Hawai‘i Community College is making a lasting impact on sustainable agriculture in Hawai‘i through its pioneering use of Korean natural farming.
Since 2016, the Hawai‘i Island college’s agriculture program has trained students in Korean natural farming techniques, producing nearly 100 graduates, some of whom are now actively revitalizing Hawai‘i’s farmlands with environmentally friendly methods.
At the college’s Pana‘ewa farm lot, students learn to apply Korean natural farming principles to cultivate crops such as ‘uala (sweet potatoes), pineapples and kalo (taro) without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides. This method harnesses Indigenous microorganisms and fermented plant-based biostimulants to enrich soil naturally — a crucial approach for restoring lands depleted by plantation-era farming…