Over 130 years of history...In the late 1800’s the sugarcane industry was booming in Hawaii. In 1895 the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association was created to serve the growers who were demanding help with how to grow their sugarcane crops more effectively. HSPA served the industry in many ways over its operation.
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In 1905 the first experiment station was established in the Makiki section of Honolulu. HSPA conducted scientific research, collected data and shared research results with growers and industry leaders. HSPA became recognized as leaders in agricultural research and was asked to conducted experiments on a variety of produce.
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The sugarcane industry began declining in the 1980s. In 1996, HSPA responded to the changing needs of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural sector by transforming into the Hawaiʻi Agriculture Research Center (HARC), a nonprofit organization. Since then, HARC has served as a center for applied scientific research and education. The transition allowed its scientists to continue supporting producers and industry through research, innovation, and outreach.
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The Experiment Station moved from Makiki to Aiea to two experiment stations in Kunia and Maunawili. HARC conducts research on all the major Hawaiian Islands. Kunia Experiment Station also houses a state-of-the-art laboratory, archival library, education center, and HARC headquarters.
Over time, research expanded to include a diverse range of tropical crops, as well as indigenous plants and forest species. |
HARC Archival Library
HARC continues to steward the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association's extensive library. The library houses documents of all aspects of the sugarcane industry, including scientific research data, plantation records, corporate records, correspondences, cultivation contracts, financial records, production records, and data related to many aspects of the sugarcane industry.
The library includes publications and books, in some cases going back to 1850. Much plantation data was donated to various historic organizations throughout Hawai'i, including the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library, which created the HSPA Plantation Archives.
For access to the archives, please submit a request below>>
The library includes publications and books, in some cases going back to 1850. Much plantation data was donated to various historic organizations throughout Hawai'i, including the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Library, which created the HSPA Plantation Archives.
For access to the archives, please submit a request below>>
