A $100,000 grant will help provide housing for farmers working in Waiʻanae for MAʻO Organic Farms.
This week, the Nareit Foundation awarded the grant, which will go toward renovations and repairs for two homes housing MA’O employees. The renovation will turn a section of one of the homes into a unit where one or two farmers can live.
The project aims to offer below-market rental rates and career training for young farmers.
“By creating access to affordable housing, we supplement the existing housing stock and provide a crucial support system for our young farmers working in Waianae,” Mā‘ona Director of Development and Impact Tina Tagad said in a statement. “This initiative alleviates housing pressure and supports the agricultural sector, promoting sustainable farming practices and community development.”
The grant goes to the nonprofit Waiʻanae Community Re-Development Corporation and will be used to support a larger MAʻO Kauhale housing program. The housing initiative aims to offer affordable housing and on-site accommodations.
By doing so, MAʻO hopes for higher employee retention rates and to give young farmers the opportunity to focus on their work.
The units are meant to be affordable and will provide young farmers with housing on the farmland itself.
“It makes a huge difference to be able to wake up and there you are, right? You're connected even more so to the land by living there, and it's providing affordable housing for those that work on the farm. It serves at least a dual purpose," said Gladys Quinto Marrone, Nareit Hawaiʻi’s executive director.
The grant is part of a Nareit initiative to support affordable housing projects provided by nonprofit organizations.
