(ABOVE) The Hawaiian Airlines Foundation was established in 2014 to support initiatives like Kakoo Oiwi, which is expanding economic opportunities for Windward Oahu farmers.
If you head north along Kamehameha Highway toward Heeia State Park on Oahu, you'll see a modest red metal gate on the mauka, or mountain, side of the road. There you'll find a simple sign bearing the name Kakoo Oiwi.
Pass through the gate and before you is a lush expanse of land that stretches to the foot of the Koolau mountains. Spread across the swath are plots of wetland taro, sweet potato, fiddlehead fern and turmeric along with breadfruit and banana trees. An army of goats stand guard over the crops while native birds patrol the fields.
The area beyond the gate is known as Hoi. It once supported more than 300 acres of wetland taro and at least three commercial poi mills. For the past twelve years, Kakoo Oiwi has led efforts to revive productivity of the wetland and expand economic opportunities for family farmers in the region. In 2010, the nonprofit organization secured a 38-year lease from the State of Hawaii to fulfill a community-driven vision for the 405-acre site: Perpetuate the heritage, values and cultural and ecological knowledge of traditional farming through the restoration of the food-producing lands and waters of Heeia.
Kakoo Oiwi has so far returned productivity to several acres of irrigated terraces for taro production and cleared more land for diversified agriculture. Hundreds of Hawaiian Airlines Team Kokua volunteers and their families have been part of those efforts since 2011. They've joined workdays to clear waterways and farmland, harvested crops and stood knee-deep in mud to weed out invasive species from taro patches. When Kakoo Oiwi was ready to build a community facility to process crops grown in the region, we pledged our support.
In August 2022, the Hawaiian Airlines Foundation awarded the nonprofit a grant to fund construction of the 4,000-square-foot agriculture wash and pack station, outfitted with washing tumblers and washtubs that family farmers can access to process their crops for retail sale and wholesale distribution.
"One of the really exciting things about working with an organization like Kakoo Oiwi, which you've built a partnership with over the years, is to be able to evolve and get to a point where you can do more," explains Debbie Nakanelua-Richards, director of community and cultural relations at Hawaiian Airlines.
The project spoke to us for several reasons: It helps Kakoo Oiwi continue its mission of land stewardship, agricultural sustainability and food security-issues that are important for the state and the well-being of our communities. It also removes one of the impediments faced by small farmers-having access to a facility where they can prepare their crops to sell to stores, restaurants and hotels and generate income for their households.
At Hawaiian, we've committed to locally sourcing 40 percent of the food and beverage products for our Hawaii-based operations by 2025. We want to do that by leveraging our buying power to help expand the market for local products and diversify our economy. Supporting Hawaii's farmers and land stewards is a critical part of that effort.
From our ohana to yours,
