{"id":230392,"date":"2026-03-04T13:13:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=230392"},"modified":"2026-03-04T13:27:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:27:55","slug":"hawaii-farmer-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/04\/hawaii-farmer-language\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> is bridging language gaps to support Â鶹´«Ã½ farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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For Cooperative Extension agents at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>), language access is vital to being a good neighbor to farmers and communities.<\/p>\n

“In Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> we have this beautifully diverse community, and we want to make sure the services we\u2019re providing are accessible even if someone may not feel comfortable accessing information in English,” said Emilie Kirk, an associate extension agent on Kauaʻi<\/span> and a member of the UH<\/abbr> Language Access Committee.<\/p>\n

The LIFE<\/abbr> Program: A legacy of caring<\/h2>\n

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The Local Immigrant Farmer Education<\/a> (LIFE<\/abbr>) program was initiated more than 20 years ago when former Associate Extension Specialist Sabina Swift recognized that pesticide safety information was not reaching non–English speaking farmers, leading to health risks.<\/p>\n

Today, the LIFE<\/abbr> program and extension agents continue this legacy of grassroots support with long–term relationships and the trust of their communities. The LIFE<\/abbr> program is supported by USDA<\/abbr> funding through the 2501 grant program<\/a> through September 2026.<\/p>\n

During the past three years, the program team has worked with partners to:<\/p>\n