By: Kyle Franks

Christina Aki is a dedicated homesteader on Molokai who has been transforming her land into a thriving food forest and garden. Since participating in CTAHR programs, she has applied her knowledge and innovations to create a small-scale, subsistence operation that nourishes her family. With the help of her son, Anthony, who handles much of the implementation, the mother-son duo has reimagined and revitalized their ʻāina. Their journey is an inspiring example of how regenerative practices can restore the soil, provide food, and cultivate a deeper sense of self.

A New Beginning Through Gardening

“COVID struck me down,” Christina reflects. Before attending CTAHR workshops, she was a Zumba instructor, completing over 10,000 steps a day in a highly social environment. When the pandemic forced her to give up her passion, her grandson built her planter boxes, sparking a newfound love for gardening. She started small, growing pak choi, basil, and māmaki. Before long, she was harvesting and delivering 70 pak choi to the local market each month. Encouraged by her success, she added ʻōlena (turmeric) to her crops. “That was the beginning of it,” she says enthusiastically. What started in a five-gallon pot has now expanded into two 10-square-foot beds—one for ʻōlena and one for ginger—providing her family with an ample seasonal supply and enough to share with friends.

Initially hesitant to plant directly into the ground due to concerns about maintenance, Christina eventually embraced food forestry. Keeping ʻōlena and ginger in contained beds, she and her son developed efficient systems to manage their time and energy effectively.

Figure 1. Christina growing Mamaki. 

Building a Food Forest from the Ground Up

Christina eagerly attended many CTAHR workshops and was part of the first cohort of the Food Forest Program, where she maintained perfect attendance. Inspired by the program, she and Anthony started small, clearing a 10’ x 10’ area. The first plant they put in was cassava—a reliable caloric crop. Mulch came from the cleared guinea grass, helping to spark soil enrichment naturally.

However, farming on Molokai presents unique challenges, particularly with deer pressure. “The deer started to follow me,” Christina laughs. To protect their crops, they installed a temporary deterrent fence, allowing them to expand to a 60’ x 10’ area. Encouraged by their success, they added another 60’ x 10’ unfenced plot planted exclusively with kalo, which, so far, the deer have left untouched.

Cover cropping, a key takeaway from the Food Forest Program, has been a game-changer for Christina. Using sunn hemp, mustard, sudangrass, and tillage radish, she has eliminated the need for additional fertilizers. Today, her flourishing system includes papaya, banana, taro, māmaki, ti, vetiver, mountain apple, and avocado, all interwoven with cover crops.

Another skill Christina and Anthony embraced was grafting. They successfully saved a mature donor avocado tree that later died, leaving them with enough grafted trees to establish productive planting areas.

Figure 2. Christina's food forest in Molokai.

Figure 3. Christina growing fruit trees and vetiver.

Innovative Solutions and Sustainable Practices

Christina has devised creative ways to deter deer and enhance soil fertility. One such method involves trimming vetiver grass to blunt its ends, allowing the stiff blades to poke through the fence. She believes this deters deer by irritating their sensitive noses. Since deer do not typically eat vetiver, this method has helped protect her food forest.

For composting, Christina takes advantage of natural processes by enlisting her chickens. She rakes together organic material and scatters scratch feed to attract the birds, which shred the material as they forage. Once sufficiently broken down, the pile is moistened and left to compost, while a new pile is prepared for the chickens to work on next. This efficient system has helped Christina become eligible for an NRCS grant in hopes of supporting her farm's expansion.

Lessons Learned and Words of Wisdom

When asked about the biggest lessons she has learned, Christina shares, “If you think you’re going to fail, you will fail.” Her commitment to showing up and seeing things through has helped her foster a deep love for her work and find joy in the process.

One of her most valuable discoveries is a technique for propagating vetiver grass more effectively. After digging up and cleaning a mother plant, she separates the divisions and places them in a bucket of water, changing the water every three days. Within three to four weeks, new white roots emerge, allowing for direct field planting without the need for potting. This method significantly speeds up establishment and growth.