Climate Resilient & Agricultural Innovation Hub for Women Farmers of Hawai’i County

Piloting innovations and practices to achieve climate and economic resilience through support to women farmers and entrepreneurs

What is it

A facility on a parcel of agricultural land on the Big Island of Hawai’i
That will improve the quality of life for about 500 women farmers and their family members by at least a 20% increase in their self–sufficiency, food and income security and wellness
In four key areas of climate resilience: sustainable food production; renewable energy; sustainable management of soil, water and forest resources, and leadership, over a 5-year period.
WOCAN – a Kona, Hawai’i-based not for profit that operates globally will manage the Hub through:
Network of women farmers
Business plan with diverse revenue-generating opportunities
Training, grants and loans for women-owned farms/businesses
Measurement of environmental and social benefits.

What it does

Provide women farmers and entrepreneurs of Hawai’i County access to land, housing, training, agribusiness infrastructure and other assistance.
Pilot innovations and practices to achieve community well-being, equity, and cohesion
Explore a cooperative ownership model to be shared with other rural communities in Hawai’i and the Pacific Islands.

The Hub can showcase:

Integration of traditional Hawaiian and modern technologies and practices
Climate smart ag practices
Carbon farming
W+ Standard to measure women’s empowerment and certify products
Women-led climate actions

The Hub can provide:

Agricultural land
Affordable housing
Renewable energy
Day care services
Training on climate-smart agricultural practices
Markets and marketing assistance
Skills and equipment for new climate smart technologies and practices
Leadership training and mentorship
Personal wellness support
Financial and business management training
Certification/branding

Rationale: Why Now?

Nearly 90% of the food available in Hawai‘i is imported, and the number of farms in the state is declining while the average age of farmers is increasing
Hawai’i Island seeks to increase local food production, decrease dependency on imports, diversify its rural economy, create jobs, and move Hawai‘i toward greater food self-reliance. Never has this been more important than while facing threats of climate change and pandemic viruses that disrupt supply chains and transport systems and require new skills and inputs from farmers.
Farms in Hawai’i with female producers make up over ½ of all farms, yet are mostly smaller than average. Their net cash farm income is a mere $4,713 (2017 Census of Agriculture, Hawai’i State), forcing them to seek alternate sources of income and farm less than full time.
Many of the issues faced by Hawai’i women farmers are faced by women across the Pacific Islands as well, creating opportunities for cross-learning.
Collective action by women farmers/environmental managers can address Hawai’i’s State Planning Act and its 2050 Sustainability Plan for sustainable development and climate adaptation in direct alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #2, #3, #5, #8, and #13.

Current Challenges and Opportunities for Women Farmers

Challenges	Opportunities
Access to land	Women principal operators increasing % (from 5% in 1995 to 14% in 2016)
Access to capital/credit	Women-owned enterprises can access USDA and other US govt. set-aside budgets for women-owned businesses
Costly housing and energy	2018 Farm Act provides dedicated funding to socially disadvantaged farmers SDFRs (83% are women of all races)
Labor shortage	Carbon farming
Marketing	W+ or Hawaiian certified products
Technical skills for climate smart agriculture practices	Agri & Eco-tourism
multiple roles for child and elderly care, etc.

Key Team Members

Jeannette Gurung, PhD

forester and gender expert, Founder and Executive Director of WOCAN since 2004 – Hawai’i-based international non-profit network to support capacity building for women’s leadership and empowerment; created the W+ Standard ™ to measure, certify and monetize impacts of projects through the use of a results-based financing approach to measure women’s empowerment; co-founder of Women and Climate Impact Fund to mobilize blended financial investments for climate mitigation and adaptation projects that incorporate high levels of gender equality and women’s empowerment, using the W+ Standard to assure quality impacts.

Mahina Paishon-Duarte, M.B.A. is Owner and Lead Producer of Waiwai Collective, a regenerative urban oasis, a kīpuka, for creatively growing community, culture, and commerce. As a social entrepreneur who has also led several educational and cultural organizations, her vision and mission are one and the same––to catalyze positive, lasting change for Hawaii in one generation.

Lee West

Chair of WOCAN Board of Directors, has over 35 years of financial services and investing experience. Over a 19 year period from 1994 to 2013, Lee has either advised, created, seeded, or started a combined total of over 1,700 entities representing over $34bn in assets across cleantech, technology, financial services, environmental commodities, and asset management. Lee’s goal for the past 9 years is to introduce financial incentives that encourage institutional sponsors to invest directly into agricultural development and gender mainstreaming programs in developed and developing countries that directly impact women.

Revenue Model

Fee for services to be offered on site:

Lodging/meeting hall for visitors and events
Residential and farm leases
Services for farmers (i.e. day care, exercise/wellness)
Equipment loans and leasing
Farm/AgTech/AgriFood Tech Ventures
App based technologies & integration
Automation Crop/Farm Management software
Marketing assistance
Training center: climate smart ag practices; leadership, etc.
Financial services
Agri & Eco-tourism
Tax credits, Carbon Credits
Sustainable Tree farming

Grants/loans

USDA Loan Program (capital and operational loans)
NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service): grants for fencing, conservation practices
Rural Development of USDA helps build housing for farm laborers
Hawai’i based impact investors and accelerators

Deliverables/Outcomes

Immediate Outputs (3-6 months)

Baseline study of women farmers and their needs
Feasibility study that can be shared with potential funders/investors

Intermediate Outcomes (3-5 years)

Establishment of Farm and Management system (including community governance system)
Skills and technologies for climate- smart agriculture accessed by women farmers

Long-term Outcomes (10 years)

Positive impacts in community well-being, equity, cohesion, capacity, and empowerment
Improved Hawai’i’s long-term food security through self-reliant community food systems
Increased resilience of communities and families through increased income and assets, capacities and leadership opportunities for women
Increased Hawaiian cultural vitality and the application of ʻike kūpuna including the use of ʻōlelo Hawai’i and symbiotic, ancestral relationships to ʻāina
Improved long-term energy sustainability for impacted communities