Kona Coffee Farmers Favor 100% Labeling Rule
These farmers want the Kona name to be reserved only for 100% Kona coffee.
Agriculture
Making Koa Sustainable
The native tree is a vital part of Hawaiʻi's forests and watersheds, and prized by woodworkers and by Hawaiian cultural practitioners. The challenge is making koa sustainable for all of its valuable roles. https://vimeo.com/366353476 Video by Jeff Hawe Koa has…
What Hawaiʻi Thinks About Marijuana Laws
We included this topic in two statewide surveys: The BOSS Survey of 405 local business leaders and the 808 Poll of 547 members of the general public. In both surveys, we led the discussion on marijuana with this question: "Would…
Loans Support Food Sustainability
When Zac Hosler needed funding in 2014 to build out his aquaponics business in South Kona, he believed he would be rejected by a bank. “Financing for farmers is hard to come by,” says the majority owner of Ha Farms…
Local Trees Can Help Solve Our Housing Crisis
A UH graduate’s relentless three-year quest proves even invasive trees can be turned into useful, even beautiful, dwellings.
Kona Coffee Fights Back
New equipment helps farmers battle the dreaded coffee beetle borer, but despite a labor shortage, farmers still rely on hand-picking rather than mechanical pickers. That may change for some growers as technology improves. Kealakekua, Hawaii Island – Coffee beans come…
Savoring Every Drop of Success
KRISTAL MUHICH IS A SURVIVOR. “I was adopted by my uncle when I was 4,” recalls the owner of Kauai Juice Co. “I really didn’t like school. I couldn’t wait to leave – I graduated from high school early when…
That Which Feeds Us
Kanekoa Kukea-Shultz exists in a world of dichotomy. He is a farmer and an intellectual.
Hawaii Farming's Uncertain Future
Hawaii's farmers can't catch a break. Rat lungworm has accelerated difficult changes in local farming. One local leader predicts a quarter of Hawaii’s produce farms will be out of business in a few years. They are already battered by high…
