Hoola Veteran Services

THE PROPOSED PILOT PROGRAM AIMS TO HELP VETERANS BRING THE TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS THEY HAVE DEVELOPED TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES, CONTRIBUTING TO RURAL PROSPERITY AND ENHANCING THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION HO'OLA VETERAN SERVICES WILL PARTNER WITH GOFARM HAWAI'I, THE BEGINNING FARMER TRAINING AFFILIATED WITH UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I, TO PILOT A FORMAL AGRICULTURAL TRAINING AND BUSINESS INCUBATION PROGRAM TO SERVE VETERANS IN RURAL HAWAI'I COUNTY. THE INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM COMBINES IMMERSIVE AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND BUSINESS TRAINING WITH HOLISTIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO SUPPORT VETERANS IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL JOURNEYS. THE PROJECT WILL GRADUATE A MINIMUM OF 25 VETERANS OVER THREE YEARS FROM THE FARMER TRAINING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM, RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF PROFITABLE SMALL FARM BUSINESSES AND JOB PLACEMENT FOR VETERANS IN AGRICULTURAL SECTOR; AN ADDITIONAL 75 VETERANS WILL BE ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCES THROUGH PROGRAM RECRUITMENT, NON-FORMAL EDUCATION, AND PEER-TO-PEER NETWORKING ACTIVITIES. RECRUITMENT WILL BE SUPPORTED BY AN ESTABLISHED NETWORK OF OVER 20 AGENCIES AND PROVIDERS SERVING VETERANS IN HAWAI'I COUNTY. IF SUCCESSFUL, RESULTS OF THE PROJECT AND THE PILOT PROGRAM CAN BE USED TO INFORM IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROGRAM STATEWIDE AS WELL AS EFFORTS ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL TO SUPPORT "WHOLE HEALTH" APPROACHES FOR VETERAN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES.THE FORMAT CONSISTS OF CLASSROOM-STYLE LECTURES (IN-PERSON AND VIA INTERNET), HANDS-ON PRACTICAL WORK DAYS AT THE TRAINING FARM, AND FIELD TRIPS TO OPERATIONAL FARMS. STUDENTS COMPLETE THEORY AND PRACTICAL COURSEWORK RELATED TO THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CROP FARMING (I.E., SOIL FERTILITY, IRRIGATION, SEEDS, CROP PLANNING, FOOD SAFETY, NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT, TAXONOMY, PLANT ANATOMY, AND PEST MANAGEMENT). CLASSROOM SESSIONS ARE SUPPLEMENTED BY HANDS-ON FARM WORK AND FIELD DEMONSTRATIONS OF TECHNIQUES BY INSTRUCTORS. PARTICIPANTS TRANSITION TO APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS LEARNED BY GROWING PRODUCE FOR A COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE PROGRAM ORGANIZED BY GFH. PARTICIPANTS ARE ACTIVELY FARMING DURING THIS PHASE WHILE ALSO GAINING TECHNICAL SKILLS RELATED TO BUSINESS PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, AND PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT. AFTER GRADUATION, PARTICIPANTS CAN APPLY FOR BUSINESS INCUBATION SUPPORT, AND UTILIZE SHARED LAND AND RESOURCES PROVIDED BY GOFARM HAWAII TO OPERATE A COMMERCIAL AGRIBUSINESS. TO SUPPORT VETERANS IN BUSINESS INCUBATOR OR OPERATING INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES, GFH AGBUSINESS SERVICES WILL PROVIDE BUSINESS CONSULTING AND DEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING PLANNING AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE, PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES, BUSINESS AND MARKETING PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION, STRATEGIC PLANNING AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO ACHIEVE CLIENT GOALS, AND BUILDING AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP THAT FOSTERS CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT OF OPERATIONS.THE PROPOSED PILOTPROJECT TARGETING VETERANS WILL BE USED TO TEST, IMPROVE, AND REPLICATE THIS PROGRAM AT OTHER TRAINING SITES IN THE FUTURE. FORMATIVE EVALUATION WILL BE USED BY THE THIRD-PARTY EVALUATOR TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEST PRACTICES TO PREPARE THE PROGRAM TO BE IMPLEMENTED ELSEWHERE.

HOOLA AGRICULTURE SUPPORT PROGRAM: EMPOWERING FARMERS WITH USDA RESOURCES

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** GROUNDWORK TO GROW: AGRIBUSINESS

THE GOAL OF BRIDGING THE GAP: GROWING VETERANS PILOT PROGRAM IS TO SUPPORT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF MILITARY VETERAN BEGINNING FARMERS, RANCHERS AND THEIR FAMILIES ON HAWAI'I ISLAND BY PROVIDING EXPOSURE, SKILL-BASED TRAINING AND A NETWORK AIMED TO HELP VETERANS TRANSITION THE TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS THEY DEVELOPED IN THE MILITARY TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. THIS PILOT AGRICULTURAL TRAINING PROGRAM'S MAIN FOCUS IS THE REGION OF HAWAI'I COUNTY (HAWAI'I ISLAND), WHICH IS A RURAL ISLAND AND HOME TO OVER 15,000 VETERANS AND MORE THAN HALF OF THE STATE'S AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND AGRIBUSINESSES.INTERESTED BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCHERS CAN PARTICIPATE IN A VARIETY OF ONE-DAY INTRO TO GROW WORKSHOPS HELD AT TWO HVS TRAINING LOCATIONS; 1) GREENHOUSE GARDEN, AND 2) MARKET GARDEN TRAINING PLOT WHERE PARTICIPANTS WORK ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS, COMPLETE SKILLED-BASED TASKS AND GROW IN OUR OPERATIONAL MARKET GARDENS, WHICH GROWS 350 LBS OF PRODUCE EACH WEEK.INTERESTED PARTICIPANTS CAN ENROLL IN GROUNDWORK TO GROW, A MORE COMPREHENSIVE FOUR-WEEK PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON SPECIFIC AGRICULTURE TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE PACIFIC REGION (ORCHARD, AGROFORESTRY, LIVESTOCK, FORESTRY, ETC). THE FORMAT CONSISTS OF WEEKLY CLASSROOM-STYLE LECTURES (VIA INTERNET), FIELD TRIPS TO OPERATIONAL FARMS AND RANCHES, AND HANDS-ON PRACTICAL WORK DAYS AT THE TRAINING FARM SITES. GUEST SPEAKERS FROM AGENCIES SUCH AS CTAHR, UH HILO, FORESTRY SERVICES, USDA, AND LOCAL EXPERTS WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO SUPPORT PARTICIPANTS' AGRICULTURE GOALS.THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HAWAII FARMER VETERAN NETWORK OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PUBLIC/PRIVATE (I.E. GOVERNMENT, ACADEMIA, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESS) SECTOR WILL PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK TO ENGAGE AND SUPPORT BEGINNING FARMER RANCHERS WITH A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. HVS WILL ESTABLISH THE NETWORK, CREATE A DIGITAL STORY MAP AND MONITOR A PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP TO PROVIDE SPACE FOR PEER-TO-PEER COMMUNICATION, LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORT AMONG VETERANS. HVS IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING CONTINUITY OF SERVICES TO PARTICIPANTS TO ENSURE A GREATER CHANCE OF SUCCESS AS THEY PURSUE CAREERS IN AGRICULTURE.ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, SUPPORT AND CONSULTATION ARE PROVIDED BY LCSW TO HELP NAVIGATE CHALLENGES THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM, COMMUNICATION AND TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS, AND WELLNESS PRACTICES. INCORPORATING THESE COMPONENTS WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS FOR VETERAN BEGINNER FARMERS AND RANCHERS ON HAWAI?I ISLAND AND THROUGHOUT THE STATE.HVS HAS THE ABILITY TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF ITS BENEFICIARIES, INCLUDING MILITARY VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES BASED ON PRIOR EXPERIENCE AND BY INVOLVING QUALIFIED PARTNERS WITH A STRONG TRACK RECORD. THIS PROJECT WILL ENSURE THAT EXISTING GAPS IN BEGINNING FARMER RANCHER PROGRAMS ARE BRIDGED WITH SKILLS-BASED TRAINING AND OPERATIONAL FARM EXPERIENCES, AND EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATIONS OF FARMERS AND RANCHERS IN HAWAII.

THIS GRANT SUPPORTS THE COSTS INCURRED TO IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO RESPOND TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19), WHICH MAY INCLUDE WORKPLACE SAFETY, MARKET PIVOTS, RETROFITTING FACILITIES, TRANSPORTATION, WORKER HOUSING, AND MEDICAL EXPENSES. IT PROVIDES NEEDED RELIEF TO THE FOOD PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, FARMERS MARKETS, AND PRODUCERS FOR THEIR COSTS INCURRED BETWEEN JANUARY 27, 2020, THE DATE UPON WHICH THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE (HHS) UNDER SECTION 319 OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT, AND DECEMBER 31, 2021. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE THE EMPLOYEES OF THE FOOD PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, FARMERS MARKETS, AND PRODUCERS.