Stories in The Kohala Center Leaflet
Laulima Center: Cooperatives on Hawai‘i Island and Maui Deliver Innovative Solutions September/October 2012
The Laulima Center, the cooperative business development arm of The Kohala Center, is proud to support the forthcoming launches of three new cooperative businesses in Hawai‘i. From promoting natural farming practices, to constructively utilizing an invasive species, to restoring water delivery to a revitalized agricultural region, these co-ops will improve the health and vitality of our ‘āina (land) and the people who rely on it.
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Grant Assistance from the Laulima Center Enables Creation of Certified Food Processing Facility in Hāmākua
July/August 2012
The Laulima Center, the agriculture and cooperative development branch of The Kohala Center, was established in 2011 to help rural cooperative businesses form, grow, and succeed. Recently, the Laulima Center assisted the Hamakua-North Hilo Agricultural Cooperative in securing two grants that will significantly expand the cooperative farmers’ capacity to grow and sell more of its products, while giving island residents access to fresher, locally grown food.
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The Laulima Center: Improving Farmers’ Access to Resources
May/June 2012
Farmers, ranchers, and cooperatives statewide looking to expand or modernize their operations can access grant and loan preparation assistance from the Laulima Center, the rural economic development branch of The Kohala Center. The Laulima Center, the rural cooperative business and agricultural development branch of The Kohala Center, has hired agricultural business development specialist Nicole Milne to assist Hawai‘i’s small-scale farmers in applying for federal grant and loan funds.
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Cooperative Solutions
March/April 2011
In January 2011, the Laulima Center for Rural Cooperative Development opened its doors for business. The new center will serve groups throughout the state of Hawai‘i that would like to form a cooperative, but that need some assistance getting organized or becoming legally incorporated. The Laulima Center can also help existing coops to strengthen and expand their operations. Funded by a USDA-Rural Cooperative Development grant and the Ulupono Initiative, the Laulima Center is headed by Rural Cooperative Development Specialist Melanie Bondera and is housed at The Kohala Center on Hawai‘i Island.
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Staking a Claim in the Food System
September/October 2011
Awareness has grown in Hawai‘i that we need to rebuild our local food system in order to ensure our islands’ food security, to improve the freshness and nutrition of the foods we consume, and to create a more resilient rural economy. In order for Hawai‘i’s residents to eat locally, our farmers and fishermen need to have support in place to farm and fish, and we need to develop the infrastructure to move raw products from our local farms and fisheries to our tables and plates.
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