New website offers “local seeds for local needs”

KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—December 7, 2017—Small-scale farmers and home gardeners in Hawai‘i now have an additional option for purchasing locally produced seeds.

The Hawai‘i Seed Growers Network (HSGN), a statewide group of seed producers organized and supported by The Kohala Center’s Hawai‘i Public Seed Initiative program, officially launched its online store on December 4. Customers can pre-order 2018 seed varieties at hawaiiseedgrowersnetwork.com/shop, with orders shipping in late December. HSGN currently offers locally adapted, selectively bred seeds including beans, flowers, fruits, greens, herbs, and peppers.

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Educational programs train new farmers and introduce high school students to careers in sustainable agriculture

KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—September 24, 2015—Two programs aimed at training and supporting the next generation of farmers in Hawai‘i are seeking applicants for sessions being offered this fall.
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New online tool matches crop varieties to Hawai‘i’s microclimates

KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—June 16, 2015—The Kohala Center recently launched an online tool to help Hawai‘i gardeners and small-scale farmers select crop varieties most likely to succeed in their specific geographic areas. The new tool, developed through The Center’s Hawai‘i Public Seed Initiative, also offers a detailed representation of local plant hardiness zones based on Hawai‘i’s diverse microclimates.
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Learn why and how to save seed at weekend workshop

KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—October 11, 2012—Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook is the site for the annual West Hawai‘i seed exchange and a weekend workshop on seed production and seed saving methods coming up in November. The 10th Annual West Hawai‘i Community Seed Exchange will be from 3–5 p.m. Friday, November 2, at the garden. Attendees are invited to share seeds, ideas, and to get to know the community of “seed” people. 
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Kohala Center receives funding to launch statewide Public Seed Initiative

KAMUELA, Hawai‘i—August 16, 2011—The Kohala Center has received funding from the Ceres Trust for a statewide Public Seed Initiative designed to help Hawai‘i’s farmers and gardeners to select, grow, harvest, store, and improve seed varieties that will thrive in Hawai‘i. The Ceres Trust, whose name pays homage to the ancient Roman goddess of agriculture, has as its main focus the support and promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture.
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