"Resilience" is fast becoming the buzzword in many circles, much like its sister term "sustainability" has been in vogue since the Rio Earth Summit and other efforts made it famous in the 1990s.

Resilience, in the simplest sense, can be understood as the ability of a system — a city, community or ecosystem, for example — to cope, bounce back and recover after a big disturbance or event such as a disaster, using its own resources, knowledge and skills.

Hawaii, the most isolated land mass in the world, is at risk for hazards such as hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather. Historically, Native Hawaiians and other groups have been endowed with traditional knowledge of resource management strategies that secured food and water for times of drought, climate variability and disasters. The effects of globalization and urbanization have led to much loss of this knowledge.

Urbanites have a high dependency on grocery stores for accessing food, a weakness exacerbated by our high dependency on imported food and energy (oil). If a major disaster were to strike, grocery stores would empty within 24 hours. It could take weeks for supplies to arrive by barge or airplane, potentially longer if ports and airports are severely affected. Residents are expected to have at least three to seven days of food and water, but many are unable to afford stockpiling supplies and may have misinformed expectations that government or other organizations will meet their needs for food, water and shelter. If it takes weeks before groceries and other stores are restocked and relief services are in full effect, locally grown food and water storage supplies will be critical.

In addition, urbanites are less likely to know their neighbors, and social connections are critical for sharing resources in times of disaster.

Restoring local self-sufficiency, food and water security and community cohesion can be improved through increasing education and capacity-building through water conservation and developing home and community gardens.

Growing food in urban residences takes creative thinking and knowledge. The statewide University of Hawaii Master Gardener Program is a key facilitator of restoring this knowledge through training, education and outreach. Master gardeners are dedicated volunteers trained by specialists at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

Start today. Talk with your family, friends and neighbors and ask, How can we prepare for disasters and become more resilient? Starting a vegetable garden is as easy as setting down recycled cardboard, piling up native soil mixed with a nice compost and animal manure from your local garden store, and planting your favorite varieties.

The UH MG website — www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/UHMG — will help you find your local Plant Helpline and educational outreach events in your area. You will also find publications and resources compiled by UH master gardeners for home gardeners.

Once your vegetable garden gets growing, you’ll soon realize you have too much produce for one household to consume. To foster a stronger sense of community, make it a point to share extra produce and your gardening experiences with your neighbors and let them know about the publications that were most helpful to you.