The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB) Market Development Branch has announced the allocation of more than $465,700 in grants to seven projects as part of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program for fiscal year 2025.
Funding for this program comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which distributes resources to states based on their specialty crop production value. Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops. Much of Hawai‘i’s agricultural sector is included under this category.
The recipients and their projects include Farm Link Hawai‘i for building a local flour economy ($49,800), Kalo Road Farm for research on taro leaf viability in dryland farming ($29,250), Kukui Ranch for revitalizing kukui nut production and commercialization ($50,000), Ocean Era for developing good agricultural practices guidelines for farmed warmwater macroalgae producers ($46,164), OK Farms for creating a drought-resilient regenerative management model for lychee orchards ($46,285), DAB Market Development Branch participation at the Global Produce and Floral Show ($142,589), and advancing herbs and spices as a crop in Hawai‘i ($101,685).
According to the department: “The primary goal in this grant program for the DAB is to support projects that could provide the highest measurable benefits or return-on-investment to the specialty crop segment in Hawai‘i. To be eligible for a grant, projects must enhance the competitiveness of Hawai‘i-grown specialty crops in either the domestic or foreign markets. Preference was given to projects that measurably increase the production and/or consumption of specialty crops, foster the development of fledging crops, and organic operations for Hawai‘i specialty crop farmers.”
Project summaries were made available with further details about each initiative.
