For our second day of AgXposure, we went on a field trip to Kahumana Organic Farm and Cafe Community out in Waianae. It was so educational, yet I found I still have so many questions about farm operations. I think their model is different from what I envision for a small commercial farm, at least in the short term, so it seems perhaps a little unreasonable to have such high expectations to have a farm operation as large and comprehensive as Kahumana's. Still, it was neat to see how years of trial and error and experience have culminated in a food hub/farm/homeless assistance/youth education/cafe/value-added market operation. The opportunities seem endless once you reach a critical mass and a certain level of prosperity and reputation.
Some of the interesting ideas that came to me while on the field trip were the idea of a non-profit/community-centered farm, food distribution business options, and food hubs. I'm also interested in finding partners for a small scale farming business, but I'm a little wary since I've never started a business before, so adding to that the unknown of working with a new business partner is an interesting wrinkle.
All in all, today was awesome. We got to stand under the Bodhi Tree, see the entire front (older) farm, chicken coop, compost and vermicompost areas, and aquaponics area; taste some of their big seller -- OK greens; weed some nutsedge, morning glory, and grasses; eat a hearty meal from their cafe; and ask lots of questions. I can't wait to visit more farms!
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| Aquaponics tanks |
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| Aquaponics tilapia with water hyacinth |
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| Felicia's baby |
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| Deebo |
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| Vermicompost bin |
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| Various breeds of chickens |
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| Chicken coop |
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| Beets and carrots |
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| Beets and carrots, with companion planting |
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| Chapote, Mexican persimmon -- never tried it |
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| Neem, which is a major source of organic pesticide |
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| After weeding -- should've taken the before, covered in tall weeds! |
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