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Addressing the state's water supply is a huge challenge. Aquifers are <br />recharged with long, gentle rainfall that lasts multiple days, Fletcher said. <br />During massive rainstorms, most of the water runs off to the ocean. If the <br />state sees a decrease in the type of rain that sustains the state's water <br />supply and an increase in intense rainstorms, how can Hawaii's water <br />engineering system adapt to that? <br />Another approach for adapting is to change the varieties of crops that are <br />grown in Hawaii. Ahmad and other extension agents at the university have <br />been looking for different kinds of sweet corn and other crops that are more <br />adaptable to Hawaii's changing temperature. <br />This was a successful tactic for farmers in the Philippines, Ahmad said. At <br />some point, salty water started to impact rice production and so farmers <br />found rice varieties that had a higher salt tolerance. <br />More research is needed on all fronts. Research on the state's changing <br />climate, on how to make agriculture more adaptable — and how to best <br />utilize farming in the fight against climate change. <br />Tree crops can be more resilient than other crops. They also remove carbon <br />from the atmosphere and put it in the soil. A macadamia nut orchard — when <br />it's managed well — can sequester 5.8 tons per acre of carbon per year, <br />Trump said. <br />"We see the challenges of climate change," Trump said. "But we also see the <br />opportunity to grow our industry as a way to mitigate climate change." <br />"Hawaii Grown" is funded in part by grants from the Ulupono Fund at the <br />Hawaii Community Foundation, the Marisla Fund at the Hawaii Community <br />Foundation, and the Frost Family Foundation. <br />Not a subscription <br />