Hawaiʻi Taro Farm
Robert "Bobby" Pahia is a Hawaiian farmer who has a vision of farming as a way to strengthen both the community and the land. He built a collective of farmers from different cultural backgrounds and uses regenerative farming techniques from around the world. He and his team began harvesting vegetables and protein en masse just hours after the fire, knowing that the need for food would be huge.
Local Harvest
The folks at Local Harvest put on an amazing farmers market—and they've done so for over a decade. The Saturday before the fire in Lahaina was the ten year anniversary of their twice weekly farmers markets. In the aftermath, they worked to find a solution for how to help the people who were impacted, as well as support the island's farmers.
Lapa’au Farm
Michael Marchan’s farm, Lapa'au, gets its name from the traditional Hawaiian concept of food as medicine. Michael wanted to focus on foods and herbs that have healing properties, while also centering healthy foods that can nourish the entire community. The hurricane-force winds that stoked the fires in Lahaina impacted the entire island of Maui. On Lapa'au Farm, the roof of a greenhouse was ripped off and crops were destroyed. Fortunately, a few of their plants that appeared very badly damaged have rebounded and regrown stronger than before.