The beginning farmer training program, a collaboration between the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa’s , and UH’s , received more than $250,000 in funding from the Ulupono Fund at the and .
This money will allow GoFarm Â鶹´«Ã½ to purchase equipment, access facilities and fund support operations. New GoFarm Â鶹´«Ã½ sites at and are also launching this spring, expanding GoFarm Â鶹´«Ã½’s reach and impact on developing new farmers for Â鶹´«Ã½.
GoFarm Â鶹´«Ã½ is aligned with the support of increased local food production and Kamehameha School’s 2009 Strategic Agricultural Plan Goal 4: Growing Hawaiian Farmers Initiative.
GoFarm Â鶹´«Ã½ is a comprehensive and practical training program built around the real-world needs of tomorrow’s farmers. It involves several stages of increasing commitment and learning, from an initial AgCurious seminar to a series of AgXposure workshops to a nine-month AgSchool course, followed by two years of incubation support for the new farmers while they grow crops on land provided by the program.
All aspects of farmer training from crop selection and farm equipment instruction to pesticide information and business plan guidance are covered. The program’s goal is to develop aspiring farmers who can provide local food and other agricultural products for Â鶹´«Ã½ while being compensated fairly for their efforts
The program, which started in 2012, recently graduated its first cohort of students and is halfway to graduating its second cohort. A third cohort kicks off with the AgCurious seminar to be held at Windward Community College on March 3.
GoFarm Â鶹´«Ã½ is currently supported by significant in-kind contributions from the collaborators as well as grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and indirectly through a grant to the Agribusiness Incubator Program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture division.