I, You, We
Are ʻĀina.
Our mission
To build and perpetuate a foundation of Aloha ‘Āina through culturally-based Native Hawaiian education programming to grow self-aware, self-determined and self-directed critical thinkers for a sustainable Hawaiʻi.
Our vision
Kumano I Ke Ala exists to elevate indigenous knowledge to revitalize traditional food systems to save the world.
Kumano I Ke Ala (KIKA) is a 501c3 non-profit and social enterprise empowering West Kauaʻi through native land rehabilitation, food system revitalization, workforce training and youth development. Our work is centered around purveying Hawaiian culture, designing restored agricultural spaces, engaging the next generation of cultural practitioners and increasing commercial production of kalo locally to secure long term community access to affordable native Hawaiian staple foods.
Program Impact Stats
LBS. of kalo & lau harvested and sold in support of the local food system in 2023
Total Volunteer Hours in 2023 including sites visits and community workdays
Kauaʻi K-12 Youth Impacted with culture-based learning in 2023
Support Kumano I Ke Ala
Make a donation today and support Kumano I Ke Ala’s breadth of community work including at-promise youth education, workforce training, food sovereignty, cultural restoration and food systems change. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization and all donations made are tax deductible. Mahalo nui loa for your kokua!
About Kūmano I Ke Ala
Cultural Restoration
Since its inception, KIKA has worked closely with other non-profits and cultural practitioners to restore native resources and cultural sites.
Workforce Training
Through partnerships with the County of Kaua‘i and community non-profit Mālama Kaua’i, KIKA launched its workforce training program in 2020, providing skills to assist displaced workers pivot to local food sector jobs in the wake of the pandemic.
Food Systems Transformation
We are a part of a multi-sector movement fostering food systems transformation towards locally grown, Hawaiian food. The shift not only supports the local economy. it preserves cultural traditions and also helps reduce the environmental impact of importing food from outside of Hawaii.
At-Promise Youth
Education
Kumano I Ke Ala is giving West Kauai youth and community additional options in agriculture and farming as it pertains to techniques, practices, self-sufficiency and employment.
We Have the Power to Positively Impact Food Security on Kaua’i.
And, We Are Doing It.
“Ō ka hā o ka ‘āina ke ola o ka po’e.”
The breath of the land is the life of its people.
Since its inception, KIKA has provided cultural land-based education to at-risk youth in the form of on-going intersession, after-school and summer programs in collaboration with local public schools including Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha. Currently in partnership with Waimea High School to bring classroom to culture. KIKA hosts students on its working farm during in-school learning, teaching Hawaiian language classes led by Kaina Makua. KIKAʻs after-school ‘āina education programs teach indigenous methods of kalo farming, building soil life to enhance healthy crop production through organic microbial development, as well as teaching Hawaiian language, history and cultural practices.
KIKA News & Media
KIKA Newsletters
Mahalo for taking the time to check out our newsletters to get a closer look at KIKA's work! Our...
Kumano I Ke Ala recently featured on KHON2 TV program Taste Our Love for Hawaiʻi: Kalo Journey.
Kumano I Ke Ala was featured recently on episode 4 of 'Taste Our Love for Hawai'i: Kalo Journey' ,...
KIKA supports BIPOC-led food and land justice and sovereignty efforts.
New Communities, Jubilee Justice, and Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP) recently announced that Kumano I Ke Ala in Waimea, Kauaʻi is one of 32 grantees nationwide to receive funding through the Food & Land Justice Fund, a new $1 million partnership and funding initiative to support Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC)-led organizations leading food and land justice and sovereignty efforts across the country.
Want to learn how to make your own organic fertilizer?
- Korean Natural Farming is a research-backed cost-effective alternative to expensive foreign fertilizers and toxic pesticides.
- We have been using KNF to produce healthy soil, crops and livestock on our farms for the past few years and the results have been amazing and in line with the research.
- Learn more about Korean Natural Farming inputs and how to make organic fertilizers of your own.
Sign up for our free KNF Fertilizers tutorials!
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