Opportunities and constraints for intensive agriculture in the Hawaiian archipelago prior to European contact

Ladefoged, Thegn N.; Kirch, Patrick V.; Gon, Samuel M.; Chadwick, Oliver A.; Hartshorn, Anthony S.; Vitousek, Peter M.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2009.06.030

Cited by 108 publications

(149 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…To address our objectives, we analyzed gridded climate data for Hawaiʻi (Giambelluca et al 2013(Giambelluca et al , 2014, focusing on regions defined by Ladefoged et al (2009) as belonging to the Kohala, Kona, and Kaʻū field systems. We compared climate means and seasonality indices across the three field systems as aggregated values and as maps to visualize spatial patterning.…”

Section: General Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Kaʻū field system is situated at the southern extent of the island, though its exact scale is unclear because of large-scale alteration by plantation agriculture and few archaeological investigations. Predictive modelling suggests that the system extends across an area roughly measuring over 300 km², from the coast to at least ~800 m (Ladefoged et al 2009). …”

Section: Location and Nature Of Hawaiʻi Island Dryland Field Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To facilitate climate data extraction, we created a single contiguous polygon for each of the field systems based on the model of Ladefoged et al (2009). Climatic datasets (250 m spatial resolution raster files) were clipped to these modified field system boundaries.…”

Section: Climate Datasetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because opportunities for intensification of these two systems were not evenly distributed across the archipelago (Ladefoged et al 2009), it has been proposed that strong differences in yields, labor requirements, and stability of these two dominant agricultural modes drove the emergence of different political economic structures. Wetland agricultural systems provided high and consistent crop yields, supporting relatively stable economies and political systems (Kirch 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, production in dryland systems was more variable given their dependence on seasonal or intermittent rainfall (Malo 1951, Kamakau 1976, Lee et al 2006, DiNapoli and Morrison 2017. Despite this, dryland agriculture dominated on the younger islands of Hawaiʻi and Maui; Ladefoged et al (2009) estimate that on Hawaiʻi Island, 97% of cultivated land was rain-fed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawaiʻi Island

Kagawa‐Viviani¹,

Lincoln²,

Quintus³

et al. 2018

E&S

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ABSTRACT. Hawaiian dryland agriculture is believed to have played an important role in the rise of archaic states and consolidation of political power. At the same time, the sensitivity of agricultural production in dryland field systems to temporal variability in climate would have had implications for economic and political relationships, both competitive and cooperative. In this study, we explore whether and how annual cycles of climate might have constrained seasonal cultivation and crop production in three rain-fed field systems on the Island of Hawaiʻi. We utilized a recently developed monthly gridded climate dataset for the Hawaiian Islands to compare the Kohala, Kona, and Kaʻū field systems in terms of mean annual climate and seasonality. We found that despite superficial similarities in elevation and annual rainfall, the field systems differ in climatic variables associated with evaporative water loss and in the timing of the rainy season. Aridity, a ratio of evaporative demand to rainfall, is strongly seasonal for Kohala and Kaʻū relative to Kona. When we imposed temperature and moisture criteria to visualize seasonal cultivation envelopes defined for sweet potato (Ipomea batatas), we found strong spatial patterns associated with the onset and length of the growing season, and these suggest seasonal complementarity in crop production within and between field systems. This complementarity indicates coordination both within and between field systems through consolidation, coercion, or increased cooperation could have alleviated periodic food stress and contributed to more stable political hierarchies, which may explain similarities in their respective chronologies of development. We suggest that our approach for characterizing seasonal constraints to dryland cultivation provides a useful tool for advancing continued restoration and research in these and other rain-fed dryland systems across Hawaiʻi and the tropics.

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Section: General Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Location and Nature Of Hawaiʻi Island Dryland Field Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climate Datasetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawaiʻi Island

Kagawa‐Viviani¹,

Lincoln²,

Quintus³

et al. 2018

E&S

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Understanding variability in the hinterlands: settlement and subsistence inMiloli‘i,Kaua‘i,HawaiianIslands

Kahn

Kawelu

Wichman

et al. 2016

Archaeology in Oceania

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Recent archaeological excavations in Miloli‘i Valley, Kaua‘i are discussed to provide data from an isolated and marginal hinterland, far removed from the island's political centres. We develop a chronological sequence of site construction and use and discuss the nature of pre‐contact Hawaiian settlement and subsistence. We also outline elements of human–environment interactions from the settlement period to the protohistoric era, and provide tentative comparisons of the Miloli‘i hinterland sequence with those from core areas in the late prehistoric political hierarchy. Our case study highlights the degree to which inter‐ and intra‐island variability remain relatively under‐studied in the Hawaiian context.

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Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

Quintus

Clark

2016

Archaeology in Oceania

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Case studies offer an opportunity to examine and highlight relationships among variables in a way that cannot be done through broad comparison. Ofu Island has served as one such case study for understanding human–environment relationships. Here, we use three decades of archaeological investigations – past work of others as well as our own recent research – to formulate a revised model of the historical ecology of the island. We argue that Ofu still holds important clues to understanding the complexity of human–environment relationships, chiefly serving to illustrate the structuring effects of environmental history.

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Opportunities and constraints for intensive agriculture in the Hawaiian archipelago prior to European contact

Cited by 108 publications

References 28 publications

Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawaiʻi Island

Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawaiʻi Island

Understanding variability in the hinterlands: settlement and subsistence inMiloli‘i,Kaua‘i,HawaiianIslands

Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

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Opportunities and constraints for intensive agriculture in the Hawaiian archipelago prior to European contact

Cited by 108 publications

References 28 publications

Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawai&#699;i Island

Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawai&#699;i Island

Understanding variability in the hinterlands: settlement and subsistence inMiloli‘i,Kaua‘i,HawaiianIslands

Historical ecology of Ofu Island revisited: new data for an island‐wide model

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawaiʻi Island

Spatial patterns of seasonal crop production suggest coordination within and across dryland agricultural systems of Hawaiʻi Island