Our partner site in Kona experienced the challenge that about 50% of the people who sign up for the public workshops do not show up on the actual workshop day. The project partner has been using Eventbrite in order to being able to track workshop participants and reduce the administrative time spent answering registration phone calls and emails. They found that people would sign up and the class would appear to be full, blocking further registrations. "No-show" registrants have then actually taken a spot away from someone else. For example, the grafting workshop was capped at 50 participants because of limited supplies and materials, only 25 people showed up. This means that they could have opened up spots if people had notified them that they did not intend to show up. No shows decrease a workshop's cost effectiveness. The partner is considering for future projects the following strategies to increase the efficiency of their workshops: 1. Start charging a nominal fee of $10.00 for registration prepaid (no payment on the day of the workshop) so that the participants feel invested in showing up. 2. Developing a policy that blocks the registration to future workshops of anyone who does not show up to a workshop they have registered for (without notification).
Based on the positive feedback in personal communications as well as email and evaluation forms, we feel confident about our farmer training program. TKC's farmer training program was designed to facilitate the development of new farms and ranches across Hawai'i by providing residents with access to knowledge and capital, two of the main obstacles mentioned in past surveys of Hawai'i's agricultural sector. TKC's farmer training program provides new and beginning farmers and ranchers with agricultural knowledge, a professional agricultural network, and a network of other new farmers and ranchers. Moreover, as graduates of TKC's farmer training programs, students have access to TKC's Rural Cooperative Business Development Services staff, a team of individuals providing technical assistance and training in farm capitalization, microfinance, food safety, organic practices, and cooperative development. Our farmer training program helps participants who greatly lack any agricultural background or formal agricultural training to understand the basics of agricultural production and business development and therewith the complexity behind running a successful farming/ranching operation, particularly in a state where land is highly valuable, production inputs (electricity, gasoline, fertilizer, seeds, labor, etc.) are expensive, a year round growing season fails to break pest and disease pressure, markets are limited by geography, and cooperative extension service staff are limited. Given the challenges to farming in Hawai'i and the need for more long-term support for producers, it would be valuable to develop a second phase of the farmer training program geared toward deepening the graduates' knowledge and assisting them more intensively with building their businesses. The program could be structured as a two-year program (vs. the current one-year model) whereof the first year is run in the current format and then selects graduates into the second year of the program. In conjunction with the second phase, developing The Kohala Center's demonstration farm into a profit-generating operation in which the project's participants can learn and work, would be highly beneficial. We imagine this model to be similar to a student-run farm. A two-year model may serve to attract a wider range of participants, including High School graduates, particularly from the North Kohala, South Kohala, and Hamakua area. This model could also provide more hands-on, on-farm support to participants wanting oversight in production, whether at TKC's farm or their own private farm business, and help them design their farm businesses and troubleshoot events in real time to make less mistakes in the first year or two of their operation, when funds are tight and morale can easily be influenced.
Our future program would also include the development of curriculum maps and applied on-farm learning tools based on Hawaiian kinship with `aina (that which feeds/sustains us) and lahui (community), including practices of kilo (environmental observation), Po mahina (moon phases), oli (chants), and laulima (cooperation, working together). Thereby, our future farmer training program could strengthen peer-to-peer relationships and land-human relationships in a novel way which would increase respect and sensitivity for the Hawaiian culture, and train beginning farmers on fulfilling land stewardship kuleana (responsibilities). We view this as important as commercial agriculture cannot be approached in isolation from responsible natural resource management, especially not in a fragile Island ecosystem with an economically increasingly marginalized native population. By integrating traditional Hawaiian concepts as related to agricultural production, the integration of above described curriculum maps and applied on-farm learning tools could generate the future generation of farmers who would be able to produce and market their products ecologically and culturally appropriate.
Potential for improvement will continue to be monitored past the term of the project.
1. Meeting face-to-face with other beginning farmers and
technical assistance providers to build a professional network.
2. Having access to a diversity of presenters across the
agricultural field.
3. Meeting with farmers and ranchers at their operations to
see firsthand the realities of the industry.
4. Having access to The Kohala Center's Rural
and Cooperative Business Development Services program which provides assistance
to producers statewide in business planning, capitalization, accounting, food
safety, organic certification, etc.
‘Aina-inspired leadership and opportunities: For the past 17 years, The Kohala Center has sought solutions to contemporary island challenges by respectfully engaging the ‘aina as a source of wisdom and guidance. In this issue of The Leaflet, we celebrate people and communities working toward a better future for Hawai‘i through their relationships with the ‘aina itself. We are honored to introduce Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui as our incoming president and CEO, share success stories from our Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program, highlight scientific research being conducted by Mellon-Hawai‘i postdoctoral fellow Dr. Kiana Frank, and announce a new partnership to support environmental and economic resilience in the Honokoa Watershed. Visit http://kohalacenter.org/the-leaflet-spring-2017-newsletter#food for the online version of the Leaflet in its entirety.
Farmer training programs advance careers of local food producers:
Since 2013, more than 160 Hawai‘i Island residents have enrolled in one of our farmer training programs to gain a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to succeed in farming and food production in Hawai‘i. We recently caught up with a current student, a program graduate, and a participating mentor to find out how our educational and technical assistance programs have helped them plan, launch, and expand their agricultural business endeavors.
Support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Office of Advocacy and Outreach Program 2501, the County of Hawai‘i Office of Research and Development, and Kamehameha Schools has enabled us to offer seven sessions of our Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program over the past four years. The program goes far beyond the basics of how to grow crops, covering subjects such as building soil fertility, integrated pest management, cover cropping, marketing, business planning and financing, accounting, livestock production, and food safety. Program graduates who complete a business plan are eligible for assistance in applying for farm leases and capital to successfully produce, market, and distribute their products.
Brandon Lee
Honoka'a native Brandon Lee and his wife enrolled in the second cohort of our farmer training course in 2013 with an interest in becoming producers of premium-quality pork. When Lee opened Napua at Mauna Lani Beach Club restaurant in 2010, he was committed to sourcing fresh, local ingredients as much as possible, and quickly learned how challenging that was. The limited availability of quality local meats and produce inspired him to investigate farming and ranching as an additional business. “We enrolled in The Kohala Center's farmer training program thinking it might actually deter us from pursuing farming because of the amount of work we knew would be involved,” Lee recalls. “The sessions were convenient and thorough, and provided a mix of classroom and on-farm instruction. The Center connected me with an internship at Ahualoa Hog Farm, which gave me hands-on experience with the aspects of pig farming I wasn't sure I could do.”
In addition to Napua, Lee now also owns and operates Kaunamano Farm, which he launched on the Hamakua Coast with farmer Max Bowman after winning a landlease and financial support in the 2014 Mahi‘ai Matchup Agricultural Business Plan Competition sponsored by Kamehameha Schools and the Pauahi Foundation. Lee specializes in raising Berkshire pigs—“the best pigs in the world,” he says—using an organic, humane, open-pasture system. The knowledge he gained in our farmer training program helped him understand operational processes like rotational grazing, cover cropping, and record keeping, and gave him an appreciation for food production he feels would benefit every restaurateur. “Knowing what I know now, I wish I had taken the farmer training course and opened a farm first before a restaurant,” Lee said. “I think if you wanted to open a restaurant but had to open a farm first, you'd have many more successful restaurants because owners don't know how food works. It's given me a better understanding of how and where food starts and how to value it.”
Max Bowman
Bowman, also originally from Honoka'a, never took a farmer training course but learned the ropes on the job at Nalo Farms on O'ahu. “Initially working at Nalo Farms was just a job. I didn't really approach it as a training or mentorship opportunity,” Bowman says. “But [owner] Dean Okimoto was always helpful and willing to answer questions, and I learned a lot about field work, packing, distributing, and delivery there. So I got a comprehensive look at the whole business” before moving back to Hawai'i Island to start 'Ano'ano Farms in 2011. With a loan he secured from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Bowman was able to lease five acres of state land managed by the Hamakua Agricultural Cooperative.
Bowman's success and his appreciation of the knowledge he gained in his first farming job inspired him to serve as a mentor to three of our farmer training students and graduates so far. “Mentorship can be a great way to apply what you've learned in a training course and get a real sense of what it is like to actually farm,” Bowman said. “But it's only beneficial if a mentee takes it seriously and treats it like a real job. If anything, it can help a potential farmer decide if they really have the drive and discipline required to succeed. I see it as a stepping stone for getting a job on an existing farm, where you can gain even more knowledge and experience before trying to start your own.”
Recently The Kohala Center introduced Bowman to Chris and Ginny Robb, longtime owners of Robb Farms who were preparing to retire and were seeking an experienced farmer to take over their certified-organic operation in Waimea. The connection led to Bowman and his brothers acquiring the farm, ensuring that the 'aina carefully managed by the Robbs will continue to be nurtured by an experienced farming family and provide an abundance of organic vegetables to Hawai'i consumers.
Dr. Angela Fa‘anunu
Dr. Angela Fa'anunu and her sister Kalisi are students in the current cohort of our farmer training program. They along with two colleagues took first place in the 2016 Mahi'ai Matchup competition and won a five-year lease on 9.5 acres of land in the Pahoehoe ahupua'a north of Hilo. Their plan is to start an agro-forest farm featuring ulu (breadfruit) and cassava (tapioca) as food crops and wauke (paper mulberry) and hala (panadus) as fiber crops to support traditional Polynesian practices of weaving and making kapa. They decided to enroll in our course to gain a better understanding of the science and theory behind farming and to be surrounded by others with similar interests.
“We chose our primary crops not only for their cultural significance to us as Pacific Islanders but because they are resilient plants that grow well without constant care,” Angela Fa'anunu said. “We grew up in a village in Tonga's outer islands and fishing and farming was our lifestyle. We didn't have electricity or a refrigerator to store food. We grew crops to eat so farming was an important part of our lives.”
Today, their lives in Hawai'i are very different, with both sisters working full-time jobs; modern conveniences like supermarkets and electricity make it easier to detach from the land. “For us, the farm has become an opportunity to figure out how to be modern Pacific Islanders who can navigate the capitalist world while being rooted in our cultural traditions and do our part to contribute to our communities,” Fa'anunu said. “Visiting farms on Hawai'i Island through the farmer training program allows us to learn about what happens on our island and the challenges that local farms face. The stories of the farms we visit and the other students in our class inspire us as we begin our journey on our own farm.”
Our farmer training courses are designed to give students practical knowledge of the scientific and business aspects of food production, but starting and maintaining a farm or ranch is still challenging, especially in Hawai'i where land and agricultural inputs are expensive. While The Kohala Center offers technical assistance to program graduates who complete business plans, ambition, perseverance, and creativity are essential to achieving success. Lee, Bowman, and
Fa'anunu all agree that the considerable investment of time and energy can be extremely rewarding.
“Aside from increasing the supply of local food and reducing the amount of food we need to ship in from elsewhere, what I really like about farming is that there's a direct, proportional relationship between what you put into it and what you get back from it,” Bowman said. “And I think that's rarely the case in most jobs. You can scale your operation based on what you?re willing to get out of it. The harder you work, the greater the return.”
“If I hadn't taken The Kohala Center's class I wouldn't have become a farmer,” Lee said. “It gave me a chance to see if it was for me, and to meet other farmers because you want to make sure you're not the only crazy one. Because everyone tells you farming is hard work. I don't think it is. It's good work. It's pleasant work. For me it's not nearly as hard as sitting in an office all day. I'm not doing it to make millions. I'm doing it for quality of life.”
“Why do we farm? Because it is part of who we are and I want my six-year-old daughter to grow up understanding what that means,” Fa'anunu said. “I think what I appreciate most about the farmer training program is being part of a group of people who value local food production, agriculture, and the sustainability of our islands. Time spent at the farm, working the land and being surrounded by the sounds and smells of the bush, the blue skies, the rain, it makes me feel alive.”
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In response to the current Kilauea eruption, our 2017 cohort participant, Julie LaTendresse, owner of "Goat With The Flow", an innovative pack goat company that provides hikes with goats, has launched a campaign to help evacuees from the recent lava flow. Please see her website for more information: https://goatwiththeflow.wordpress.com/. Julie currently also serves as president of the Hawai‘i Sheep and Goat Association: www.hsga.net.
One of the 2019 cohort graduates incorporated her business and started selling vegetables at a weekly farmers market by the end of the cohort. Another 2019 farmer training program graduate was offered (and accepted) the position of “Food Access Coordinator” with the County of Hawai‘i. A total of seven graduates of our BFRDP program were involved with the recent “2nd Annual Hawai‘i Island Community Food Summit” held on Sep. 26, 2019, at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and hosted by the Hawai‘i Island Food Alliance. Graduates involvement included being farm vendors, panel speakers, and engaged audience. For more information, please follow this link: https://hifoodalliance.org/2019foodsummit/. Another graduate developed a networking website for our project’s participants, please see https://1farm.org/.
Ho‘oula ‘Aina Community Project
The Ho‘oula ‘Aina Community Project (HACP) was created by
the Keaukaha Pana‘ewa Farmers Association (KPFA) with leadership of our farmer
training program’s graduate, Justine Kamelamela, to address strategic needs of
the Keaukaha and Pana‘ewa farming community. KPFA is comprised of Native
Hawaiians who hold leases to designated agricultural lands in the Keaukaha and
Pana‘ewa areas on the east side of Hawai‘i Island. HACP sets out to encourage
Native Hawaiian homesteaders to actively farm for the cultural, economic,
health, and self-sufficiency benefits that farming provides for families and
individuals. Additionally, HACP aims to increase farm-community engagement,
share current farming practices, and provide information and resources on
traditional Hawaiian plants and farming methods through targeted community engagement
activities.
Hawai‘i Island Farm Trails Dr. Angela Fa'anunu and Kalisi Mausio of Kaivao Farm just released the Hawai‘i Island Farm Trails mobile app http://www.hifarmtrails.com/map, an USDA- funded project that helps build the visibility of farms & ranches, farmers markets and agricultural-related events on Hawai’i Island. The free mobile app and website provide up-to-date information that can all be found in one, easily accessible place. Kalisi wrote to us in an Email: "Thanks to the help of The Kohala Center with our grant application, we were able to get this wonderful opportunity to help Big Island but also build our own capacity as farm owners."
Below are some quotes and a letter from participants during the final evaluation:
Dear TKC staff,
I am writing to share my appreciation for the Kohala Center's Beginning Farmer Rancher Development Program.
Some of the things I found most useful were the program's structure and length of time. By meeting approximately twice a month of the course of nine months, it allowed me to build on the knowledge learned in earlier sessions and to get to know my fellow cohort members well. Although I probably could have found my way to a lot of information and speakers in the program on my own, it would have taken me years and years. While enrolled in the program I was in the process of scaling up our homestead to a production level market garden and I was able to try out some of the things I learned as well as reached out to some of the speakers for additional input and assistance multiple times. I was also able to try out propagation methods and planting methods I learned in hands on demonstrations. I really appreciate the breadth of agricultural knowledge shared from many points of view. I feel its important to know about many agricultural practices in order to choose and implement the ones that make the most sense for me, my family and our farm.
One of the main reasons I enrolled in the program was to get to know the agricultural community on the Big Island better and this program exposed me to a wide variety of practices, people, farms and business information. It also provided insight into Hawaiian culture and values around farming through some of our field trips, lectures and hands on work on the demonstration farm.
The speakers who lectured or did hands on workshops with us, were extremely knowledgeable on their subjects and very open to answering questions as well as being contacted in the future. These networking opportunities are invaluable.
Our field trips helped to visualize a multitude of possibilities and to understand the diversity of farming operations on the Big Island of Hawaii and to hear first hand from the farmers and ranchers what their day to day and overall work are like, while also getting to see facilities and equipment. I found it particularly useful to visit a large organic lettuce farm with lots of equipment and to learn about their whole operation from seed to harvest to packing and shipping (even though we may never be that scale). I also very much appreciated seeing the two livestock operations we visited and the Kohala field system site.
Lastly as I start out as a beginning market farmer I have found networking a bit easier as a participant in this program. Other farmers and buyers recognize the program and its value and I believe it has opened some doors much more easily than if I had not been a participant.
Mahalo for all the great work the Kohala Center has done to make this experience so practical and diverse.
Sincerely,
Rachelle House