The K(New) OGs

Yesterday was the best day. I went to 6am yoga at my favorite place, Yoga Under the Palms. After, Matt and I did a 3 mile hike with the pups in our backyard (the Maunawili trail is only 2 min from our farm, how lucky are we!) Then, I got to dig my hands in the soil for a couple hours at the farm. Later, one of my birthday twins (I have two others!) paid me a visit at the farm. Finally, I spent the night amongst my role models, mentors, and peers at the Wai Wai Collective for a community conversation on organic farming in Hawai'i. My aunty chauffeured me to the event and made me that stunning lei made of variegated ti leaf, pictured above. I felt like a superstar. There’s no other way I would’ve wanted to spend my birthday. The only missing item was spending time with my family, but Matt’s birthday is only a week away and we will have family time then.

I was so freaking nervous to speak at the event last night. I was surrounded by my farming community, but as a newbie I was so intimidated! I had the pleasure of speaking with Derrik Alain Ikaika Parker of MAʻO Organic Farms, Christian Zuckerman of Kuwale Ridge Farms, and Gabe Sachter-Smith of Hawaii Banana Source, some of the raddest organic farmers I know. I haven’t had time to fully digest the conversation but would like to share my responses on the topics discussed.

Can you share a memory that helps illustrate why you do the work that you do? What motivated you to start doing organic farming? 

When my hands are in the soil I feel the most at peace. In the soil there’s life, energy, grounding, and connection. The soil, our ‘aina, is the reason why I am a farmer. Many centuries before colonization and industrialization, the Native Hawaiians, my ancestors, prioritized conservation, collective responsibility, and shared bounty. They treated the soil, the ‘aina, as an extension of themselves and by doing so they were able to sustain a population of up to 1 million! Similarly, I view the soil as a part of me. Our connection to the soil is just one of the reasons why Matt and I prioritize responsible stewardship, why we do “organic farming”.

Why is organic farming important to your community? More specifically, what does organic farming offer your community that industrial agriculture does not?

The “organic” label is broad and often misunderstood. It’s hard to label the type of farming we do. We like to say we farm with integrity and mindfulness. We are always considering how to best utilize and conserve our resources, how to sustain ourselves and the business, and how to produce the most nutrient dense food for our community. I think organic farming is important because it brings the community back to the ‘aina. It leads to more mindfulness of where our food comes from, leading  to a better sense of community, culture, and identity.

Can you share a challenge that you have faced in your farm work? How have you approached or worked through this challenge?

Besides the traditional farming stresses like dealing with pests and diseases, I face other issues since I am a young, woman farmer. At 28 years old, I am not treated or seen equally as other farmers. Most farmers in Hawaii are men above the age of 60. There’s also plantation trauma; memories of a lifestyle that was grueling and unfulfilling, perhaps one of the reasons farming wasn’t encouraged as career when I was growing up. When I’m working at the farmers’ markets I’ve been asked “Who grows these vegetables? Is that your boyfriend? Is he the farmer? Oh, you’re the farmer! Wow!” When searching for land in Waimanalo, the place where I was born and raised, I spoke with landowners who told me “You can’t grow vegetables, it isn’t profitable” “you need a day job, you can’t just farm to make a living.” Others have viewed Matt and I as “gardeners or subsistence farmers”, associating organic farming with being a “hippy” and not taking us seriously.  Despite these drawbacks, we also have so much support! We’ve built a loyal customer base that’s continuously growing. Demand is much greater than supply. My goal is for our business to be a model, showing that it is possible to make a living running a small, organic, diversified farm. Maybe then can we gain support from lawmakers and politicians, who can help us with access to land and capital (the largest barriers for small farmers in Hawaii).

One of the pahuhopu, or goals, of this series is to generate conversation about what assets are already in place, in terms of nurturing more just and ecologically healthy food systems. What would a paeʻāina-wide healthy food system taste like, smell like, look like, feel like?

I dream of a time when bartering is commonplace. I love bartering with other farmers. For example, exchanging purple daikon for mushrooms from Small Kine Farms or exchanging lettuce for local beef from Forage. I love working with restaurants, who turn our produce into culinary masterpieces and feed us like kings and queens when we dine in. Just today, I gave a customer some broccoli and she gave me some cheese in return. The highlight of my day!

To close, can you share what you think are the top 1-2 most valuable assets we have that can help the folks in this room, along with our communities, realize such a vision?

Keep educating! Like I said before, the more we can show the community examples of organic farming, examples of successful small farms, examples of aloha ‘aina, the less people will just think of organic farming as “hippy”, “trendy”, or non-viable for the future of Hawai‘i. If you made it this far mahalo for reading and please share something you learned from this post with one person today!