GoFarm Hawaii

GoFarm Hawaii

Our Story

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to enhance Hawaiʻi’s food security and economy by increasing the number of sustainable, local agricultural producers. We do this by offering those with an interest in agriculture a combination of knowledge, experience, and support to reach their full potential.

Our History

Originally known as the Agribusiness Incubator Program (AIP), the program was formed in 2003 at the University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH CTAHR). Designed to support the business needs of Hawaiʻi’s local agriculturalists, the program provided one-on-one business consulting and technical assistance to agricultural producers throughout the state.

In 2012, a group of professionals from the University of Hawaiʻi met to discuss the need for a new kind of beginning farmer training program for Hawaiʻi – one that had a science-based curriculum, included rigorous hands-on and business training, and was open to all willing adults – the kind of program that would prepare the growing population of those who were interested in farming with the knowledge, experience, and confidence to contribute to Hawaiʻi’s food security and economy as production farmers. With increasing momentum and excitement, GoFarm Hawaiʻi beginning farmer training program was launched later that year. 

As a UH CTAHR program, GoFarm Hawaiʻi has grown to become one of the largest and most successful beginning farmer development programs in the country.  This is a testament to many hands and minds, and the tremendous support of our partners.

Find GoFarm Hawai’i’s most recent performance report here. 

 

 

GoFarm Hawaiʻi Land Statement

In our efforts to support land access for Hawai‘i’s farmers, we work to honor the land as a living entity that nourishes and sustains our communities. We recognize that Native Hawaiians were its original stewards, and that today’s system of land access and ownership reflects a history shaped by both cultural connection and periods of displacement and loss, with land and water taken unjustly through coercion or force. 
 
At GoFarm Hawai‘i, we approach our work with humility and a strong sense of kuleana (responsibility). We are committed to education and actions that strive for equitable, respectful stewardship of the land, guided by the Hawaiian value of mālama ‘āina (care for the land). By training new farmers with a blend of traditional wisdom and contemporary practices, we aim to nurture relationships with the land that are rooted in respect and gratitude.