Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 11, 1 November 2021 — Homestead Agriculture Youth Council Launched [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Homestead Agriculture Youth Council Launched

J KANAKA FORWARD ^ ON THE HOMESTEADS B H _ ■ ■ .

By Rolina Faagai, SCHHA Policy Analyst Congratulations are in order to the Anahola Hawaiian Homestead Association (AHHA) on Kaua'i and the Ho'olehua Hawaiian Agriculture Association (HHAA) on Moloka'i. The two homestead associations have partnered with the SCHHA nonprofit, the Homestead Community Development Corporation (HCDC), to design and pilot the first youth eouneil focused on agriculture - whether farmers, ranchers or fishers. Funded primarily by the Native Ameriean Agriculture Foundation (NAAF), the Homestead Agriculture Youth Council (HAYC) lays the groundwork for homestead youth to have a voice in setting priorities and capturing their hopes to form the basis and grounding of advocacy through the lens of young homesteaders. "Agriculture is two-thirds of the purpose of our Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920," said KipuKai Kuali'i, the SCHHA Policy chairperson, and an elected official on the Kaua'i County Council. "Residential, farming and ranching are the three land use priorities under the homesteading section. We need to engage our youth, hear from them, walk with them, if we want to realize a robust agricultural program that is about them." HAYC has accepted 15 youth so far, ages 10 to 18, and kicks off at the end of October. First steps include forming a policy eouneil, setting meeting dates and agenda topics, organizing the agriculture economy in homesteads that the youth eouneil envisions, and then organizing those priorities to march them forward. The youth eouneil will receive resources

over the next 12 months to engage in ag-ricultural-based, hands-on projects, and to piek mentors in the homestead eommunity that they want to work with, as well as policy makers at the county, state and federal levels they'd like to hear ffom. The project is being led by Kaiwi Eisenhour, a 24-year-old graduate of a Native Hawaiian charter school and Kapa'a High School. Eisenhour was raised entirely on homesteads and is returning home ffom college with a chemistry degree. "This is new ground for our homestead association leaders, and for our youth - a generation full of ideas, with deep eonnections to our homelands," Eisenhour remarked. "I'm excited to engage with them, like my own kumu engaged with me at a young age, whieh sparked my interest in science. Our youth in homesteads have so mueh to teach us, and I think this Homestead Agriculture Youth Oouneil is a solid beginning to making sure our youth have a seat at the policy table of ideas." ■ The Native American Agriculture Fund provides grants to eligible organizations for business assistance, agricultural education, technical support, and advocacy services to support Native farmers and ranchers. The charitable trust was created by the settlement ofthe landmark Keepseagle v. Vilsack class action lawsuit. NAAF is the largest philanthropic organization devoted solely to serving the Native Ameriean fartning and ranching community. SCHHA encourages all homestead associations across the state to learn more about NAAF at nativeamericanagriculturefund. org to submit proposals in the 2022 round offunding. Kolina Faagai is a policy analyst for the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, the oldest and largest eoalūion ofnative Hawaiians on or waiting for Hawaiian Home Lands. Born on the island of O'ahu, Kolina was raised in Kāne'ohe and currently lives on the island ofKaua'i.