Roy Honda of South Kona.Roy Honda, Farmer
Roy Y. Honda Farm, Captain Cook, South Kona

Roy Honda started farming in 1997, specializing in oriental varieties of tomato and cucumber. He is best known for a tomato variety he grows that is a favorite in Japan. Originally he grew this variety to satisfy consumer demand in the Hawai‘i market, and now it has become his signature crop. Other crops include bitter melon, lettuce, squash, papaya, beans, and myoga (edible ginger flower).

Mountain View Growers' strawberries.

Located in the Hawaiian Acres area of Puna mauka, Mountain View Growers is a 2-year-old enterprise that has already developed a large following. They have a regular clientele at natural food stores in Hilo and Pahoa, and at three different area farmers markets where they sell out early.

Jim Riley was living in Alaska and working in construction when he decided he wanted to live and farm in Hawai'i. To this end he started researching ways to grow strawberries that would be economically feasible and decided that growing them hydroponically in a "Verti-gro Pole System" (see http://vertigro.com) would be the best. The vertical towers yield a higher amount of berries in a smaller amount of space with the least amount of wasted effort and no 'intrusive visits' from slugs and snails.

Tane Datta
Co-owner, Adaptations, Kealakekua, South Kona

Tane and Maureen Datta cut micro-greens at Adaptations. Their long experience growing and distributing organic produce gives them unique insight into Hawai'i Island markets.Tane Datta and his wife Maureen began homesteading as a move toward self-sufficiency in 1980 and expanded their gardens into a small farm enterprise over the next few years. Adaptation’s mission statement focuses on the need to engage in ecologically sound community and land development based on organic farming, alternative energy, and complimentary medicine. Datta has strengths in horticulture and has natural entrepreneurial instincts, while Maureen has strengths in building a business and has excellent people skills. Through the years one of the keys to success has been avoiding overextending their resources, including no significant debt. Instead, they built their business by reinvesting profits back into their company.

Beyond growing food at home, you can support homegrown food by patronizing local vendors at farmer’s markets.

There are many options for supporting homegrown food in addition to growing your own food. Here is a summary of some of the best ways to eat locally and sustainably grown food.

Buy or trade for homegrown food from your neighbors. Neighborly exchange of food is an integral part of local culture in Hawai‘i, inspiring a sense of cohesive community.

Volunteer to help a neighbor with their garden. Sharing work with neighbors empowers them and thereby benefits the community as a whole.

A well-balanced soil with plenty of decomposed organic matter is the basis for plant health.Most organic gardeners consider pests and diseases to be a symptom—as opposed to a cause—of poor plant health. From this perspective, pest and disease prevention focuses on plant health, which depends on three main factors: plant selection, soil health, and biodiversity.