Office of Research
Research at CTAHR goes far beyond the laboratory. Across Hawaiʻi, from our homebase in Mānoa Valley to our 22 Centers for Applied Research and Extension Services (CARES Stations), our faculty are working in the lab, the field, and directly with communities to create and share knowledge.
In 2025, CTAHR faculty from our six departments secured over $25 million in new extramural awards to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing issues in tropical agriculture and food security, family and community health, sustainable fashion, protecting our air, land, and water, and more.
Below are a few faculty highlights about collaborative research improving life for food producers, families and communities throughout Hawaiʻi and the world.
Research Highlights
Innovating for Food Security
Professor Tomoaki Miura and his team are exploring the return of rice fields in Hawaiʻi through a partnership with the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. They harvested a 400-pound yield on Kaua‘i and tested consumer preferences
The “Living Libraries” project, led by CTAHR researcher and professor Michael Kantar, uses plant genebanks and a newly developed curation method to develop climate-resilient crops. This will help ensure our food systems can withstand the hotter temperatures and erratic weather of the future.
Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Science
Indigenous agricultural systems are a cornerstone of our future resilience. Professor Noa Lincoln’s research on agroforestry and ʻulu, or breadfruit, brings together traditional agricultural knowledge and research on technological innovation.
Cooperative gathering event hosted by UHʻs Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Food Systems.
Protecting Our Agricultural Heritage
CTAHR Extension agent Andrea Kawabata has been at the forefront of the fight against Coffee Leaf Rust, leading critical research into rust-resistant varieties and management strategies. Her work with local growers plays a major role in keeping one of Hawai‘i’s most iconic crops viable and productive.
Nourishing Our Communities
Our commitment to “Food as Medicine” took a major leap forward this year with a $2.8 million federal grant to study “produce prescriptions.” Led by nutrition professor Monica Esquivel, this program provides monthly vouchers for locally grown fruits and vegetables to patients with hypertension, linking food production to healthier lives for our community members.
Fostering Human Resilience
A resilient community starts with the well-being of its people. The Culturally-based Community Connections for Resilience (CCCR) project is training peer mentors among farmers and first responders. Project lead professor Thao Le is building a support network that uses Native Hawaiian cultural healing practices to combat social isolation and prevent suicide in high-stress professions.
Farmers and first responders participated in forest restoration at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
UH Research in the News
Coconut rhinoceros beetle larva
Kevin Olival
Associate Dean and Associate Director for Research
Office: Gilmore Hall 203B
Phone: (808) 956-8131
kolival@hawaii.edu