Kunia Opens Up 37 More Acres For Small Farming Operations

Small farmers have until Oct. 14 to apply to lease land in a new 37-acre parcel that has opened up in Kunia.

Managed by Hawaii Agricultural Foundation in partnership with Island Palm Communities and Monsanto, the ag park opened in 2011 and already leases land to more than 17 farmers, who are successfully growing crops such as salad greens, bananas, eggplant, beans, peppers, tomatoes, daikon, kale, okra, taro, long squash, radishes, papayas and avocadoes.

Tours of Parcel 4 are available Oct. 10 by appointment for interested farmers.

Application forms are available at hawaiiagfoundation.org/kuniaagpark.

For more information, call HAF Ag Park manager Lisa Zeman at 343-8196 or email her at lisazinhawaii@gmail.com.

“We’re pleased to see that our partnership with Monsanto and HAF is giving small and local farmers a good foundation to build their businesses,” stated Island Palm Communities project director Pete Sims on the HAF website.

“Monsanto’s expertise and desire to help farmers achieve economic self-sufficiency has been a tremendous asset to everyone involved.”

Land preparation, security and other farming support for the sub-lessees will be provided by Monsanto, which is a publicly traded multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation that holds the master lease on 2,400 acres on the Kunia plain.