The Kohala Center received a grant award totaling $749,298 that will support the Native Hawaiian community through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP).

The grant will help to support Native Hawaiian new and beginning farmers and ranchers to integrate indigenous forest-agriculture and western conservation into their agricultural systems. 

Through its “Hana Mahiʻai: Preparing the Ground for Beginning Native Farmers and Rachers to (Re)Generate Food Abundance” initiative, The Kohala Center will provide training, technical assistance, and resources to new and beginning Native Hawaiian farmers and ranchers to reclaim agency over feeding Hawaiʻi Island’s diverse community.

The Center’s integrated approach will address the BFRDP’s priorities of forest management, climate-smart farming and livestock practices, natural resource management and planning, and resources/referrals that improve biodiversity, soils, lands, watersheds and ecosystems services.

Traditionally, Hawaiʻi’s agricultural system sustained 100% of its land and people. Now, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are the most underrepresented group of Hawaiʻi’s food producers (less than 9%), and Hawaiʻi imports more than 80% of food. In response, The Kohala Center aims to increase place-based food production that supports viable agricultural livelihoods, and provide place-based, culturally-relevant plants and processes to participants.

The purpose of the NIFA’s BFRDP is to provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to help underserved, veteran, and beginning farmers and rachers own and operate successful farms. These investments also help provide equitable participation in USDA agricultural programs.

Photo credit: The Kohala Center