The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $1.5 million Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian grant for a project that brings together four University of Hawaii system campuses to support indigenous students pursuing careers in food and agricultural sciences. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Huakai Ike Aina Project aims to address financial obstacles, institutional barriers and other challenges that underrepresented students may face
  • The grant will provide direct financial support to help underrepresented students focus on their education without financial strain; conduct experiential learning through aina-based learning activities; integrate indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge into food systems education; and demystify the path to graduate school
  • Once operational, the coalition will develop what it describes as an “educational auwai,” or collaborative pathway, that nurtures and supports students across their academic and leadership pursuits
  • The HIA Project will be supported by the recently launched Ke O Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems,  a research, education, planning and policy hub focused on improving the local food system in Hawaii

 

UH West Oahu, Leeward Community College, Hawaii Community College and the UH Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources have partnered in the Huakai Ike Aina Project, which aims to address financial obstacles, institutional barriers and other challenges that underrepresented students may face.

HIA Project will provide direct financial support to help underrepresented students focus on their education without financial strain; conduct experiential learning through aina-based learning activities and cross-campus travel; integrate indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge into food systems education; demystify the path to graduate school through mentoring and targeted support; and foster cross-campus collaboration and course articulations.

The project will also draw on partnerships with community-based organizations involved in food-system education, including MAO Organic Farms, Hookuaaina, Kokua Learning Farm, Hawaii Banana Source, Kualoa Grown, Kakoo Oiwi, Waipa and Hawaii Ulu Coop.

“We’re creating a community-supported view, vision and future for Hawaii‘s food systems,” said Matthew Kekoa Lau, project lead and an assistant professor at UH West Oahu.

Once operational, the coalition will develop what it describes as an “educational auwai,” or collaborative pathway, that nurtures and supports students across their academic and leadership pursuits.

“By building an educational auwai, the program will ensure that the pathways to higher education, leadership and sustainable food system innovation are open and accessible to Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Alaskan Native students,” a release on the program stated.

The HIA Project will be supported by the recently launched Ke O Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems,  a research, education, planning and policy hub focused on improving the local food system in Hawaii.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.