About Us
About the HIP Agriculture Community
The Hawaii Institute of Pacific Agriculture (HIP Agriculture) is a conscious movement of inspired individuals living a model of sustainability through direct engagement with the earth and service to youth and communities.
Located in beautiful, historic North Kohala, HIP Agriculture is a growing community that cultivates a diverse collection of Polynesian crops and operates as an educational site offering sustainable agriculture courses, youth programming, community workshops and events. Through farming and hands-on education HIP Agriculture is pioneering a new paradigm of conscious agriculture that honors indigenous wisdom, food sovereignty, and the transformational power of returning to the land.
Our Mission
To Practice and teach regenerative agricultural education programs.
Our Vision
Heal and inspire Hawaii through resilient agriculture education.
Values & Guiding Principles
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Practice traditional Pacific agriculture that produces food and medicine.
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Provide experiential, place-based, career connected education.
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Be food movement leaders.
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Promote the Rights of the people to access healthy land and food.
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Practicing methods of farming that increases the health of the land and environment.
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Teach agriculture connected nutrition and wellness.
Join Our Team
At the heart of HIP Agriculture is a commitment to personal growth and awakening that empowers individuals to be activated leaders for change.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
North Kohala School District
HIP Agriculture works with the North Kohala School district to bring garden and nutrition education to the students of Kohala Elementary, Middle, and High Schools through hands-on after school programming and in-class presentations. We also collaborate to bring students to the farm for educational field trips, where they learn about home gardening, traditional Hawaiian and Polynesian plants, natural ecosystems and land stewardship, animal care, and preparation of fresh, healthy and delicious foods. We’re excited to continue this collaboration in the years to come.
Inhabit Farms
The HIP Agriculture Farm, LLC leases 1 acre of land from Inhabit Sanctuary to increase vegetable production and 3 acres of pasture land on which the jersey cows live and graze. Through this collaboration, we have been able to increase the amount of quality produce grown and distributed throughout our local Kohala community, at the Farmer’s Market, and in local schools. These neighboring lands were also generously shared with HIP Agriculture to host the Kohala ‘Aina Festival in 2015 and 2016.
Kohala Institute at 'Iole
HIP Agriculture is a project partner with the Kohala Institute (KI), a project of 2,400 acres in North Kohala that includes the historic ahupua'a, ‘Iole. HIP Agriculture has been growing food in a 2 acre patch at ʻIole since 2011. The focus of this garden is Polynesian agroforestry crops with the climax species of dwarf coconuts, breadfruit, peach palm, kava, banana, plantains, and exotic fruit trees, in addition to annual crops such as turmeric, cocoyams, cassava, taro, ashwagandha, chili peppers, and papaya.
Kohala Village HUB
The Kohala Village HUB is a community-based hub of facilities, programs, and services in the rural North Kohala area, on Hawai’i Island. The HIP Agriculture Farm provides much of the local food served at the HUB, in addition to utilizing their commercial kitchen for producing value added farm products.
North Kohala Community Resource Center:
The North Kohala Community Resource Center (NKCRC), located in Hawi, Hawaii, provides local support and bridges to funding and education for projects that benefit the North Kohala community. HIP Agriculture grew under the support of NKCRC from 2008-2015, gaining sole 501(c)3 non-profit status in 2017. Today, we continue our partnership with NKCRC for specific grants to grow our programming and reach.
North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Campaign
The North Kohala Eat Locally Grown Campaign has been working in North Kohala since 2009 to grow a community-based, sustainable food system that addresses the health, environment, culture and economy of the North Kohala community. We worked with NKELGC in 2012 to promote local, healthy eating habits to youth in Kohala schools. The feasibility and success of the HIP Agriculture Farm is largely a product of this program, which has allowed the farm business to remain in Kohala, rather than needing to seek out a market in a larger community..
Beyond Organic
Dr. Jana Bogs is a research scientist and soil consultant, whose motto is "Creating health from the soil up!" Dr. Bogs has worked with HIP Agriculture to perform soil analysis and crop consultation, during the planning and cultivation of our vegetable garden. The aim of this collaboration is to grow nutritionally dense food using methods beyond organic principles.
