Ma‘o Organic Farms
Growing Food, Growing Leaders
OUR mission
We are building a future of māʻona, of plenty, by connecting youth and land through the daily practice of aloha ʻāina, empowering youth to succeed in college and secure sustaining careers, and growing organic produce that yields individual and communal vitality.
EVENTS
Pahea ka ʻĀina: The past, present and future of Hawaiʻi Organic Farming and Foodways. Through dialogues and training workshops aims to support the development of community-wide support for organic agriculture and food system sustainability. These Community Conversations supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP)
now hiring
Join our team! We’re currently accepting applications for farm work and youth support.
Not quite sure about what you want to do next? Check out our paid internships!
Education Programs
MA‘O Organic Farms offers community education programs that range from keiki- to kupuna. Our core programming unfolds in an edu-preneurial ʻauwai, or college to career pathway, through which youth shoulder kuleana (responsibility), receive individualized support and mentorship, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.
OUR FARM
MAʻ O operates one of the largest certified organic farms in Hawaiʻi, where we grow over 40 different varieties of fruits and vegetables. The farm enterprise is co-managed by youth interns and apprentices, who shoulder the hana nui of feeding community while receiving training and mentorship to become entrepreneurial community leaders.
Our ROOTS
In 2000 a group of community members founded the Waiʻanae Community Re-Development Corporation (WCRC) to grow two of the community’s greatest assets: the rich food producing traditions of the region and youth who were not achieving their academic potential. WCRC created a social enterprise called MAʻ O Organic Farms (MAʻ O) and began developing programming to mentor, educate and empower youth.
Social Enterprise
MAʻ O Organic Farms is structured as a revenue-generating nonprofit organization. This allows us to take a systemic view and work with partners to make critical investments that benefit youth, their future employers and the broader community, now and for the future.