Item No. 1 of 1

INVESTIGATOR: Willich, M.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
THE KOHALA CENTER
PO BOX 437462
KAMUELA, HAWAII 96743

BEGINNING FARMER-RANCHER TRAINING PROGRAM: HAWAII ISLAND

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: TKC developed this project based on years of feedback received by ourRural and Cooperative Business Development Program staff, and our Farmer Training Programstaff, from beginning farmers/ranchers on Hawaii Island, as well as demonstrated demand for ourcurrent Farmer Training Program and requests to serve geographic areas that do not have accessto farmer training programs. Our clients, partners, and collaborators - including local farmers,ranchers, food distributors, processors, agricultural cooperatives, Hawaii FarmersUnion United,Hawaii Farm Bureau, and the University of Hawaii - have consistently reported that new farmersand ranchers desire training in the areas of both agricultural production and small businessmanagement. Each year, The Kohala Center receives inquiries from dozens of aspiring farmers,seeking guidance in everything from production to business planning to agricultural loans.In 2012, we launched our Farmer Training Program to meet the need for practical agriculturaltraining opportunities on Hawaii Island. Through our experience and feedback from participants,we have learned that providing a combination of classroom and hands-on training is the mostdesired combination. However, we have consistently received requests from farmers, ranchers,and collaborators to expand our program to other areas of the island, in order to provideopportunities for beginning producers in Kona, Kohala, and Kau that would otherwise have totravel 50-100 miles to participate in our program. In our current Farmer Training Program, bothclassroom training and field instruction are located primarily in Hamakua in the northeasterncoast of Hawaii Island. To reach more students, in 2015 we piloted a mentorship program thatpaired students with experienced farmers around the island. However, feedback from participantsindicated that regional pairings were insufficient - they also desired classroom training closer totheir homes enhanced with distance learningopportunities. In order to meet the demand forfarmer training island-wide, The Kohala Center's proposed BFRDP will expand our reach andserve aspiring and beginning farmers and ranchers across the island by offering virtual learningopportunities, classroom courses at rotating locations around the Hawaii Island, and fieldinstruction opportunities at demonstration sites circling the islandincluding Hamakua, NorthKohala (northeastern coast), Kona (southwestern coast), and Kau (southern coast). Classroomand virtual courses will be provided by The Kohala Center's Rural and Cooperative BusinessDevelopment Services (RCBDS) program and various project partners, including GoFarmHawaii (a program of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Agribusiness Incubator Program(UH-AIP)) and a number of agribusiness industry leaders from around Hawaii.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the proposed project is to help beginning farmers launch or expand farming and ranching enterprises on Hawaii Island in order to increase local food production and support viable primary and secondary agricultural livelihoods for socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers.Objectives:Train beginning farmers and ranchers, with a particular focus on training socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers, through participation in a year-long training program on agricultural production and business management and development.Facilitate access to resources required to launch a commercial farm, including farm leases, funding, affordable production inputs, and access to processing facilities.Expand The Kohala Center's online database of resources and innovative strategies to overcome challenges facing beginning farmers in Hawaii County and share these resources with program participants and farmer/ranchers statewide.