Helping Hawaii to Grow 1000 Food Gardens for Better Sustainability
The Hawaii Fund for Food Gardens aims to support community efforts toward food self-sufficiency, and will provide resources for individual residents, nonprofits and community groups to create their own food gardens
The Hawaii Fund For Food Gardens launched April 22 with the planting of the first pilot food garden at the CNHA Headquarters in Kapolei.
What is Hawaii Fund For Food Gardens?
Create a Food Garden
Community gardens require basic infrastructure in the form of soil improvement and management, water harvesting and storage, by ensuring these basic needs are met.
Maintain a Food Garden
To assist in the preparation of land for crop raising, one can cultivate a field, help with the growth of crops through tilling, or provide care and labor to improve and develop the crops.
Sponsor a Food Garden
Community food gardens are created by new and novice gardeners who want to grow fruits and vegetables on their own plot of land. Volunteer your time in the upkeep of these local food gardens.
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
Support community efforts toward food self-sufficiency.
The goal of this project is to promote the use of land for family farms, protect against pollution of farmlands, make affordable credit available to farmers, and help farmers solve problems.
Provide resources for individual residents, nonprofits and community groups to create their own food gardens.
In order to encourage people to produce their own food, we must provide instruction on how to plant and cultivate crops. By partnering with other community organizations, we can raise the necessary funds to make this happen.
PARTNERS
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) is a member-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians.
Headquartered in Kapolei, CNHA is a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Treasury department and a HUD-Certified Housing Counseling agency. We provide access to capital, financial education and individualized financial counseling services with a focus on low and moderate-income families.
Hawai‘i Public Health Institute
Public health institutes are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing public health practice and making systematic improvements in population health. HIPHI is a member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes (nnphi.org). There are currently over 40 public health institutes across the country and HIPHI is the only institute in Hawai‘i.
HIPHI continues to be a bridge between community and partners from government and health care so that all relevant stakeholders throughout the Hawaiian Islands are involved in decisions related to public health policy, programs, and investments.
Consulate General of The Philippines - Honolulu
The proposal aims to provide grants to individuals and organizations to help establish food gardens. Through partnerships, toolkits, training, garden implements and access to seeds will be given. Consul General Fernandez expressed his support to the initiative, as it would address the issues of food self-sufficiency, affordability, and proper nutrition.
Honolulu Recreational Community Gardening Program
The Honolulu Recreational Community Gardening Program (HRCGP) is run by the City and County Department of Parks and Recreation alongside dedicated volunteers to serve 10 community gardens. HRCGP provides plots for people to grow their own foods, herbs, flowers and other plants, and to connect with their neighbors through community-led gardening activities. HRCGP is committed to serving the needs of community members whose recreational needs are not met by athletic, craft, non-active open space, and other traditional park facilities, and especially of those who would not otherwise have access to growing space
UPCOMING EVENTS
Get Involved!
Food access is a huge public health issue. So we have to think creatively about how we are going to address that problem, and while backyard gardening is not the solution to everything, it’s a solution that can be done immediately.