Hawaiian Farming & Food Security
Kaialahui Foundation
At Kaialahui Foundation, we believe that by empowering local farmers and fostering collaboration and advocacy, we can create a future where Hawai‘i's food system is resilient, sustainable, and equitable.
Together, we can ensure that our island communities thrive for generations to come—nourished by the abundance of our land and the strength of our collective spirit. Join us in cultivating a future of food sovereignty for Hawai‘i.
Hōʻola Āina o Kula
Food Security & Native Plant Restoration and Farming
Hōʻola ʻĀina o Kula (HAK) aims to support and educate the community on subsistence farming and food security. HAK works with native Hawaiian community organizations, hālau, immersion schools and individuals to teach about native gourd plants, taro, and local food farming.
Offers Decolonization and Health and Healing workshops
HAK supports the LGBTQ community and supports and coordinates PRIDE week activities. The farm provides programs, spaces and activites for LGBTQ youth and adults.
Kumano I Ke Ala
Kumano I Ke Ala O Makaweli (KIKA) is a Native Hawaiian-led community-based nonprofit rooted in the ancestral lands of West Kauaʻi. Guided by ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge) and driven by aloha ʻāina (love for the land), KIKA works to restore and protect wahi kūpuna (ancestral places), reclaim food sovereignty, and uplift the next generation of cultural and ecological stewards. Through loʻi kalo (wetland taro) restoration, native reforestation, and ʻāina-based education, KIKA honors the intergenerational responsibility to mālama ʻāina (care for the land) while empowering youth and families with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in their homelands. Our work is about more than sustainability — it is about restoration, healing, and regeneration of ʻāina, culture, and identity.
Na Mahiʻai o Maui
Sustainable Native Food Sovereignty & Food Production for Maui Farmers
NHP is working with native Hawaiian farmers on the island of Maui to help provide support to help increase traditional farming practices, education and training, food security, and workforce development. With 90% of food being imported from outside of Hawaii, it is imperative to provide a more stable and sustainable food sources on island.
Currently, the need for most farmers are farming equipment and labor. Farmers are seeking assistance to secure funding to purchase shared equipment that can be used by 6-8 farms throughout the year. NHP is working to help develop projects and write grants to provide the resources needed to increase food security on Maui.
The Living Pono Project
The Living Pono Project (LPP) is a Native Hawaiian-led nonprofit dedicated to uplifting vulnerable and Indigenous communities through ʻāina-based education, food security, and workforce development. Rooted in Hawaiian values and guided by the traditional ahupua‘a system of land and people management, LPP serves as a bridge for at-risk youth, adults with disabilities, re-entering individuals, and those impacted by disasters—connecting them to sustainable careers that restore balance between people and ʻāina. Working from mauka to makai (mountain to ocean), LPP promotes a circular island economy and whole-system resilience across Maui Nui.
LPP’s Food is Medicine program provides fresh, ʻai pono (nutritious, culturally relevant) produce and proteins to more than 700 families weekly, prioritizing wildfire survivors, kūpuna, keiki, and low-income households. By sourcing directly from local farmers/ranchers, and providing workforce development opportunities on our own farm LPP strengthens Maui’s food economy while advancing regenerative agriculture, composting, rotational grazing, and lo‘i kalo restoration. Through its ʻĀina-Based Education and Restoration Project in Lahaina, LPP is restoring fire-impacted lands to native and culturally important species, integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation practices to reduce wildfire risk and reconnect people to place through hands-on learning and stewardship.
Through the Maui Nui Resilience Hub Network, LPP also unites over 30 partner organizations and 10 communities to enhance disaster preparedness, resource sharing, and culturally grounded recovery. Together, these efforts cultivate environmental and cultural stewardship, building a resilient, self-sustaining Maui Nui where both people and ʻāina thrive.
