# Pumpkin in Hawaii: A Unique Lens on Food System Development Hunter Heaivilin GEOG Presentation May 2023 --- ## Introduction - Examining the historical **role of pumpkin in Hawaii's agro-food system** development over the past 250 years - Using pumpkin as a lens **to understand the changing perspectives and strategies of food system actors** navigating a shifting economic landscape - Demonstrating the power of small stories and objects like the pumpkin in narrating complex historical narratives --- ## Crop in/as Agrarian Strategy - Pumpkin as a strategy to explore food systems actions and actors over time - A unique and fascinating history of pumpkins in Hawaii - Understanding how Hawaii's food system has been restructured through integration with increasingly global trade - Pumpkin as a lesser crop offers a unique perspective on Hawaii's food system development - The minor role of the crop enables a history to be told that focuses less on the dominant crop development more commonly shared (e.g., sugarcane, pineapple, and diversified crops) - The pumpkin serves as a tool wielded by various and often competing actors navigating a shifting economic landscape --- ## Literature Review - Follow-the-Thing method (Marcus 1995) - Mapping commodity networks that connect people in vastly different and distant locations - Focusing on everyday consumer goods, especially food - Mixing resilience theory and Actor-Network Theory (Dwiartama & Rosin 2014) - History and 'cropscapes' (Bray et al. 2019) --- ## Methodology - Follow-the-Thing method: tracing a crop or good across space and time - Microhistory: engaging small stories and objects to frame the paradigm or world of the time - Object biographies: considering the biophysical agency of objects in structuring capitalist arrangements - Tracing the role of pumpkin in a singular place (Hawaii) over time - Detailing the multiple means of navigating rapidly evolving social --- ## Timeline of Pumpkin in Hawaii 1. **1770s**: Seeded by colonial exploration 2. **1820s**: Cultivated for early commercial 3. **1850s**: Expanded production due to the California Gold Rush 4. **1900s**: Decline in pumpkin production due to the rise of sugarcane and pineapple industries 5. **1950s**: Revival of pumpkin production as a niche crop for local consumption 6. **1980s**: Introduction of new pumpkin varieties for diversified markets 7. **2000s**: Growth in agritourism and pumpkin festivals --- ## Key Actors in Pumpkin History - Native Hawaiians: Early cultivators and consumers of pumpkin - Missionaries: Introduced new varieties and cultivation techniques - Entrepreneurs: Expanded pumpkin production for commercial purposes - Sugarcane and pineapple plantation owners: Competed with pumpkin production for land and labor - Local farmers: Revived pumpkin production as a niche crop - Tourists: Contributed to the growth of agritourism and pumpkin festivals --- ## Pumpkin's Role in Hawaii's Food System - Early food source for Native Hawaiians and settlers - Commercial crop during the California Gold Rush - Niche crop for local consumption and export - Agritourism attraction and cultural symbol --- ## Lessons from Pumpkin in Hawaii - The importance of diversified agriculture in building a resilient food system - The role of niche crops in supporting local economies and communities - The value of preserving cultural and agricultural heritage through crop cultivation - The potential for agritourism to contribute to sustainable rural development --- ## Conclusion - The history of pumpkin in Hawaii offers a unique lens on the development of the island's food system over the past 250 years. - By examining the role of pumpkin as a lesser crop, we can understand the changing perspectives and strategies of various food system actors as they navigate a shifting economic landscape. - The story of pumpkin in Hawaii highlights the importance of diversified agriculture, niche crops, and agritourism in building a resilient and sustainable food system. --- ## References 1. Kirch, P. V. (2010). How Chiefs Became Kings: Divine Kingship and the Rise of Archaic States in Ancient Hawai'i. University of California Press. 2. Lincoln, N. K., & Vitousek, P. M. (2017). Nitrogen fixation during decomposition of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) residues in Hawaiian soils. Plant and Soil, 420(1