In addition to growing produce using agroforestry and Indigenous methods, Kupa ʻAina also offers two programs to youth, Hoʻokahua Workforce Development Program and Hoʻokanaka Cultural Diversion Program. Through these programs, youth are given the opportunity to improve their vocational skills and strengthen their identity and values using ʻāina-based practices. The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund will support Kupa ʻAina as it continues to foster island resiliency, sustainability, and positive development in our youth. 

“During my time at Kupa ‘Aina, I learned to look at things from a different perspective, learned how to wait for the right place, the right time,” shares Colt, who experienced the transformative programs at Kupa ‘Aina. “Being at Kupa ‘Aina helped me change the way I think, the way I do things.” 

The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund is supporting organizations across the nation that are implementing community-led strategies to advance health and wellbeing, secure food justice for children, and strengthen intergenerational connections between culture and healing. The Indigenous Tomorrows Fund distributed $720,000 to communities across the United States. PIDF is honored to be 1 of 24 recipients, and 1 of only 3 in Hawaiʻi. 

This grant will help Kupa ʻAina continue connecting program participants, volunteers, and community members with ʻāina and sustainable natural farming methods. Through ʻāina, food security is one step closer, values are defined, and personal growth is achieved. 

Greenpeace visited five local farms to get a more in-depth view of Hawaiian agriculture and cultural practices. The visits were organized by local activist Andre Perez, known for his work supporting the struggle for Mauna Kea. Andre has also been part of Greenpeace’s Training Crew that assists in the training of activists in direct nonviolent action.

Hannah Strange, the Director of Greenpeace USA’s Movement Support Hub, reached out to Andre to help find local groups or community events for the Greenpeace group to support or engage with during their time in Hawaiʻi. Besides visiting the farms on Oʻahu, Hannah and the other representatives from Greenpeace participated in a beach clean-up in Kahoʻolawe over the weekend.

“We wanted to make a video focusing on local ingredients, or culturally relevant ingredients, and show how they grow, where they grow, who grows them, how you cook them,” said Hannah. She went on to explain how Greenpeace wanted to connect its Food For Life campaign, and what better way to promote sustainable food than to visit our new sustainable farming program?

Seeing Things from the Beginning

Upon arrival at the site, Kupa ʻĀina program director Kūʻikeokalani (“Kūʻike”) Kamakea-Ohelo led Hannah and Greenpeace chef Daniel Bravo Garibi on the traditional planting of an ulu tree, beginning with the hoʻokupu (offering) of a large fish — both as a gift to Akua and as a rich nutrient source for the sapling to thrive on.

“It’s a good experience for them to come and see the beginning. They can say they are directly contributing to this community,” explained Kūʻike. He described the importance of addressing the issues indigenous Hawaiian people have in adapting to a western diet, including the high rate of diabetes on the islands.

Many native Hawaiian crops like ulu, luau, and kalo are high in a variety of nutrients. With more native foods like these available and accessible, they could potentially help with Hawaiians’ health issues.

Besides the people’s health, there is also concern for the health of the land. Part of Greenpeace’s Food For Life initiative advocates food grown without chemicals, GMOs, or even corporate intervention. Kūʻike and Kupa ʻĀina coordinator Zachary Huang demonstrated how they source microbes and use them to naturally enrich the land — no pesticides, herbicides, or any other artificial inputs required.

Kūʻike and Zach say that, contrary to modern farming techniques, the land increases in fertility and arability season after season, creating a sustainable food production model. They call it a “retention over return” methodology. While that has yet to be seen, the program has so far been successful. They are in the fourth month of a multi-year intensive soil rehabilitation plan and, since the first seeding in July of this year, over 500 people have been fed with the food grown here.

Cultural Connections

Following the visit, Greenpeace partnered with Kupa ʻĀina and other local organizations and families to prepare a traditional Hawaiian and local dishes for the crew of their famous ship, the Arctic Sunrise. The ship is currently docked at Honolulu’s historic Brewer’s Wharf until the end of October, concluding a four-month voyage from down the West Coast to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and to Hawaiʻi.

As part of the video Greenpeace was creating, they wanted to bring Greenpeace crew and staff together with the local community to have a dinner made with indigenous ingredients. The dinner allowed those new to Hawaiian culture the chance to experience how it is built around the different foods that thrive here.

Chef Daniel, Kuʻike, Zach, and several others from Greenpeace and local community worked through the day preparing dishes for the dinner. The galley of the Arctic Sunrise was the epicenter of it all, crowded with people, smells and sounds from frying kalo to mincing ginger and pureeing papaya.

“It’s so cool that people all just brought things for the dinner,” begins Hannah. “It’s this kind of vibe where we’re all asking each other, ‘what’re we going to cook? How are we going to cook this?’ It’s sort of like hanging with friends, figuring out what to make together out of the things that we have.”

Food for Thought

The overarching theme for Greenpeace’s collaboration with Kupa ʻĀina was intentionality. When planting the ulu tree in the field and carrying out the cultural rituals involved, the Greenpeace staff were asked to focus on the task at hand, to be mindful and intentional in their efforts. In planting the tree, they were staking their commitment to feeding generations of people, sowing the seeds for food security and sustainability.

“You have to keep that kind of positivity in your intentions when you’re planting food, harvesting food, and creating food,” reflected Hannah, taking a brief break from setting up the communal dinner on the deck of the Arctic Sunrise.

That kind of gratitude is not always present in day-to-day life for those who live in cities, or on takeout food, or rely on fast meals to feed little ones. But for anyone, especially Hawaiians, demonstrating intentionality can be a way to connect to culture and traditional practices.

• No tillage
• No pruning
• No fertilizer
• No weeding
• No pesticides or herbicides

The technique takes advantage of natural processes in the environment to grow crops without the use of outside enhancements or human supplied inputs. The benefit of natural farming is clear: you will know exactly what you eat and what it eats.

What has your food been eating?
Food intake has been a growing concern throughout the modern world due to the growing presence of diet-related health problems. People are growing more and more concerned about what is going into our bodies. “You are what you eat” is a commonly understood truth, but we challenge you to take the thought one step further. In his Ted Talk, Laurent Adamowicz shares his experience in the food industry and discusses the growing concern, not just of what we eat but what our food is eating:

Our solution is to grow our own food! Not only can we control what we eat, but it’s a fun activity to get the whole family involved in. We understand that not everyone has the time or space to start their own farm, so we are piloting a a low-maintenance Natural Farming system that will fit on your lanai:

How to make a #PIDFarm
PIDF strives to create healthy and resilient communities throughout Hawaii. Central to this vision is food security and self determination. With the growing awareness of the dangers involved in conventional commercial farming and food importation, we have asked our friend David Wong of Mountain View Dairy to share his expertise on living Pono. David has cultivated his own 20 acre “Natural Farm” in Waianae with spectacular results. He took a day to share his secrets to help us start our very own natural farming project and bring us one step closer to sustainable living. We started our “PIDFarm” by drilling holes in the bottom of a storage bin for drainage, then added pre-prepared soil inoculated over six months with indigenous micro organisms (IMO) at Mountain View Dairy. Next a layer of “IMO3” was sprinkled on top, and more soil was added. At the top, a layer of “IMO4” coated the soil and was finally covered by mulch to create a 5-layer natural ecosystem. Sparing us the details of growing micro organisms, David explained that the “IMO” numbers simply represent different stages of fermentation. Unlike conventional and organic farming, the Natural Farming method uses only natures techniques. After a week of watering an empty bin to prepare the soil, we planted some kale and tomato seedlings at our office in Liliha.

You can follow our progress over the next few weeks/months on our Instagram @pidfoundation or by subscribing to this blog!

Natural farming – The cultivation and perfection of human needs

Want to learn more about Natural Farming? Contact us at communications@pidfoundation.org

South Korean expert to teach sustainable farming methods.
The workshops are presented by Cho Global Natural Farming-USA and sponsored by the Hawaii FFA Foundation, Partners in Development Foundation-Kohala Intergenerational Center, the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture, Ulupono Initiative and Kamehameha Schools. Times and locations are as follows:

O`AHU
Wednesday, April 28th
Plant agriculture
9am to 4pm

Windward Community College
45-720 Kea`ahala Road
Hale Akoakoa Room 105

Registration: $60, including lunch

HAWAI`I ISLAND
Saturday May 1st
Plant agriculture
9am to 4pm

Kohala Intergenerational Center
54-3853 Akoni Pule Hwy

Sunday May 2nd
Livestock agriculture
8:30 am to noon

Kohala Intergenerational Center
54-3853 Akoni Pule

Registration: $75 for both days; lunch included on Saturday

To register early, contact Leanne Okamoto at (808) 938-5398 or Erika Cedillos at (808) 884-5838. On-site registration is available between 8am and 9am on a first come, first served basis.