When Leonard Hall got laid off from his job at a geo-engineering firm a few years ago, he was ready to launch his own farm and had even cooked up a 32-page business plan.

"It was an awesome plan, but it needed a lot of money to get going," said the former field technician, a stocky man with an easy laugh. "I was looking at leasing 5 acres. I had big plans."

The folks at the unemployment office suggested he get his bearings first through GoFarm Hawaii, an initiative to train new farmers begun in 2012 by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and Windward Community College, with a U.S. Department of Labor grant.

GoFarm gives people a chance to get dirt under their fingernails as they learn the practical science and business of farming, one step at a time, and figure out whether it is the life for them.

It is timely, given the widespread push to "buy local" and build Hawaii’s food self-sufficiency. The average age of farmers in the islands just topped 60 and has been rising with each agricultural census for two decades. GoFarm is designed to attract a new generation.

So far, the program has had good results, with 70 percent of graduates of the final stage of its training, known as "AgPro," becoming commercial farmers, according to co-founder Steven Chiang. There are 21 GoFarm alumni now farming commercially and 30 more in training. The program is now offered at Leeward and Kauai community colleges as well, and students don’t need to enroll in college to take part.

Hall, who grew up in Kalihi, says he learned the virtue of starting small at GoFarm.

"It’s better to take the time and go step by step," he said, "versus charging 100 percent into something you have no idea about and just flopping."

On one-third of an acre in Wai­ma­nalo, he is raising a smorgasbord of lettuce, arugula, kalo, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, beans, bananas and papayas.

"And, of course, kale — kale is a good seller," he added, pointing to rows of dark, frilly leaves on sturdy stems.

Next to him, Ikaika Rogerson, a shipyard rigger, is growing varieties of lettuce and olena, or turmeric. Nearby is La‘a­mea Lunn, who decided to try farming when his second child was on the way, rather than being away from home in the evenings working as a restaurant cook.

The three graduated together from GoFarm’s AgPro course in June and have two-year agreements to farm small plots of land through its AgIncubator phase at the Wai­ma­­nalo Agricultural Research Station of the College of Tropical Agriculture.

"These are incubator plots so you can establish markets and even hone your techniques and what you want to grow," said Lunn, 31, who had just harvested bushy-topped carrots and was back to drop tiny seeds in the soil for the next crop.

All three are already commercial farmers, having created their own businesses and brands with program guidance — Hall has ‘Awa­Pi‘i­lani Farms, Rogerson runs Rocky Farms and Lunn has True Story Farm. They sell their produce to the Wai­ma­nalo Market Cooperative, to restaurants and to consumers directly through weekly subscription boxes. All are raising crops consistent with organic practices, although they are not certified as organic.

Chiang sees GoFarm’s phased approach, with increasing levels of commitment and transition support to commercial farming, as keys to its success. Students start with a short "AgCurious" seminar and move on to AgXposure workshops. Then come four months of AgSchool, which meets twice a week, followed by six months of AgPro, where students farm one-eighth-acre plots. Enrollment shrinks as the strongest, most committed candidates move up through each stage.

"You’re trying to get people to do something that’s hard," Chiang noted. "We phase it to build confidence, not just give them information."

So far, 27 people have graduated from GoFarm Hawaii’s AgPro phase, and 19 of them are farming commercially, he said. Two other GoFarm participants went straight into commercial farming after completing just AgSchool. Altogether, 72 people have finished AgSchool.

By comparison, farmer training programs on the mainland that the GoFarm team visited before creating the local program were "converting" fewer than 10 percent of their students to farming, Chiang said.

"We looked at the mainland, and we were kind of dismayed by the numbers they were converting," Chiang said. "Our conversion rate has been awesome, so I think it’s working."

Traditionally, farmers are known for having an independent streak, but GoFarm students move through the program in groups and see strength in banding together as small farmers. They share equipment and encourage each other, and plan to cooperate in the future in marketing and other ways.

There were 7,000 farms across the state at last count, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, down slightly from 7,500 in 2007 but up from 5,400 in 2002. The median size is 5 acres.

"Farming is not easy," U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono said during a recent visit to the GoFarm fields in Wai­ma­nalo. "We need to figure out how we can give everyone the tools they need to succeed."

She said GoFarm Hawaii fills an important need in recruiting and training more farmers. Along with support from the university and government grants, GoFarm has won backing from private partners, including Kame­ha­meha Schools and the Ulu­pono Initiative.

GoFarm alumnus Rob Barreca and GoFarm Hawaii coach Jay Bost were just chosen as finalists in a Kame­ha­meha Schools program, "Mahi‘ai MatchUp," and will receive a five-year, rent-free lease of 5 acres on the North Shore.

Their venture, known as Counter Culture Foods, will go from "seed to countertop," focusing on fermented foods — kimchee and tempeh — made from crops they raise, including dai­kon, cha­yote, cabbage, papaya, azuki beans and soybeans.

Rogerson, who grew up in Wai­ma­nalo, is hanging onto his job at the shipyard while working the land. He gets satisfaction from knowing the lettuce he raises goes into lunches at Ke Kula o Kama­kau, a charter school in Kane­ohe, and the olena is used by his mother as a tincture to fight inflammation.

"You get a good feeling doing this," he said, "feeding the community, helping improve people’s health."

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"AgCurious," a free seminar introducing the GoFarm Hawaii program, will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 19 at Windward Community College and 5:30 p.m. March 26 at Leeward Community College. Visit www.gofarmhawaii.org, under "calendar."