Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences
jdeenik [at] hawaii [dot] edu
Bio: Jonathan Deenik received his BA in History and Art History (College of Wooster) and then joined the Peace Corps where is served as a teacher and teacher trainer in the forest of southern Cameroon (’85-’87) and remote central Nepal (’87-’91). He came to Hawaii in 1992 and completed his MS and PhD degrees at Manoa in Soil Science. He joined the Dept of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences in 2003 with a three-way split (extension, research and instruction). His work focuses on soil nutrient management and soil quality across the spectrum of tropical agroecosystems. He works with farmers throughout the Hawaiian Islands and Micronesia.
Projects: Jonathan works closely with graduate students and extension agents to help farmers match nutrient inputs to cropping systems and soil and climatic conditions to maintain target yields while enhancing the soil resource and minimizing negative impacts to air and water quality. His work also includes identifying and promoting the utilization of alternative soil amendments from waste (sewage sludge conversion to biochar, biofertilizers from anaerobic digestion, and composting) in farming systems across the Pacific. Most recently, Jonathan has worked in a large USDA funded obesity prevention project throughout the US Affiliated Pacific. His focus has been on studying the Pacific agroforest systems, their management and their role in the food system in a time of rapid social, economic and environmental change.