Mālama Kaua‘i partners with Bette Midler on 87-acre agricultural park to help farmers

While Kaua‘i has an abundance of rich soil and rain that is ideal for growing crops, access to this land is out of reach for many local farmers.

“It’s really, really hard to get ag land on Kaua‘i,” said Megan Fox, executive director of the nonprofit Mālama Kaua‘i. “It’s really expensive.”

At press time, the rural property website landandfarm.com had 26 acres in Anahola listed for $3 million, one acre in Kīlauea priced at $1.4 million and a 6-acre plot of undeveloped land with irrigation in Kapa‘a priced at $750,000.

To tackle the problem, Mālama Kaua‘i is working on an agricultural park on the East Side of the Garden Isle that will offer affordable, sublicensed farm plots on 87 acres fronting Olohena Road between Kapa‘a and the Wailua Homesteads.

“We’ve been dreaming about increasing land access for farmers for a long time, as it’s a key barrier to newer farmers starting or scaling their businesses,” Fox said. “This center will be a great step towards diversifying our economy and becoming more food self-sufficient.”

Last year, Mālama Kaua‘i, which is dedicated to local food production and access, opened the $3.2 million ʻĀina Center in Moloa‘a. While the facility provides nearby farmers with refrigeration, freezer space and a precious commercial kitchen, it does not address the need for more land.

To find a landowner willing to lease a suitably large swath of property, Mālama Kaua‘i “knocked on a lot of doors” before landing a partnership with My Kapa‘a, a limited liability company partly owned by the Honolulu-born singer and actor Bette Midler.

Mālama Kaua‘i then spent a year surveying more than 1,000 acres of My Kapaʻa’s land before choosing the 87-acre site for the Olohena ‘Āina Center.

The nonprofit worked primarily with Midler’s daughter, though Bette was involved as well.

Fox, who was raised on the East Coast, “had a fangirl moment” when she met the Broadway icon.

“It’s cool to be in a meeting with really powerful, strong, passionate women who care about our island,” Fox said. “She had the forethought to lock this land away so it wouldn’t be all hotels … Not many people do that.”

The first phase will have 20 acres for sublicensed farm plots, four acres for agroforestry and one acre for shared facilities, which will include a washing and packing area, greenhouses, walk-in cold storage, and a meeting and business space.

The remaining 62 acres, now used by cattle ranchers, will open up to farmers in subsequent phases.

It’s still early days for the Olohena ‘Āina Center, and Mālama Kaua‘i is encouraging interested farmers to get involved early in the center’s development process. They can provide feedback on the Olohena ‘Āina Center’s design via an online form available at malamakauai.org, which also invites comment from those interested in a community garden or beekeeping.

Mālama Kaua’i also is hosting three community meetings in April to share early site designs, gather feedback from the community, and answer questions:

• April 21, 6-8 p.m.
  Anahola Clubhouse, 3900 Kawelo Street, Anahola
• April 25, 6-8 p.m.
  Wailua Houselots Park Pavilion, 200 Lanakila Road, Kapaʻa
• April 28, 12-1 p.m.
  Via Zoom

Light refreshments will be served at the in-person meetings. RSVP at tinyurl.com/olohena or call Mālie at 808-828-0685 ext. 6.

The opening date of the Olohena ‘Āina Center depends on the success of fundraising, with Mālama Kaua’i personnel unsure about the availability of federal and state funding this year. The total cost of the project won’t be known until the design and engineering phase is completed.

A water connection for the property also must be determined because the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is not allowing new users to access the nearby Kaua‘i East Irrigation System.

While the department is set to pass control of the irrigation system to the state Agribusiness Development Corporation, that transition may take up to two years. With that timeframe, Mālama Kaua’i is now pricing the cost of drilling its own on-site well.

“We are in it for the long haul,” Fox said. “We won’t stop until the center is a flourishing hub for our community.”