Office of Economic Development awards second year of agriculture expansion grants

The County of Kaua‘i’s Office of Economic Development has announced the second year of recipients of Agriculture Farm Expansion Grants for Fiscal Year 2024-2025.

After a successful first year of funding, the grant program continues to bring more focus on building Kaua‘i’s agriculture portfolio by creating more direct support for the farming community.

Of the 18 proposals submitted, a selection committee chose to partially or fully fund 12 projects for a total of $637,429. They include:

• Kumano I Ke Ala O Makaweli: Maha`iha`i Restoration Phase 3 
  • Funding will support building out of 80 more lo`i (a traditional taro patch or wetland patches) and enhancing `auwai (irrigation) systems to support traditional Hawaiian kalo production.
  • This includes implementing technical assistance on sustainable soil health practices, Korean Natural Farming techniques and planning and staff training to ensure restoration activities are optimized for ecological and agricultural success.
• Waipa Foundation: Building Propagation Capacity in Waipa 
  • Waipa Foundation will expand its plant propagation capacity of native and cultural plants, microgreens and vegetable seedlings to increase access to locally grown produce and strengthen community food systems for the only federally designated disadvantaged community on Kaua‘i.
• CG Foundation: Lydgate Farms Expansion of Cacao, Vanilla & Honey 
  • Lydgate Farms expansion includes adding new varieties of vanilla and vanilla curing, additional apiary hives, a honey house, and additional planting of up to 167 cacao trees.
• Ho`omalu Ke Kai: Laboratory Expansion for Fishpond Production 
  • Laboratory expansion to increase micro-algae production, water testing, and general laboratory capacity at the Nomilo Fishpond.
• Kukulu Kumuhana O Anahola: Ulupono Anahola Farm 
  • Ulupono Anahola Farm will expand by adding soil amendments, composting and mulching and preparation for a planting of 134 trees on an additional 3 acres.
• Wai`oli Valley Taro Hui Inc: `Auwai Irrigation Ditch Repair 
  • Repair the `auwai irrigation ditch to improve and increase water flow to generate additional kalo for four farming business operations on 34 acres of lo`i.
• Wai`oli Valley Taro Hui Inc.: Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) Solar Pumps 
  • Addition of RPS Solar Pumps to replace the current piping system to the `auwai to expand lo`i production and quality and decrease instances of disease and water stagnation.
• Hawaii Farm Bureau Foundation: Ueunten Farm Resilience Plan 
  • Mitigation of current and future challenges from disease, invasive species and weather events by producing on-site composted mulching material and wood chips that will improve soil quality for additional farm production and orchard management.
• CG Foundation: Common Ground Community Engagement with Regenerative Agriculture
  • Addition of farm infrastructure to increase plant propagation and increase farm yields to enhance Kauai’s long term ecological and economic sustainability.
• Malama Kaua‘i: Makaweli Pu`ulima `Auwai Improvements 
  • Ditch modernization project for an aging and deteriorating system that will increase usable acreage and kalo production used by 6 Makaweli Kalo Farmers that participate in the kalo to kula program.
• Malama Kaua‘i: Olohena `Aina Center 
  • Initial development of Phase 1 of the Olohena `Aina Project that encompasses 87 agricultural acres for a new agricultural park on the east side of Kauai.
• Bee Team: Building a Regenerative Model Through Natural Beekeeping and Bridging Indigenous Agricultural Practices 
  • Infrastructure improvement to expand apiary capacity and production, bolster the ecological and economic resilience of Kauaʻi, expand locally sourced and handcrafted products and boost the immunity of people on Kauaʻi through the distribution of honey.

For more information on the grant program, contact the Office of Economic Development at 808-241-4946 or email oed@kauai.gov.