GoFarm Hawai‘i @ KCC Cultivates Next Farmers’ Generation

Farmers proudly display their harvest.

Interested in Agriculture? An exciting opportunity to cultivate food is at Kauaʻi Community College.

GoFarm Hawai‘i @ KCC, a non-credit program, offers those with an interest in agriculture a combination of knowledge, experience, and support designed to assist them in becoming viable food production growers — and accomplishes this in a manner that encourages sustainability.

GoFarm Hawai‘i @ KCC is for those who want to support sustainability on Kaua‘i, grow good food, minimize dependency on food importation, and learn what is needed for an island to be more self-sufficient.

The program emphasizes the practical skills and knowledge needed to become a successful agricultural entrepreneur. The curriculum integrates “hands-on” fundamentals of farm production with business management. Students learn the realities of farming directly from well-seasoned mainstream farmers, agricultural specialists, experienced educators and those involved directly in the marketing and sales of agricultural commodities.

GoFarm Hawai‘i @ KCC program participants.

The program consists of two phases. Once a week for a month, (Sept. 19 – Oct. 10) tours of farms across the island are conducted. The second phase (Oct. 17 – Feb. 6) is where the real hands-on learning takes place. Coupled with this, Thursday nights, lectures and talk story sessions about science and business elements of farming are presented by special guest speakers who are directly involved in Hawai‘i’s agriculture.  Saturdays are farm days, where each student applies the knowledge gained to the field on their own 1000-square-foot farm plot.

This past spring, GoFarm Hawai‘i @ KCC met with flourishing success. Crops included cabbage, taro, ginger, bok choi, daikon, mustard greens, lettuce, baby greens, green beans, cucumber, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, okra, kale, beets, swiss chard, cilantro, corn, carrots and even a variety of flowers. More than 1,200 pounds of produce was grown and harvested.

Ready to Go Farm, learn and apply practical skills to produce an abundance of food? Hurry and sign up now! Call KCC’s Office of Continuing Education and Training (OCET) at 245-8318. You can stop by OCET to sign up in person or register online at www.kauai.hawaii.edu.

Story written with Eric Hansen, coordinator for GoFarm Hawai‘i @ KCC.