Basil leaves

Large Scale Production

Large Scale Production

Kuilima Farm is a large farm-to-resort operation in Hawai‘i that maintains USDA Food Safety certification with Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The farm is home to 11 tenant farmers and provides fresh produce to Turtle Bay Resort, local restaurants and grocery stores, and the North Shore community. The farm’s solar-powered hydroponics operation produces 300 lbs of pesticide-free lettuce every week. A 25-acre model farm is home to a variety of native plants and seasonal crops that exemplify Kuilima Farms’ commitment to climate-smart and regenerative farming.

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Farmer Profiles

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Pang SaysiriPono is getting us business plans, helping us understand local market changes, and even working to get local hotels to sell our produce.

Pang Saysiri

Meet Pang Saysiri, 54. He farms 14 acres of land at Kuilima Farm. Pang and his family have farmed the land at Kuilima since 1996. They grow tomato, eggplant, and some root crops, as well as some herbs that they export to the mainland. He was a major participant in the COVID-19 Farmer Produce Purchase Assistance Program, giving 4,180 pounds of grape tomatoes to the cause. The Program was launched in early April by Turtle Bay Resort and Pono Pacifi to support the farmers of Kuilima Farm and provide fresh produce to the North Shore community during the coronavirus pandemic. In total, the effort donated 11,485 lbs of produce to the community.

As Kuilima Farm evolves best practices to ultimately increase Hawaii’s food security, there have been many changes to make the land more productive and resilient. Pang says that while some farmers don’t like change, Pono Pacific is doing a good job improving irrigation, constructing new roads, and helping the farmers become more business-minded. “Pono is getting us business plans, helping us understand local market changes, and even working to get local hotels to sell our produce,” he says. He is also excited to sell more of his crops at the new Kuilima Farm roadside farm stand opening up later this summer. Stop by and say “hi” if you see Pang!