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INVESTIGATOR: Chiang, S.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
UNIV OF HAWAII
3190 MAILE WAY
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96822

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII`S GOFARM HAWAII: A REGIONAL NEW FARMER DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: How can we capitalize upon the interest in agriculture to effectively develop the real, commercial farmers that are prepared to overcome the challenges and address Hawaii's food insecurity? Furthermore, how might we efficiently develop prospective commercial farmers across the state in order to maximize the number of farmers developed and the geographic accessibility and communities benefitted?We propose to address these questions by doing the following:Support continued operation of the recently-established Hawaii-based beginning farmer training program (GoFarm Hawaii) that has proven effective in developing commercial farmers--allowing them to develop more farmers efficiently (startup costs already incurred) and refine their curriculum.Leverage this program's three existing locations and a collaborating program to evaluate delivery of a standardized curriculum across both geographies and programs to evaluate the curriculum and delivery method's effectiveness.Investigate the feasibility of expanding the program to more locations and the curriculum to other programs, to facilitate future expansion for increased impact on the number of successful new farmers in Hawaii.

OBJECTIVES: Goals:To enhance Hawaii's food security and economy by increasing the number of local agricultural producers by offering those with an interest in agriculture a combination of knowledge, experience, and support designed to assist them in becoming viable production growers, and accomplish this in a manner that encourages sustainability.Objectives1: Develop beginning farmers to commercial readiness.2: Evaluate effectiveness of curriculum across sites and programs.3: Determine feasibility of additional GFH program sites.