The goal of this new training project is to provide agricultural mechanics and organic crop component training to participants to contribute to greater sustainability of farm enterprises. The group to be served will be farmers who have agricultural land leases, with an installed irrigation system, who need to make productive use of abandoned fields formerly used for commercial pineapple production, and who are committed to developing and improving sustainable family farms through this training program. Eight (8) to ten (10) participants will be recruited and trained.

Recruits will contribute and enhance the sustainability of agriculture on Molokai through this proposed training. Participants will have access to diverse sources of expertise as provided by Maui Community College Farm, UH CTAHR, and the Kuha’o Business Center.

The Molokai Education Center offers specific agriculture classes that provide only a standard classroom learning experience. The MCC Farm is set up with a demonstration farm that allows for hands-on training in farming technology. The University of Hawaii - College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR) Cooperative Molokai Extension and Molokai RDP work closely with the college to provide technical assistance to farmers. Molokai RDP’s former Entrepreneurial Training Initiative – Kuha’o Business Center (now managed by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development) also plays an active role in fostering good business practice in the management of farm enterprises on the island. The selection of 8-10 participants is ideal and manageable in meeting farmers’ multi-faceted training needs, both business and agricultural.

The prior RDP sponsored Agricultural Cohort Project provided training in marketing, farm planning, production planning, record keeping, business set up, farm equipment safety and operation, site selection assessment, irrigation set up, soil fertility, plant nutrition, pest management, harvesting commodities, post harvesting handling and quality management. Eight farm enterprises were established as a result of this training.

In evaluating the efficacy and outcomes of the RDP Agricultural Cohort Project, additional training needs were identified. The training proposed herein calls for improving skills in agricultural mechanics (masonry, welding, light-farm building and greenhouse construction and repairs, farm maintenance) and organic crop methods (minimum soil tillage, using compost, and disease management using organically approved materials).

Specifically, participants will receive the following ongoing services that were offered through the Agricultural Cohort Training:

Additional services to be provided include: