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USDA awards $750K to Hawaiʻi Island farm for veteran support

Hoʻōla Farms on Hawaiʻi Island offers veterans instruction on how to be a farmer or rancher.
Andrew Richard Hara
Hoʻōla Farms on Hawaiʻi Island offers veterans instruction on how to be a farmer or rancher.

A farm in Hilo will receive more than $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a pilot program helping military veterans.

Hoʻōla Farms is one of four groups that was awarded a grant for the 2022 Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Program.

The farm offers agriculture training and hands-on workshops to veterans and their families.

The recent grant from the USDA will support Hoʻōla Farms’ three year program called “Groundwork to Grow: Agribusiness.” It aims to help veterans kick start a career in agriculture on Hawaiʻi Island.

"Our goal is to support the development of local farmers and producers, increasing our local economy and community resilience, and decreasing our reliance on imported food,” said Emily Emmons, executive director of Hoʻōla Farms.

More information can be found at www.hoolafarms.org.

Zoe Dym was a news producer at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.
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