Mahi‘ai a Ola

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Mahi‘ai Scale-up launches to support local farmers, food distributors in growing their businesses

Mahi‘ai Scale-up is an agricultural business plan contest designed to help local farmers and food distributors expand their operations as part of the goal of increasing Hawai‘i’s food production and resiliency. The 2021 competition, in partnership with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) and The Kohala Center, opens January 12, 2021. The deadline to apply is Feb. 11, 2021.

Bound by a shared purpose to advance food self-reliance in Hawai‘i, Kamehameha Schools (KS) and The Kohala Center (TKC) have partnered up to launch Mahi‘ai a Ola, an initiative to support local farmers, agricultural education, and innovative solutions to improve food security.

Mahi‘ai a Ola encompasses the deeper meaning of mahi‘ai - the idea of cultivating an ‘āina-based lifestyle, a way of thinking, and our connection to and relationship with ‘āina. In the larger food system, farmers cultivate more than food, they cultivate minds, families, and communities.

This year, we are supporting the vision of Mahi‘ai a Ola in three key ways:

1. Mahi‘ai Match-Up - an agricultural business plan competition, awarding a 5-year land agreement and a $10,000 prize
2. Mahi‘ai a Ao - scholarships for various agriculture-related educational programs, and
3. MahiX - an open innovation challenge seeking cooperative solutions to the most pressing issues in the ag sector.