A new farm on Oʻahu's North Shore is working to employ refugees, immigrants and survivors of human trafficking while strengthening Hawaiʻi's food resilience and security.
Pacific Gateway Center, a partner affiliate of the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, started its farming program in 2012 after a group of workers from Southeast Asia were brought to Hawaiʻi under false pretenses and were allegedly exploited for their labor.
PGC Farms worked to rescue them and introduce a path toward independence, where they could have access to land, resources, and education on starting their own businesses.
“One of the easiest or most obvious beginning touch points for someone coming to a new country is food, and that really has been an integral part of the connections that we make,” said PGC Executive Director Matt Johnson said to HPR. “That’s part of the relationship building and trust, but also the economic opportunities.”
PGC Farms originally rented nearly 180 acres in Kunia in central Oʻahu, but the lease would have expired last year, leading organizers to partner with Kamehameha Schools to establish a new 15-year lease for the 80 acres in Haleʻiwa.
Work to prep the land started last summer, and it was ready for seeds by December. Eight farmers from different countries, experience levels, and ages started planting on their own plots and welcomed their first harvest in February.
Perawat Panyamanee, a farmer from Thailand who has been with PGC for over a year, has grown over 5,000 pounds of tomatoes since starting on the new farm, despite March’s Kona low storms bringing disease to one of his harvests.
“They’re helping the farmers a lot — they support us, they give us the answer and everything,” Panyamanee said to HPR. “I feel good (that) I can provide them food. You know, we are far away from the other parts of the mainland. It would be good if we can grow our own food over here in Hawaiʻi.”
Hawaiʻi imports about 90% of its food, making local produce vital in building the state’s food security and resilience. Down the line, Johnson envisions the farmers having relationships with farmers’ markets, Chinatown vendors, local restaurants, and the state Department of Education to eventually supply each with locally grown produce.
Organizers are working to clear and till the rest of the land in the coming months, since only 20 acres are currently usable. Johnson expects the number of farmers to double by the end of the year.
Bonarath “Bo” Bory, PGC’s agriculture program director, said at the farm's blessing that despite challenges posed by weather and shifting political landscapes, the farmers remain dedicated to the cause.
“For them, farming is more than a livelihood, it’s a connection to family, culture, community, and the land itself,” Bory said. “They work in the sun and the rain, they prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and care for each harvest. They face challenges that many of us will never know, yet they continue to show up with resilience, determination, and faith each and every day.”
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