Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 6, 1 June 2023 — Building a Sustainable Future on Kaua'i [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Building a Sustainable Future on Kaua'i

The Office of Hawaiians Affairs is one of several entities supporting the work of community nonprofit 'Āina Ho'okupu o Kīlauea By Ed Kalama "He ali'i ka 'āina, he kauā ke kanaka. The land is a chief; man is its servant." They describe themselves as modern day 'Āina Warriors, helping to bring sustainability, resiliency, and self-sufficiency to their island home. Their vision is an economically diverse and food secure Kaua'i, and they are rallying the community through the value of mālama aina. It's critical work, and if the pandemic proved anything, it's that Hawai'i needs more organizations like 'Āina Ho'okupu o Kīlauea (AHK) spread out across the entire pae aina. 'ĀHK is here to manage, listen and care for the aina within the reality of this modern world," said AHK Executive Director Yoshito L'Hote. "How do we continue to uphold these values that describe the land as a chief, and the man as its servant? Our project is an approach toward re-establishing a role for Kānaka to heeome a provider and steward by providing a space where we ean thrive in this modern age." Established in 2015, AHK's goal is to facilitate solutions to eeonomie, social, agricultural and food security challenges that the Kīlauea community and Kaua'i faces. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, AHK was able to support loeal farmers by purchasing their goods and putting together Farmers Market Boxes that were then sold at a drive-through to loeal residents. The pro-

gram boomed, and as the volume of produce gathered increased, AHK started purchasing the fresh fruits and vegetables with donations from the community and began servicing kūpuna and families economically impacted by the pandemic. A $50,201 Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) COVID-l9 Impact and Response Grant in 2021 allowed AHK to provide 3,500 mixed locally grown produce boxes that supplied weekly deliveries to more than 500 Native Hawaiian families on Kaua'i for some five months. AHK went on to garner support from the federal USDA Farmers-to-Families Food Box program, the County of Kaua'i and CARES Act funding, whieh allowed them to purchase equipment, greenhouses, and the necessary infrastructure to start producing the food that was going into the boxes. In September of 2022, AHK was awarded a $100,000 OHA 'Āina Community Grant intended to provide 3,600 produce boxes to more than 300 Native Hawaiians across

Kaua'i over the next two years. Specifically, the grant funds 1,800 boxes per year (36 per week) to benefit Native Hawaiian families. Boxes are approximately 10 lbs. eaeh and cost about $25 for the produce and $5 for aggregation, construction and delivery. The community grant from OHA is being used as matching funding for a USDA National Institute of Food and Agri-

culture grant, whieh is a three-year grant of $125,000 per year. AHK also secured $75,000 from a private donor but still has to raise matching funds for the second and third year. Along with $75,000 in private donations, AHK will be able to continue producing Farmers Market Boxes for the rest of this year. "Our partnership with OHA is allowing us to continue providing this great gift from the aina through our nonprofit partners that serve our Hawaiian community. The more boxes get purchased, the more food ean be grown at the Kīlauea Ag Center, and the more connected the benefiting families are to the aina," L'Hote said. AHK has been developing the Kīlauea Community Agricultural Center (KCAC), a 75-acre parcel on the North Shore of Kaua'i formerly owned by the Kīlauea Sugar Plantation Co., to build food resiliency, eeonomie diversity and provide an avenue to connect with aina. "KCAC is a plaee where beginning farmers ean have access to land, infrastructure and expertise to facilitate their success," L'Hote said. "We currently have seven independent farmers on-site, and we farm 5 acres to grow produce going toward the boxes, along with other produce purchased ffom our on-site location and from other loeal farmers," L'Hote said. "Recently, we are continuing to vertically integrate the farm by adding our new support kitchen and market/deli, capturing the retail dollar and its profitability to help maximize the revenue from loeal production, and continue to allow us to maintain our produce boxes system hopefully in perpetuity," he added. "KCAC is an attempt to support Hawaiians and loeal people to maintain their sense of plaee, and allow them to perpetuate their culture. We're also providing access to entrepreneurial support, access to land to farm, and skillsets to have them contribute to their community in a meaningful way," L'Hote said. L'Hote said he enjoys serving his community and providing a positive path forward that honors the island's host culture. SEE BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE ON PAGE 17

The Kīlūuea Community Agricultural Center is d 75-acre parcel on the North Shore of Kaua'i. - (ourtesy Photo

Yoshito L'Hote (right) and his son, Molu, ore committed to supporting Hawoiion ond other loeol fomiiies on Kauū'i to build food security ond sustoinobility. - Photo: Jason tees

The Farmers Market Box contains o vori- A Kouo'i kupuno is the recipient of fresh ety of fresh produce. - (ourtesy Photos fruits ond vegetobles.

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Continued from page 16 "The best thing about this grant work is to see the smiling faees of the recipients when they see the beautiful fruits and vegetables that they would normally not be able to purchase, and to connect the most disadvantaged parts of the eommunity to our 'āina," he said. "We are nurturing a sense of hope and direction for Kaua'i. It is our responsibility, as stewards of this land, to prioritize the needs of aina. Our project allows the continuity of Hawaiian values while succeeding in this modern era. "Because locally grown produce is more expensive, those who are financially well off are able to purchase it. As a producer and aggregator, we utilize the philanthropic mechanism to ensure fresh produce is readily available to all regardless of ineome, because nobody should go without a healthy balanced diet in Hawai'i." ■

1 ■ \ B -*L OHA grants are helping AHK put together Farmers Market Boxes with fresh fruits ond vegetables for Native Hawoiians on Kaua'i. - Courtesy Photo