It was a bright, blue sky morning in June as dozens of local leaders and farmers gathered on O‘ahu's North Shore for the blessing of Pacific Gateway Center's new 80-acre agricultural hub.
Pacific Gateway Center is a Hawai‘i-based nonprofit that serves immigrant and refugee communities, offering programs that focus on workforce development, small business support and community resilience.
As part of the organization's Growing Roots: Aloha ‘Āina, Aloha ‘Ohana initiative, PGC Farms Hale‘iwa — located on land leased from Kamehameha Schools that overlooks the Pacific — aims to create "equitable access to farmland, strengthen local food systems and create economic pathways for immigrant and refugee farmers," a recent announcement noted.
"It's definitely been a long journey," Bonarath "Bo" Bory, PGC's agricultural programs director, told Aloha State Daily in June.
PGC's farm program started more than a decade ago as a resettlement project after human trafficking victims from Asia were relocated and needed a place to be, he says.
"PGC stepped in and leased a farm in Kunia for them to resettle and do what they know how to do, which is farm," Bory continued. But that land was sold and the center had to vacate.
The organization knew it wanted to expand the program when it relocated, Bory says.
"The main thing was that we wanted to have a wrap-around service for these farmers," he says. "We wanted farmers who wanted to have a small farm business, so our wrap-around services, we helped them set up LLCs, business bank accounts, DCCA, pay their [general excise] taxes, which [can be] very complicated," he told ASD. "We wanted them to have a foundation so that they could build a business that they could pass on to their family."
The program also offers monthly training with PGC's partners.
"We just want to do wrap-around services, we want to make sure that every farmer has a chance to just really thrive. That's the goal."
According to Bory, the first phase of the Hale‘iwa farm includes eight farmers growing on about 26 acres, with two more phases planned.
Farmers began working on the North Shore property in December and began harvesting in February, but the work was disrupted by Kona Low storms in March.
The long-term lease with Kamehameha Schools is 25 years.
"We start our farmers at five with the option to continue," Bory told ASD. "We're excited about the long-term lease because it allows them to do orchards too."
When asked why this endeavor important for both farmers and the state, Bory says Hawai‘i has to be self-reliant and food-secure.
"We found out during Covid, when the barges stop coming, when supply lines and supply chains break down, we have to feed ourselves," he continued. "Hawai‘i imports 90% of its produce and food, which is pretty ridiculous for such a fertile land. We could farm year-round. There's no reason why we aren't."
PGC Executive Director Matt Johnson shared similar sentiments, telling ASD that a lot of people talk about food security, food resiliency and supporting farmers.
"To me, this is as real as it gets because it sounds very obvious, but it's very challenging," he explained. "If you want to farm, well, you need land to be able to farm. Accessing land in Hawai‘i is very challenging. Even if it is ag land, it's still very challenging and it's very hard to get a long-term lease. A lot of times, these leases are month-by-month or year-by-year, so if you're doing long-term planning for a farm, that's impossible."
Another challenge? Access to water.
"So even if you do access land, where's the water coming from? Is it available? Is it affordable?" Johnson says. "Even if there is water, it might be really deep water. Now you need to pump it and so now that water is very expensive. That skews all of your costs of production, making farming in Hawai‘i even more expensive."
Johnson, though, said it was amazing to see the new farm come to fruition and that there were many pieces that had to come together to make it happen, like the farmers themselves, the funding, contractors and the collaboration with KS.
"The most amazing part about it is that anywhere else in the world, land like this would probably be converted into subdivision, hotels, condos, but the fact that Kamehameha Schools is saying, 'no, we're going to keep this in agriculture' is amazing," he says. "When I first heard it, I didn't believe it, and to be a part of that and to make the land productive while it is in agriculture is quite a blessing."
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
