About Us

Welcome to KOA Farms — a place where sustainable agriculture, cultural heritage, and community learning come together. Our mission is to develop a research, demonstration, education, and training center that strengthens Hawai‘i’s food and fiber security while restoring ecological integrity, economic resilience, and social equity.

Grounded in traditional Hawaiian land stewardship and inspired by global best practices in agroforestry, KOA Farms is a living example of how people and the ‘āina can thrive together. We, therefore, commit to uphold our core values as principles for a thriving island.

Core Values

• Food, fiber and energy production systems, that lead to self-sufficiency, should be at the core of all sustainable and ecological island communities.
• Organic and integrated plant-animal production systems are essential components of sustainable and ecological  agriculture, where waste products from one become nutrient inputs to another, “wastes” are recycled and reused which leads to carbon sequestration where waste = food!
• Organic, nutrient dense and contaminate-free food is essential to human and watershed health.
• Food and fiber (hardwood trees, construction-grade bamboos) should be affordable and grown in, or as close as possible to, the watershed in which the food and fiber were grown.
• Sustainable or Ecological Agriculture is composed of three essential parts: protection or restoration of Ecosystem Integrity (which includes Biologial Integrity), establishing Economic Efficiency (ie, ecological economic accounting with no externalities), and it demands Social and Cultural Equity.

Our Purpose

Hawai‘i currently imports the vast majority of its food and building materials. At KOA Farms, we believe the future of island resilience depends on empowering a new generation of farmers who understand both the cultural and ecological significance of the land they work.

We create sustainable living and teaching spaces using local materials and regenerative design. Here, interns learn to propagate plants, raise animals, manage integrated aquaculture systems, and operate whole‑farm models that produce food, fiber, and renewable energy.

Our purpose is simple and heartfelt: to nourish our community while nurturing the next generation of farmers and land stewards.

Our Farm

KOA Farms is a 25‑acre integrated aquaculture–agriculture agroforestry and agropastoral farm located within the Niumalu Ahupua‘a/Puali River watershed. Blessed with freshwater streams and springs, our farm supports a rich diversity of crops and animals, including:

• Water buffalo (dairy, meat, and draft power)
• Taro (kalo)
• Tilapia
• Orchard crops such as avocado, breadfruit, citrus, cacao, macadamia nuts, and coconuts
• Construction‑grade bamboo and hardwood trees

Our dairy buffalo provide raw milk, butter, and cheese, along with abundant organic fertilizer and essential draft power for taro field preparation, wagon tours, and forest harvesting.

KOA Farms has restored a portion of the traditional Niumalu Ahupua‘a system, demonstrating how ancient Hawaiian agroforestry practices can be woven into modern sustainable agriculture.

Why Our Work Matters

The average farmer in Hawai‘i is between 60 and 70 years old, and climate change is reshaping ecosystems across the islands. Training young farmers is not just important — it’s urgent.

KOA Farms is committed to preparing future farmers to care for Hawai‘i’s land and water responsibly, protect endangered ecosystems, and build a resilient local food system for generations to come.