, several states
have organic programs with minimum standards that all
growers must meet in order to market their product as
“certified organic”. The Departments of Agriculture in
these states are either directly responsible for certifying
farmers, or accredit certifying agents whose standards
meet those set by the state. These accredited agents are
then able to certify growers.
riculture systems that allow the minimal use of these
inputs, and it’s from this difference that organic farm-ing
gets its name. However, organic farming is not just
farming without chemicals. Organic growers focus on
using techniques such as crop rotation, proper spacing
between plants, incorporation of organic matter into the
soil and use of biological controls to promote optimum
plant growth and minimize pest problems. Application
of organic pesticides are considered a last resort and used
sparingly.
All agricultural systems disrupt the natural environ-ment
to some extent; organic agriculture aims to mini-mize
this disruption and to enhance natural biological
cycles. For example, organic farmers emphasize the im-portance
of a healthy soil to promote a diverse biologi-cal
population, including earthworms and microorgan-isms
such as fungi and bacteria that are beneficial to
plants.
While many people involved in organic farming feel
that agricultural research has limited itself by focusing
on the development of agrochemicals, organic farming
is not a movement against progress or scientific devel-opment.
In fact, organic farming has and will continue
to benefit from modern agricultural research in such ar-eas
as plant breeding, crop physiology and nutrition, soil
fertility, and biological control. In addition, the scien-tific
community’s appreciation of alternative agricultural
methods continues to grow, as researchers work to in-crease
the understanding of the many interactions that
exist in the agroecosystem.
In the box at right are the principles of organic farm-ing
as stated by the International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM, from Organic Farm-ing
1990). The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 became law
in 1993, and gave the USDA the responsibility and au-thority
to develop national standards and regulations for
organically produced agricultural products. Once de-veloped
and implemented, these standards would serve
as the minimum requirement for anyone wishing to
market produce as organic in the US. In December of
1997 the National Organic Program (USDA) released
their proposed standards and regulations for a period of
public comment. The proposed regulations included pro-visions
that allowed for inputs and technologies prohib-ited
by the majority of private and state organic pro-grams
(i.e. irradiation, genetically altered plants, sew-age
sludge, and some synthetic inputs.) Many in the
organic industry felt a need for more stringent national
standards that better reflected those already held by most
in the industry. The USDA is now considering the
Principles of Organic Farming
• To produce food of high nutritional quality in
sufficient quantity;
• To work with natural systems rather than seek-ing
to dominate them;
• To encourage and enhance biological cycles
within the farming system, involving microor-ganisms,
soil flora and fauna, plants and ani-mals;
• To increase and maintain the long-term fertility
of soils;
• To use as far as possible renewable resources in
locally organized agricultural systems;
• To work as much as possible within a closed
system with regard to organic matter and nutri-ent
elements;
• To give all livestock conditions of life that al-low
them to perform all aspects of their innate
behavior;
• To avoid all forms of pollution that may result
from agricultural operations;
• To maintain the genetic diversity of the agricul-tural
system and its surroundings, including the
protection of plant and wildlife habitats;
• To allow agricultural producers an adequate re-turn
and satisfaction from their work including
a safe working environment;
• To consider the wider social and ecological im-pact
of the farming system.

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 3
The certification process
The applicant receives and completes an application/
questionnaire which will include a list of products re-quested
for certification, a three year field history, farm
maps from a third party source, sources of seeds, fertil-ity
management plan, pest/weed management, and a
record keeping system. Once the application is returned
to the certifying agent, it’s reviewed and an inspector is
chosen. An inspection of the farm is arranged and in-cludes
• signing an affidavit of confidentiality
• touring the farm with the grower
• verifying maps and crop plans
• noting the condition of crops, soil tilth, weeds, pests,
conservation, rotations, adjoining land use and buffer
strips.
• noting the type and condition of equipment, chemi-cal
containers, condition and use of storage and pro-cessing
areas, livestock housing, animal health records
and manure management.
• observing water sources—tests may be requested
The inspector completes a report including recommen-dations
and submits it to the certifying agent who con-venes
a certification review committee. The committee
may approve, conditionally approve, or deny the appli-cation.
Conditional approval may be given if more in-formation
is needed and/or changes needed for the farm
to be full compliant; a follow-up inspection may be re-quired.
Once approved, the grower may sell products
as certified organic. A conventional grower wishing to
be certified must use organic methods for one year be-fore
being eligible for transitional organic certification
and is eligible for full organic certification after three
years of organic production.
Organic Standards for Certification
Prohibited Substances
Organic farming is probably best known for the exclu-sion
of synthetic chemicals from the production system.
A complete list of prohibited substances can be obtained
from the certifying agency. Prohibited substances include
• any chemically synthesized material such as pesti-cides,
fertilizers, growth regulators, etc.
• natural poisons that are extremely toxic and/or take a
long time to degrade in the environment, such as ar-senic,
lead rotenone, and nicotine
• ionizing radiation
There are also restricted materials that are prohibited
under certain circumstances, such as
• uncomposted manure when applied less than four
months before harvest, or prior to planting of crops
that accumulate nitrates
• uncomposted agricultural residues and by-products
from off-farm sources that are not documented to be
free of residues of restricted materials
Again, check with your certifying agency for a com-plete
listing
Record-keeping
Good record keeping is important in all forms of agri-culture.
It is especially important in organic farming be-cause
it’s necessary for obtaining and renewing certifi-cation.
Clear records must be kept of all materials added
to the soil or crop in an organic production system in-cluding
the date, location and amount of the substance
applied. The source of all materials brought in from off-farm
should be recorded as well as the chemical treat-ments
of any seeds and seedlings used that were not
produced on the farm.
Management Plan
Organic farmers rely on a good management program
rather than an intensive use of inputs to ensure optimum
crop productivity. Many management practices focus
on enriching the soil and stems from the belief that a
healthy, living soil is necessary for healthy plants. En-hancing
the natural biological cycles of the farm is an-other
priority that is reflected in organic farm manage-ment.
These practices include:
• addition of composted organic matter
• crop rotation for fertility management and to reduce
insect and disease pest build-ups
• use of green manures and cover crops to improve soil
fertility, promote beneficial organism populations and
public’s response. A copy of the National Organic
Program’s Proposed Rule can be obtained for $8 from
the federal register by calling (202)-512-1800.
In Hawaii, the Department of Agriculture does not
have an organic program, allowing the industry here to
regulate itself. The Hawaii Organic Farming Associa-tion
(HOFA) and the Organic Crop Improvement Asso-ciation
(OCIA) are two of the organizations which cer-tify
organic farmers here in Hawaii. Standards and pro-cedures
for certification vary among organizations and
are frequently revised. The following is a brief sum-mary
of the certification process and requirements as
listed in the HOFA Organic Standards Handbook for Cer-tification,
1994.

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 4
The Organic Market
The organic food market began growing rapidly at the
beginning of this decade, primarily due to increased
health and environmental awareness by the general pub-lic.
The industry in Europe is one of the most progres-sive,
where organic food products can even be found in
fast food restaurants and airline meals. The industry in
the United States has gotten off to a slower start, but is
beginning to take off. Sales of organic produce in the
U.S. reached $809 million in 1995, a 35% increase from
the previous year, and sales have been steadily increas-ing
in the country by 20% annually. There has been an
even larger increase in the demand for organic pack-aged
foods, such as frozen dinners, packaged mixes and
soups. With regulations requiring 95% of all ingredi-ents
in organic food products to be produced organi-cally,
the Organic Trade Association expects that there
will be more demand for “everything from organic herbs
to organic vanilla.”
Natural food stores and community-based open mar-kets
have traditionally been the primary outlets for or-ganic
produce (see list of natural food stores in Hawaii
in the Resource section below). However, because of
an increased consumer interest, and faced with compe-tition
from these stores, supermarkets have become the
fastest growing outlet for organic food, including fresh
produce. Organic fruits and vegetables can now be found
on the store shelves of several major supermarket chains.
In some areas this increased demand has resulted in very
big organic farms, which in the past were seldom larger
than several acres. For instance, in 1996 a meager 7%
of the organic farms in California claimed 75% of the
total organic sales in that state.
The Japan market
According to the Foreign Agriculture Service of
the USDA, Organic produce sales have increased
in Japan due to concerns over food safety. Although
Japanese consumers tend to prefer domestic pro-duce
over imported produce, some Japanese com-panies
have begun importing organic fruits and
vegetables. For example, Daiei has contracted with
Australian growers to produce and air-ship organic
bananas to Japan to be marketed under Daiei’s pri-vate
label. Pumpkins and onions are the major veg-etables
imported from the U.S.
to reduce erosion
• reduced tillage to improve soil structure and reduce
soil erosion
• use of trap crops, biological control agents, and other
habitat manipulation techniques (such as intercrop-ping,
or the use of insectaries) to enhance natural
biocontrol mechanisms in the farm.
Buffer zones and boundaries are also important man-agement
practices to mark the areas under organic pro-duction
and to help protect those areas from contamina-tion
by prohibited substances. Buffer zones around the
organic production area are usually 25–30 ft wide and
planted with a windbreak or a non-harvested plant.
The organic produce market here in Hawaii seems to be
following the national trend. Hawaii-grown organic fruits
and vegetables can be found in supermarkets, health food
stores, open markets and restaurants around the state.
The exact number of organic farmers in Hawaii is un-known;
in 1997 there were an estimated 70-75 certified
organic farmers here, from all agencies involved (Kim-berly
Clark, pers. comm.). By 1998 the Hawaii Organic
Farmers Assoc. had about 250 members, with half of
them being growers, ranging from back-yard gardeners
to farmers. Also there are many farmers here who are
using organic methods, but who are not certified by any
organization. Irrespective of certification, currently about
100 farms in Hawaii may be following organic produc-tion
practices on over 1000 Acres of land (including both
fruits and veggies). The farm-gate value of the organic
industry in Hawaii for 1997 was estimated to be between
$6-8 million (Kimberly Clark and Mary E O’hora, pers.
Comm.). The quality of organically-grown vegetables
is often very high and some farmers are finding that they
are able to command premium prices for their crop with-out
even specifically marketing it as organic. Several
commercial fruits (e.g. white pineapple, avocado, as-sorted
tropicals) and vegetables, including salad greens,
tomatoes, beans, ginger, taro, medicinals (e.g. Noni, ava,
neem) and herbs are grown organically in Hawaii.
In addition to the growing market here at home, in-creased
interest in fresh organic produce on the main-land
and in other countries has improved the potential
for selling Hawaii organic produce in markets overseas.
Some Hawaii growers are currently shipping organic
produce to Japan, Europe and the Mainland (see Japan
insert below.)

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 5
Barriers to Organic Farming According to a
Grower Survey in the Continental U.S.
(listed in descending order of importance)
1. Lack of knowledge about organic farming (71% of
respondents)
2. Uncooperative or uninformed extension personnel
(63%)
3. Information unavailable on organic farming (59%)
4. Pressure from other farmers to farm conventionally
(31%)
5. Difficulty in obtaining credit for organic farming
(21%)
(From R. Marsh and D. Runsten, 1997, The organic pro-duce
niche market: can Mexican smallholders be stake-holders.
UCLA. Paper prepared for the project, “The
Transformation of Rural Mexico: Building an Economi-cally
Viable and Participatory Campesino Sector”)
Survey of organic farmers in the USA, 1993
(Over 500 respondents from 39 states)
• Sources of info include newsletters, magazines (55%
of respondents) and other farmers (55%).
• The most useful sources of info for organic growers
in descending order include 1) other farmers; 2) news-letters
and magazines, and 3) all types of meetings.
• About 60% of respondents indicated that existing info
sources did not meet their information needs.
• Research needs included: consumer demand for or-ganics,
relationship between organic practices and nu-trition,
relationship between plant nutrition and re-sistance
to pests, crop rotation, soil biology, public
policy, marketing, cover crops, green manures, habi-tat
management, and other pest control approaches.
• Over 60% of respondents grew vegetables. Those that
had livestock (10-20%) used it primarily as a source
of fertilizers.
• The median number of commodities grown was be-tween
6-10, but over 20% of respondents grew over
25 commodities.
• About 50% of farmers sell direct on-farm and about
50% to wholesalers.
• 59% of respondents had a bachelor’s degree, while
19% had earned advanced degrees.
• Only 28% indicated that most of their income comes
from organics.
(UC Sustainable Ag. Newsl. Fall 1994. v. 6 n. 4. 1993
National organic farmers’ survey, conducted by the Or-ganic
Farming Res. Foundation; and Daniel P. Puzo, Los
Angeles Times, April 25, 1996).
Organic Market Factoids
• The value of organic produce in the US is over $4
billion annually In 1996-1997 annual sales of fresh or-ganic
produce was about $680 million (Gene Kahn, Fro-zen
Food Age Mag., Sept, 1998 pg. 18).
• Purchasers of organic products are highest among
those aged 40-49 (28% of all sales), followed by the age
group 18-29 (27%). Those aged 60 and older had the
lowest levels of purchase. (Fresh Trends, 1996)
• Three out of four shoppers consider pesticide residue
in food a serious hazard. (Food Marketing Institute,
1993)
• A survey found that 85% of respondents wanted na-tional
organic produce standards (Gene Kahn, Frozen
Food Age Mag., Sept, 1998 pg. 18).
• Organic and natural products now reach 60-85% of
all grocery stores and supermarkets (Gene Kahn, Fro-zen
Food Age Mag., Sept, 1998 pg. 18).
• 57% of restaurants in the $25 or more average check
size category offer organic items on their menus (29%
in the $15-24 category). (Gene Kahn, Frozen Food Age
Mag., Sept, 1998 pg. 18).
• Mars Inc., the creators of the Mars candy bar, have
developed plans for an organic chocolate product.
(Biofact magazine, 1998)
• The surge in organic and natural product confection-ery
sales over the past 12 months was for chocolate bars
9.9%, other candy, including licorice 15.4%, candy and
individual snacks, 26.4%, gums and mints, 32.9%, en-ergy
bars, 62.1%, and bulk candy, 69% (Curtis Veerland,
Candy Industry Mag., June 1998, pg. 60-66).
• General Nutrition Cos., recently opened in Lake Os-wego,
Oregon, the first of what it intends to be a na-tional
chain of natural foods. At the store grocers will
be able to purchase organic products, prescription drugs,
homeopathic remedies, and will also be able to take a
Yoga class, surf the Net, learn how to grow herbs, have
a massage, or soak in a hydrotherapy tub (Marianne
Wilson, Chain Store Age Mag., pg. 84-88., Nov. 1998).
• An estimated 25% of U.S. consumers have purchased
organic snack foods and deserts, which is the second
most popular category after organic fruit and veggies
(Gene Kahn, Frozen Food Age Mag., Sept, 1998 pg. 18).
• Swiss Air now provides organic produce in all of its
classes (Henry A. Wallace Institute, Alternative Agri-culture
News, September, 1997)
• 1996 marked the seventh year in a row when organic
food sales increased by over 20% per year (Henry A.
Wallace Institute, Alternative Agriculture News, July,
1997).
• A survey on the continental US indicated that 64% of

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 6
Organic Farming Research in Hawaii
Hector Valenzuela, Randall Hamasaki,
and Ted Radovich
(Note: For a copy of the recently published Five Year
Report, 1993 to 1998, please contact H. Valenzuela at
hector@hawaii.edu, tel. 808-956-7903, or fax 808-956-
3894).
A long-term experimental plot was established at the
UHM Waimanalo Experiment Station with the follow-ing
overall goals:
1. evaluate the long-term effects of following nature or
organic farming techniques on soil quality, pest pres-sure,
and crop productivity
2. develop recommendations (on composting, and tech-niques
to grow specific crops) for the production of
vegetables following nature-farming techniques
3. disseminate available information on nature farming,
organic farming, and sustainable ag to farmers in
Hawaii and other tropical areas
The project, a cooperative effort between the Uni-versity
of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agri-culture
and Human Resources and the Mokichi Okada
Association- Hawaii Branch, was initiated on early 1993.
A 2 Acre plot of land, which had been fallow under a
grassy cover for over 15 years was selected for this
project. At the onset the soil was extremely compacted,
due to the dry weather and needed to be ripped prior to
soil preparation. Unfortunately, due to a lack of equip-ment
only the top 6-9 inches of soil were properly ripped.
On October 1993 random soil samples from all sections
of the plot were collected to conduct soil fertility and
nematode count evaluations. Since then similar surveys
were conducted periodically. The entire experimental
area was divided into three main sections:
1. a replicated experiment consisting of sixteen 30 x 4 -ft
beds (4 treatments with 4 replications per treatment).
2. a demonstration plot (Section A) about 250 x 100 ft
to grow a variety of vegetables following nature farm-ing
guidelines; and
3. a cover crop/fallow section (Section B) about 200 x
organic farmers self-finance their operations, 10% re-ceived
loans from friends or family, and 25% received
credit from commercial banks, the farm credit system
or through a federal bank (Marsh and Rusten, 1997).
50 ft to demonstrate low-intensity field maintenance
techniques and the use of several cover crops and
green manures for improvement of soil quality and to
minimize erosion.
From 1993 to 1998 over 50 vegetable species/vari-eties
and over 40 cover crop or green manure species
were evaluated on the cover crop and demonstration sec-tions.
On average a crop was being planted and harvested
on a weekly basis. This provided the opportunity to
evaluate the viability of growing a host of vegetable and
cover crop species during the different growing seasons.
In 1998 an 8-year rotation experiment was begun on the
demonstration plots. This experiment was established
to evaluate the effect of rotations and green manures on
the long-term productivity of vegetable crops. In the
replicated plots, since 1993 seven consecutive experi-ments
were conducted. In this experiment each bed has
received the same treatment (control, compost alone,
synthetic fertilizer alone, or a combination of composts
and synthetic fertilizers) over these five years. In the
replicated experiments specific cultural recommenda-tions
are being developed in terms of compost applica-tion
rates, nutrient release rates from the compost appli-cations,
yield response from the compost treatments, crop
nutrition, and effects of the long-term compost applica-tions
on soil quality, crop pests and diseases, and crop
productivity. The following observations can be made
from the work conducted to date in both the demonstra-tion
and replicated plots:
1. Commercially acceptable yields can be made from
the application of composts alone. The addition of Ni-trogen
rich organic fertilizers may result beneficial to
meet crop nutrient demands during particular growth
stages when fast growth rates occur (such as fruiting in
tomato, or heading in lettuce). The data collected from
tissue nutrient contents and soil fertility will be helpful
as baseline data to develop organic nutrient recommen-dations
for Hawaii.
2. The modest application of composts (10 MT/Acre/
year) resulted in a steady increase in the soil organic
matter content in both the replicated and demonstration
plots. The organic matter content also increased in the
plots under cover crop/follow rotational study.
3. A trend was observed toward less nematode pres-sure
in plots that received compost applications. In the
demonstration plots nematode pests have not become a
serious problem. Nematode infestations and reduced
yields are typical in our conventional plots elsewhere at
the Waimanalo station.
4. Recommendations can be made based on the work

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 7
conducted to date on what crops are more amenable to
nature farming, and recommendations can be made for
the use of particular plant species or varieties than can
be used as cover crops or green manures at low-eleva-tions
in Hawaii.
The results and conclusions made from the work
conducted to date at the nature farming plots are by no
means conclusive. Additional years of work, and fur-ther
analysis of the data will be required before a better
understanding is obtained concerning nature farming in
the tropics and its effect on soil fertility, pest levels, and
crop productivity.
Resources
This list is provided to aid in a search for more informa-tion
on organic vegetable production and marketing. It
is not intended to be exhaustive.
Certification Guidelines
Hawaii Organic Farmers Association, 1994. Organic
Standards Handbook for Certification, 31 Dec., 1994,
ver. 4.1., P.O. Box 984, Haiku, HI 96708, tel/fax 808-
573-0995
Kauai Organic Growers Association, 1994. Certification
guidelines, April 10, 1994, P.O. Box 943, Kilauea, Kauai,
HI 96754, tel. 808-828-1966.
Oregon Tilth
1860 Hawthorne Ave. NE #200, Salem, OR 97303
e-mail address: organic@tilth.com
Organic Crop Improvement Association International
1001 Y Street, Lincoln, NE 68508-1172
phone: 402-477-2323, fax: 402-477-4325
e-mail: cert@ocia.org
Bio-Dynamic Farming and Gardening Assoc. Inc.
POB 550, Kimberton, PA 19442
610-935-7797, fax 610-983-3196
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
Statewide Office
POB 8136, 1115 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
408-423-2263, fax 408/423/4528
IFOAM c/o Okozentrum
Imsbach, D-66636 Tholey-Theley, Germany
IFOAM-SECRETARY@oln.comlink.apc.org
(organic farming international organization)
National Organic Standards Program
USDA/AMS/TMD, 2510-South Bldg., POB 96458
Washington DC 20090-6456
Resources and Educational Materials
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Erica Walz, Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
408-423-2263, research@ofrf.org
Organic Farmers Marketing Association, OFMA
P.O.Box 159, La Farge WI 54639
cvof@iquest.net, http://www.iquest.net/ofma/
Hawaii’s farmer, chef, wholesaler source book: A guide
to locating buyers and sellers of local products.
Hawaii Department of Agriculture
1428 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
Organic farming by Nicolas Lampkin, 1990, Farming
Press, UK.
Diamond Farm Enterprises, Box 537
Alexandria Bay, NY 13607
Organic farming: Current technology and its role in a
sustainable agriculture.
American Society of Agronomy
677 South Segoe Road, Madison, WI 53711
Bio-dynamic farming practice by Friedrich Sattler and
Eckard v. Wistinghausen.
Bio-Dynamic Agricultural Association
Clent, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 9PX, UK
A.C. Burke
2554 Lincoln Blvd., Suite 1058
Marina del Rey, CA 90291
310-574-2770, fax 310-574-2771
www.acburke.com
home garden supplies, books, organic gardening, small
scale farming, videos, software, tools
Arbico Inc.
POB 4247-CRB, Tucson, AZ 85738-1247
www. arbico.com, ARBICO@aol.com
orders 1-800-827-2847, consultant 1-520-825-9785
fax 520-825-2038
supply organic pesticides and fertilizers
Videos Available
(contact: Hector Valenzuela, hector@hawaii.edu, tel.
808-956-7903, fax. 808-956-3894)
Cover crops for perennial and annual cropping Systems,
UC
Life in the soil- MOA- description of soil microbiology
Beneficial organisms, UF
Vegetable farmers and their weed-control machines,
Vermont

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 8
Vegetable pest scouting, MSU
New Tools for mechanical weed control, Cornell
No-till Vegetables
Farm clips of sustainable and organic farmers in Oahu
and Big Island
Environmentally friendly Weed control, and Vegetable
crops Production (Focus in Ag, 1995).
Sustainable Ag (LISA) for Hawaii, 1993
Ho’olaulima for Hawaii’s Sustainable Agriculture, 1995
1994 Veg Teleconference: Alternative weed and pest
control.
Profile of organic coffee production, CTAHR
Selected Web Sites
National Organic Program
www.ams.usda.gov/nop
Sustainable Agriculture Network
www.ces.nesu.edu/san/
Organic Agriculture Information
www.sunsite.unc.edu/london/
Rodale Organic
www.rodalepress.com/gardening.htm
Organic Trade Association
www.ota.com
Organic Trading and Information Center
www.organicfood.com/welcome.htm
Organic Farmers Marketing Association
www.iquest.net/ofma/
Organic Spot Market
www.aureus.com/spot
California Certified Organic Farmers
www.ccof.org
Organic Crop Improvement Association International
www.ocia.org
Hawaii Organic Farmers Association
www.ddidigital.net/~planethofa.html
Retail Markets In Hawaii
Most organic growers in Hawaii have a multi-level mar-keting
program with the top-grade produce being sold
to resorts and premium restaurants. Some volume is sold
to health food stores or to local supermarket chains, while
some sales are also made at farmers markets and to pri-vate
fruit stands. Some growers are involved in consign-ment
growing.
Oahu
Huckleberry Farms, 1613 Nuuanu Av., 524-7960
Kokua Market Natural Foods Co-op
2643 S. King, 941-1922
Celestial Natural Foods
66-443 Kamehameha Hwy., 637-6729
Mango’s Market, 319 Hahani, Kailua, 263-6646
Down to Earth, 2525 S. King, 947-7678
Safeway: many stores in the state carry organic produce
Star Market: all Star Market stores carry organic produce
Foodland: The following Oahu stores carry organic pro-duce:
Beratania, Hawaii Kai, Pupukea, Stadium
Sac’N’Save
Hawaii
Food Fantastic Natural Food
Mango Court, Kainaliu, 322-0739
Pahoa Natural Groceries, 965-8322
Supermarket chains such as KTA and Sure Save sell
organic produce on the Big Island.
Maui
Down to Earth
Kahului; 305 Daisy Rd., 877-2661
Wailuku; 1910 Vineyard, 242-6821
Makawao; 1169 Makawo, 572-1488
Nature’s Outlet Warehouse
330 Hoohana st., Kahului, 871-2001
Haiku Natural Foods, 810 Kokomo Rd., 575-2401
Hawaiian Moons Natural Foods
2411 S Kihei Rd., 875-4356
Mana Foods, 49 Baldwin Av., 579-8078
Foodland: The following Maui Stores carry organic pro-duce:
Kahului, Lahaina, Kihei, Pukalani
Kauai
Hanalei Natural Foods, 826-6990
Ambrose Kupuna Natural Foods
770 Kuhio Hwy, 822-7112
Papayas Natural Food Market and Cafe
Kapaa 4-831 Kuhio, 823-0190
Foodland: Kapaa, Princeville

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 9
Research Brief—
Effect of Seaweed Extract on Root Yield of
Organically Produced Yam Bean
(Pachyrhizus erosus)
Ted Radovich, Ted Goo and Hector Valenzuela
Yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus), or jicama, is grown for
its large, fleshy root that is used as both a cooked and
fresh vegetable. Although native to tropical America
(Larkom 1991), this member of the legume family is
generally regarded as an Asian vegetable here in Ha-waii.
The root is valued for its crispness and mild, slightly
sweet flavor. The mature seeds contain rotenone, a com-pound
with insecticidal properties (Larcom 1991).
Seaweed extracts can contain plant growth regula-tors
(especially cytokinins), plant nutrients, carbohy-drates
and antibiotics. Research on the effect of seaweed
extract applications on crop yields have shown both posi-tive
or no effects on crop yields and quality (Csizinszky,
1996; Eris et. al. 1995; Reitz and Trumble, 1996). This
trial was conducted to determine if yam bean tubers pro-duced
under organic conditions responded to applica-tions
of seaweed extract.
Methods
The experiment was conducted in a randomized com-plete
block design with two treatments each replicated
three times. Each treatment plot consisted of one 25-ft
row. The treatments were chicken manure alone applied
at a rate of 10 tons/a, and the same rate of chicken ma-nure
with two split-applications of SM6, a concentrated
seaweed extract product. The soil drench applications
were conducted at seeding and again 6 weeks after plant-ing.
Each application rate was 0.2 gallons of SM6 per
acre. Seeds were directly planted 8 inches apart into
raised beds spaced 4 ft apart. The crop was drip irri-gated
as needed. Five months after planting tubers were
harvested, graded and weighed. Tubers which cracked
naturally in the field were considered unmarketable.
Results and discussion
Preliminary data analysis indicates that the seaweed
treatment had a significant effect on yield. Effects on
root dimensions and size were not significant. Roots of
plants that received seaweed extract were on average 4
oz (116 grams) heavier than those which did not receive
the extract (Table 1). Nine percent of the total harvest
was cracked and considered unmarketable. There was
slightly less cracking in roots which received seaweed
extract (Table 1). There were problems with the irriga-tion
early in the experiment that resulted in sporadic and
infrequent watering at the early plant growth stages.
Reps 1 and 2 were particularly affected. Roots from these
replications showed more cracking than those in rep 3
(Table 2), which was little affected by the irrigation prob-lem.
Uneven watering would be expected to increases
the incidence of root cracks, which may explain for the
observed difference here. In India, root cracking in yam
bean was significantly reduced with applications of pot-ash
(K2O) at ~350 lb./acre (Mishra et.al. 1994). Thus
an even irrigation and proper nutrition is necessary to
minimize cracking incidence in jicama.
Conclusion
The results indicate that the application of seaweed ex-tract
may increase yam bean root yields under organic
conditions. However additional trials are required to con-firm
these results. Future trials should include a range
of seaweed extract application rates exceeding the rate
used in this trial, and the number of split-applications
should be increased to three. Because of the relatively
high cost of organic amendments, a simple economic
analysis comparing the benefit of any increase in yield
with the additional cost of the amendment should be
included.
Literature cited
Csizinszky, A.A., 1996. Foliar biostimulant, N and K
rate, and cultivar effects on fresh market tomato, Soil
and Crop Sci. Soc. Florida, 55:92-96
Table 1. The effect of seaweed extract soil drenches on the root yield of yam bean five months after planting.
Treatment Total yield Total yield Marketable yield Cracked roots
(grams/root) (lb/100ft row) (% by weight) (% by weight)
Chicken manure 657 (1.4 lbs) 191 90% 10%
CM + SM6 773 (1.7 lbs) 224 92% 8%
Table 2. The incidence of cracked roots in each replication as percent by weight of total yields.
Treatment Rep. 1 Rep. 2 Rep. 3
Chicken manure 17% 6% 3%
CM + SM6 15% 6% 3%
Note: CM= chicken manure applied at 10 MT/Ac; SM6= seaweed product (see description).

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 10
(2) B.I.R.C. Bio-Integral Resources Center
P.O. Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707
510-524-2567
Weed Control
Steel in the Field: A Farmers Guide to Weed Manage-ment
Tools (1997). E. Bowman editor. Sustainable Ag-riculture
Network, 20705-2351 (order from SAN, $18)
at Sust. Ag. Pubs., Hills Building, Room 10, Univ. of
Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0082
Weed Biocontrol. (19 Page Booklet/$9.00) (Available
from B.I.R.C)
Weeds: Control Without Poison. C. Walter (1991) 352
Pages. $19.95 (Available from Ag Access)
Bio-Integral Resource Center Weed Management Pub-lications:
A) Allelopathic Mulches [P8(4)], B) Flaming
[P9(3)], C) Weed Management Using Animals [Q8(2)].
Weeds of the West. Whitson (Editor)(1991) 640 Pages.
$35.00. (Excellent Field-Weed Identification Book - 900
Color photos, Available from Ag Access)
Pests, Insects, and Diseases
Common-sense Pest Control: Least-Toxic Solutions for
your Home, Garden, Pets and Community. (1991) W.
Olkowski et al. 715 p. $39.95. (Available from Ag Access)
Compendium of Plant Disease Series, from American
Phyto Pathological Society: Available for Many Fruit,
Vegetable and Field Crops, Including Tropical Fruits.
(from Ag Access)
Enhancing-Biological Control: Habitat Management to
Promote Natural Enemies of Agricultural pests. (1998)
C. Pickett. 422 pp. Hardcover, $50.00. (Ag Access)
Future Harvest: Pesticide-Free Farming. J. Bender
(1994) 360 pp. $26.00 (Ag Access)
Natural Enemies Handbook: The Illustrated Guide to
Biological Pest Control (1998) 164 pp. (Ag Access)
Pests of the Garden and Small Farm: A Growers Guide
to using Less Pesticide. M.L. Flynt (1990) 286 pp.
$30.00 (Ag Access)
Soil Solarization: A non-pesticidal method for control-ling
diseases, nematodes and weeds (1997) 13 pp. $5.00
(Ag Access)
Vegetable diseases and their control. Chubb & Sherf
(1986) 728 pp/hard cover $99.00. Emphasis on cul-
Eris, A., H.O. Sivritepe, N. Sivritepe. 1995. The effects
of seaweed extract on yield and quality criteria in pep-pers.
Acta Hroticulturae 412:185-192.
Larkom, Joy. 1994. Oriental vegetables: the complete
guide for garden and kitchen. Kodansha, New York.
232 p.
Mishra, S., C.P. Singh, K.P. Singh, and U.P. Singh. 1994.
Effect of levels and methods of potassium applica-tion
on tuber yield and cracking behavior of yam bean.
Journal of Potassium Research 10:271-273.
Reitz, S.R. and J.T. Trumble, 1996. Cytokining-contain-ing
seaweed extract does not reduce damage by an
insect herbivore. HortScience 31:102-105
Product Description provided by distributor
SM6, Seaweed extract produced by a chemical-free
aqueous process from a blend of seaweeds. Sold as a
plant growth stimulant for increasing crop yields and
quality. SM6 is highly concentrated, containing no less
than 30% soluble seaweed solids. Analysis: Nitrogen
0.5%; P= 0.5%; K= 1%; Na= 1%; Ca= 200 ppm; Fe=
200 ppm; Mg= 200 ppm; Mn= 50 ppm; B= 60 ppm;
Zn=40 ppm; Cu=40 ppm.
Contact: Scott Wallis Seeds Ltd., Chelmsford, Essex
CM2 9SG, UK, tel. 01245-264211, fax. 01245-495887.
Additional Resources—
Farmer References for Organic and
Sustainable Agriculture
Dave Wall, New Mexico State Univ.
Disclaimer: 1) No commercial endorsements are implied,
and 2) Effectiveness of biological or organic methods
are sometimes unproven. Growers should realize that
recommendations and projects are for the farmer to ex-periment
with. The University of Hawaii does not en-dorse
these references to be directly applicable in Ha-waii,
these references are useful to agricultural agents
and farmers who want to learn more about alternative
agricultural technologies.
Ordering Information:
Many of the publications listed can be obtained from
the from the following two sources:
(1)Ag Access
P.O. Box 2008, Davis CA 95617-2008
1-800-540-0170, http://www.agaccess.com

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 11
tural and physical disease control. (Ag Access)
Shepard’s Purse: Organic Pest Control Handbook for
Home and Garden. 1987. Pest Publications, The Book
Publishing Co., Summer Town, TN 38483
Directory of Least-Toxic Pest Control Products (1998)
$12.00 (Available from B.I.R.C.) Sources of Technol-ogy
and Suppliers of Organic Pest Control Products
Reader on least-Toxic Pesticides. (Reviews and Appli-cations
for Organic and Low-Toxicity Pesticides) 88
pp. $14.50. (Available from B.I.R.C.)
Alternatives to Methyl-Bromide. 1998. 60 pp. $23.00.
( B.I.R.C.)
Color Hand Book of Garden Insects. Rodale Press
(1979) 256 pp. $16.95 (Available from Ag Access)
Complete Guide to Pest Control: With and Without
Chemicals. G.W. Ware (1996) 388 Pages. $29.95
(Available from Ag Access)
The Gardener’s Guide to Common Sense Pest Control.
W. Olkowski, et al. 1998. 275 pp. $22.95 (Available
from B.I.R.C.) - Abridged Section of Common Sense
Pest Control Book for Home and Market Gardeners.
Identifying Diseases of Vegetables. Chubb & Sherf.
1983. 62 pp. $14.95 (Available from Ag Access)
Soil Fertility Management
Fertile Soil: Growers Guide to Organic and Inorganic
Fertilizers. R. Parnes. 1990. 210 pp. $39.95. (Avail-able
from Ag Access)
Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers. 1997. 582
pp. $79.95. (Available from Ag Access, Reference Book
for Vegetable Growers)
Producing Vegetable Crops. Swaider, et al. 1992. 611
pp. $53.25. (Available from Ag Access) (Reference
for Vegetable Growers)
Farmers Fertilizer Handbook. Regenerative Agricul-ture
Association, Rodale Research Center, Maxatawny,
PA (610-683-1400: Ask for Reference Librarian) or
cdcramer@clarityconnect.com or http://sunsite.unc.edu/
farming-connection.
Managing Cover Crops Profitably. Sust. Ag. Network
pubs. 212 pp. $19.00 Hard Cover. Hills Building, Room
10. University of VT, Burlington, VT 05405-0082.
Soil Science Simplified. Harpstead, et al. 1997. 210
pp. $36.95. (Non-Technical Summary of Soil Science.
Available from Ag Access)
The Secret Life of Compost. M. Beck. 160 pp. $19.00.
(composting guide, Available from Ag Access)
On-Farm Composting Handbook. 1992. N.E. Regional
Ag Engineering Service. 607-255-7654 or
nraes@cornell.edu
Organic Soil Amendments and Fertilizers. 1992. Sus-tainable
Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Univ. California. Division of Agriculture and Natural
Resources. 6701 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94608-
1239 (Publication 21505)(510-642-2431)
General References—Organic Farming and Sustain-able
Agriculture
Ag Access Catalog: Books for Farmers, Ranchers, and
Market Gardeners. 1-800-540-0170. Fax: 530-298-
2060. www.agaccess.com (Excellent Source of Practi-cal
Books on Alternative and conventional Agriculture)
Bio-Integral Resource Center (B.I.R.C). Publications
Catalog. P.O. Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707. 510-
524-2567. Fax: 510-524-1758 (B.I.R.C. is a non-profit
organization providing education and research on inte-grated
pest management, and least-toxic pesticides.
B.I.R.C. also publishes the I.P.M. Practitioner Journal)
National Organic Directory Community Alliance with
Family Farmers. 1-800-852-3832 (1999 Edition -$
47.95) P.O. Box 363, Davis, CA 95617. (Excellent
guide to the Organic Industry, with references for buy-ers,
sellers, suppliers and distributors and farmers.)
You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start and
Succeed in a Farming Enterprise. 1998. J. Salatin. 480
Pages. $30.00 (Available from Ag Access)
The Small Commercial Garden: How to Make $10,000
a Year in your Backyard. D. Haakenson. 1998. 114
Pages. $19.95 (Available from Ag Access)
Farms of Tomorrow: Community Supported Farms,
Farm Supported Communities. T.M. Grott. 1997. 312
Pages. $17.50. (Available from Ag Access)
Backyard Market Gardening: …Selling What you Grow.
A.W. Lee. 1995. 230 Pages. $19.95 (Available from
Ag Access)
Farming for the Future: Introduction to Low-Input Sus-tainable
Agriculture. Reijntjes et al. 1992. 250 p. $29.95
(Focused on small-scale tropical agriculture using in-digenous
resources; available from Ag Access)

VEGETABLE CROPS UPDATE—APRIL 1999 12
The New Organic Grower. E. Coleman. 1995. 339
Pages. $24.95 (Good Beginners Manuel for Organic
Market-Farmers) (Available from Ag Access)
Rebirth of the Small Family Farm: A Handbook for Start-ing
a Successful Organic Farm… B. Gregson. 1996.
$8.65 (Available from Ag Access)
Successful Small-Scale Farming. S. Karl. 1991. 144
Pages. $12.95. (Practical Guide to Organic Farming)
(Available from Ag Access)
Introduction to Permaculture. B. Mollison. 1997. 212
Pages. $16.95 (Available from Ag Access)
Permaculture: A Designer’s Manuel. B. Mollison. 1997.
569 Pages. $45.00 (Hardcover) (Available from Ag
Access)
Acknowledgements and Sources of Information
This issue of Vegetable Crops Update was prepared by
Ted Radovich, graduate research assistant, and Hec-tor
Valenzuela, CTAHR Department of Horticulture.
Kimberly Clark, Oahu organic farmer provided infor-mation
of organic certification in Hawaii.
Linda Lutz from the Organic Trade Association (OTA)
resource department provided much of the market in-formation
and the web site addresses.
Mary E. O’Hora-Weir provided information on organic
certification in Hawaii.
Phil Sheldon, Kauai organic farmer provided useful in-sights
concerning the marketing of organic produce
in Hawaii.
Ted Goo, Research Associate, Horticulture Dept., Univ.
Hawaii helped in obtaining information on locally
available organic supplies.
Trisha Wong assisted with publication layout.
Cooperative Extension Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
University of Hawaii at Manoa
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Honolulu, HI 96822
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This newsletter is produced in the Department of Horticul-ture,
a unit of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human
Resources (CTAHR), University of Hawaii at Manoa, as a
participant in the Cooperative Extension Service of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. CTAHR is Hawaii’s Land Grant
institution, established in 1907, from which the University of
Hawaii developed. For information on CES horticulture pro-grams
or to receive future copies of this newsletter, please
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