The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) Cooperative Extension has received a $743,667 boost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide language-appropriate outreach to Thai, Lao, Ilocano, Chinese and other immigrant farmers. Funding is made through the USDA Office of Partnership and Public Engagement’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program, also known as the 2501 program.
“This grant gives us the ability to expand some of the long-term, ongoing work of CTAHR extension agents who have been striving to better serve the diverse populations we have in the state,” said Emilie Kirk, an assistant extension agent located on Kauaʻi and the Local and Immigrant Farmer Education (LIFE) program lead. “The funds will also help us revitalize the LIFE program as a statewide umbrella for these efforts that have been going on.”
The meaning of ‘LIFE’
The LIFE program first started as the Socially Disadvantaged Farmer Program by former Extension Associate Specialist Sabina Swift in 2002, stemming from the need to provide accessible pesticide safety education in multiple languages for Hawaiʻi’s diverse population.
Under the management of Extension Agent Jari Sugano from 2008, the LIFE program has provided training in addition to outreach, technical assistance and language accessibility to immigrant farmers with limited English proficiency, ultimately giving underserved producers more meaningful access to agricultural services.
With the current three-year grant, the LIFE program is collaborating with GoFarm Hawaiʻi, the Oʻahu Agriculture and Conservation Association, Pacific Gateway Center and other partners, tailoring workshops and more to fit each community they work with specifically at the time. Structured to focus on two islands per year, the LIFE program is currently spotlighting the Thai and Lao languages on the islands of Kauaʻi and Oʻahu.
In the first half of 2023, the LIFE program has been able to support Thai farmers through an irrigation water management workshop on Kauaʻi; an agriculture land financing workshop given in both English and Thai on Kauaʻi; farmer resource fairs featuring more than 20 service providers and multiple language interpreters on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu; and Farm Doctor (a subprogram of the LIFE program) visits with CTAHR extension faculty on Kauaʻi to address farmer needs on an individual basis.
“We recognize the diverse needs and dynamic demographics of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural community,” said Kirk. “We want to remain adaptive and responsive to keep up and to the best of our abilities provide services to the full spectrum of our farmers across the islands.”
Upcoming events include an Oʻahu irrigation workshop, training video production and farm record keeping workshops on both islands.
Learn more about the LIFE program.
