Class X, Seminar 7
Seminar 7
ALFH TRAINING SEMINAR HELD ON MOLOKA’I
The Agricultural Leadership Foundation Hawaii continued its Class X training seminars on the Island of Moloka’i. On July 8-10, Class X convened its seventh seminar. The topic of this seminar was “Agricultural Land and Water,” which was addressed by speakers as well as by several field trip stops.
For over twenty years, ALFH, a Hawaii not-for-profit organization, has been immersing outstanding members of the State’s agricultural and rural communities in a series of collaborative leadership training seminars. The current group, “Class X, ” has completed seven of the nine intensive sessions that started in July of last year.
The Class spent some of Seminar 7 preparing for their two-week national trip in September. They collaboratively determined the focus of the Washington, D.C., portion of their trip during which they will be examining agricultural issues from a national and international perspective. The second week of the trip will give program participants an opportunity to study how people in North Carolina address agricultural and rural community issues. The inter-island and mainland travel has been designed to have participants examine limiting assumptions about subjects related to agriculture and to prepare them for more flexible, productive and visionary team working.
Class X is made up of Gabriel Audant, Maui Yeshe Group, LLC, Kihei; Harry Cambra, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. Puunene; Douglas Connors, Laupahoehoe Train Museum, Laupahoehoe; Gary Cummings, Hawaiian Earth Products, Ltd., Ewa Beach; Diana Duff, Hoku Farm and Hawaii Island Landscape Association, Captain Cook; Steven Raymond, Maui Brand Sugar, Puunene; Ranae Ganske-Cerizo, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wailuku; James Henderson, Pu’u O Hoku Ranch, Kaunakakai; Kevin Kinvig, USDA-NRCS, Aiea; Marla McCasland, Hawaiian Flowers, Naalehu; John McHugh, Jr., Crop Care Hawaii, LLC, Aiea; Liz Ronaldson, Growing Greens Nursery, Kapaa; and Alan Takemoto, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Honolulu.
The
first stop of the Moloka’i seminar was at the USDA Plant Materials Center. At
the Center, the process of selecting and testing different plants to meet the
needs of farmers and ranchers was discussed and illustrated by Bob Joy with a
walk through the fields. Class X made a stop at Kumu Farm, which processes
organic produce to be shipped outside the State. Jack Spruance, Ranch Manager
of Pu’u O Huku, explained the challenges of managing and conserving the ranch’s
thousands of acres of land. Class X participant, Jim Henderson, is the farm
manager of the Pu’u O Huku; and he shared the work he was doing to produce
organic papayas and kava on this property. The last field trip on
Sunday included an excursion into Halawa Valley. The Class was able to visit
with farmers Lawrence and Catherine Aki, who are engaged in traditional,
cultural and historical preservation as they restore the family’s taro lo’i
in Halawa Valley.
The different aspects of the land and water issue were highlighted by speakers from the community: Glenn Teves, Alton Arakaki, Karen Holt and Stacy Crivello. A corporate perspective on this issue was provided by Jimmy Duvauchelle and Peter Nicholas of Moloka’i Ranch. The Moloka’i Irrigation System was described by Bob Granger and Adolf Helm.
Class X will reconvene September 10 for its national trip. For information, please contact Donna Ching at 956.2255 or the website at www.agleaderhi.org.