Connecting students to food, land, their culture and each other.

Aerial photo (right): Tom Benedict

Founded in 2003, and in operation since February 2005, Mala‘ai is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, working in cooperation with Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School. The garden is privately funded with grants, patron donations, and an annual fundraiser, Art & Sol.

Mala‘ai has one part-time and two full-time staff members. The garden teacher works with WMS teachers to schedule and determine what activities are most relevant to classroom curriculum. The school provides the land, water, insurance, some funds, and, most importantly, the students.

This year (2009-10) approximately 300 WMS students will come to the garden as a part of their regular school day. Beginning in the fall of 2009, Waimea Middle School has included garden time in the schedule as part of the PE/Health module. Also, while working in the garden during math, science, and social studies, children are engaged in outdoor physical and academic activities such as planning, measuring garden plots, digging, composting, planting, building a tool shed, etc. 

Students conduct tastings from the plants they have cultivated and compare mainland to local Hawai‘i organic salad greens. They observe differences in taste and quality, nutritional value, distance traveled, and time since harvest, and the environmental and social impacts of farming methods.

Hawaiian values are learned and practiced. The pleasure of working together, realizing the gratification of a project many people have worked on, and seeing the fruits of one’s labor are satisfying rewards. Student response to the program is enthusiastic, and teachers report improved attendance and class engagement.

Mala‘ai has also offered community garden classes and hosted the Kahilu Summer Arts Program, as well as UH Hilo students as volunteers as part of their studies. When there is an abundance of food to harvest, the garden hosts Free Market Days, with samples and recipes available for inspiration, that is open to students, staff, and the community.

For more information, please visit our Web site at www.malaai.org.