A startup farm planning to grow breadfruit and cassava on Hawaii island was awarded $20,000 in seed money Saturday through an agricultural business contest sponsored by Kamehameha Schools and the Pauahi Foundation.
The first-place award in the the 2016 Mahi‘ai Match-Up Agricultural Business Plan Contest went to Kaivao Farm, which plans to practice organic and sustainable methods on a 9.5-acre plot in Pahoehoe, north of Hilo.
The $15,000 second-place award went to Maha‘ulu, which will grow, process and distribute breadfruit, working off 5.8 acres in Punaluu on Oahu.
The awards include an agricultural lease from Kamehameha Schools, with up to five years of rent waived. They were announced at a benefit gala at Dole Cannery that raised funds for scholarships and grants.
Lava hits ocean in 2nd location
Photos released by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Hawaii island on Saturday show a second ocean entry point for lava coming from Puu Oo vent and what could be the beginning of a lava delta and black sand beach.
Geologists flying over the Kamokuna ocean entry Friday noticed lava entering the ocean on the west margins of the flow. The front of the flow has widened to about 787 feet, with fingers of lava entering the ocean at various points.
Some photos also show lava accumulating at the base of the cliff and a growing black sand beach, formed by the interaction of hot lava and cool seawater, as well as erosion of the rocky cliff. (The photos are online: hvo.wr.usgs.gov/multimedia.)
Janet Babb, a spokeswoman for the observatory, said Friday it’s too early to say if new land is actually forming or if the fresh lava is covering rocks beneath the cliff that were there before the ocean entry started.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park officials expect visitors to top 1,000 a day this weekend as people come to see the lava flow.
It’s possible to hike to the ocean entry on a gravel emergency access road, built with $5.1 million in county and federal disaster funds as an alternate route when the town of Pahoa was threatened by lava in 2014.
But the hike is long, at least 4 miles each way from either the national park or the county’s lava viewing and parking area on the Kalapana side of the flow. Park rangers caution people planning on walking to the flow to bring enough water, sturdy shoes and a flashlight if they are staying after dark.
Tour companies are also offering helicopter and boat trips to the ocean entry.
