Agricultural co-op helps local small farmers succeed

Food security” and “food sustainability” have become the twin refrains in Hawaii over the last few years. It’s understandable, given that as a remote archipelago, much of our food travels thousands of miles and we’re acutely vulnerable to global shocks such as energy price spikes, geopolitical crises and natural disasters. Moreover, we’re contributing to climate change by importing so much of our food.

Common sense would dictate that we grow more food locally, and to that effect Gov. David Ige recently announced the goal of doubling Hawaii’s local food production by 2030.

Even before Ige’s call, many organizations had recognized these problems and mobilized efforts to find solutions for their communities.

One such organization, the Friends With Farms Agricultural Cooperative, was organized in 2015 in Waimanalo by a few small farms and graduates of the GoFarm Hawaii farmer training program. The co-op has grown to 17 members islandwide and aims to help small- and medium-size farmers to aggregate, market and distribute their production.

“People on Oahu are starting to organize and collaborate at a grass-roots level,” says La‘amea Lunn, president of the co-op and one of its co-founders.

Food hubs that aggregate and distribute farmers’ production are popping up all over Oahu. Kahumana Organic Farms recently started a food hub in the Waianae region, and Kokua Kalihi Valley Health Center’s Roots food hub has been in operation for several years. On the Windward side, the Waimanalo Market Co-op offers local farmers a brick-and-mortar storefront where they can sell their produce. Meanwhile, Farm Link Hawaii is providing an online platform that links restaurants and supermarkets such as Foodland Farms with local growers.

A new generation of young farmers is also emerging.

“The average age of our members is probably around 32,” said Paul Arinaga, general manager of Friends With Farms. “And contrary to stereotypes, these new farmers are highly educated and technologically savvy.”

Despite these promising developments, a myriad of obstacles need to be surmounted, including helping farmers to acquire land and capital. For its part, Friends With Farms plans to assist farmers by providing access to markets and a host of support services such as marketing, distribution, washing, packaging and compliance with federal and state regulations. The co-op recently won a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to launch a collaborative Community Supported Agriculture sales platform and develop other distribution channels.

“We want to help small and beginning farmers take it to the next level,” Lunn said. “I believe that by collaborating together as a community, we can make farming an attractive professional option for this next generation of farmers.”

Aside from increasing food security and sustainability, helping small farmers to succeed also could boost the local economy.

“Small business is the backbone of any economy and typically provides the most employment,” Arinaga said.

It’s about more than just food security or economic development, however.

“We want to produce local food in a way that protects the environment,” said Sean Anderson, Green Rows Farm owner and co-founder of Friends With Farms as well as president of the Waimanalo chapter of the Hawaii Farmers’ Union United (HFUU), an umbrella organization that represents and assists farmers statewide.

Friends With Farms’ members follow regenerative agricultural practices such as amending the soil and eschewing the use of pesticides.

Where do we go from here?

“There is a lot of work to be done, but it’s inspiring to see people coming together,” Anderson said. He said many of the grass-roots organizations are developing connections and exploring potential collaborations.

“As an islandwide organization that is part of a state and national organization, HFUU is helping to connect various organizations on Oahu and throughout the state as we all strive toward similar goals,” he said.

The key may be to support small farmers. “If we can help small-scale, part-time producers transition to being full-time professional producers, we can bring a lot more acreage into production and boost the local food supply,” Arinaga said.

Mike Meyer, formerly internet general manager at Oceanic Time Warner Cable, is now chief information officer at Honolulu Community College. Reach him at mmeyer@hawaii.edu.