ʻĀina-based Culturally-driven
COMMUNITY programming
At Kumano I Ke Ala (KIKA), we are committed to fostering a sustainable future for West Kauaʻi through programs that honor Native Hawaiian traditions while addressing the modern challenges of food security, environmental stewardship, and workforce development. Our work is rooted in ʻāina-based education, community engagement, and the revitalization of indigenous practices to empower the next generation and ensure the resilience of our lands and people.
Food Security & Food Sovereignty:
Through our stewardship and community engagement programs, we work to protect and revitalize Native Hawaiian food practices while ensuring access to staple foods like kalo for future generations.
Workforce Training:
We provide paid internships and workforce training for high school youth and community members pivoting away from extractive industries toward nature-based green jobs that support the community.
Cultural Education on K-12 campuses: KIKA held several in-school cultural events centered around the seasonal Makahiki celebration, engaging over 3,000 K-12 students and faculty through cultural education rooted in Hawaiian values, a successful and impactful program that through the request of partnering schools will continue annually moving forward.
ʻĀina-based Youth Education:
In the past decade KIKA has engaged thousands of local K-12 youth each year in ʻāina-based hands-on learning experiences on the farm. In the past year we hosted over 1,600 K-12 students and faculty in nearly 30 huakaʻi (field trip visits) to our educational farms in Waimea in 2024.
Community Engagement:
KIKA fosters deep community connections through environmental stewardship, inviting residents, visitors, and partners to actively participate in ʻāina restoration efforts. Through regular workdays, workshops, and educational programs, we bring people together to learn sustainable practices, contribute to land revitalization, and build a collective sense of kuleana (responsibility) for protecting Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources.
Environmental Stewardship:
Since 2015, Kumano I Ke Ala O Makaweli (KIKA) has come to steward over 50 acres of indigenous agricultural land in West Kauaʻi, revitalizing traditional Hawaiian practices like Mahiʻai Kalo (Kalo Farming) to promote food sovereignty and sustainability. Through hands-on stewardship, KIKA engages thousands of residents, especially youth, fostering a deep connection to the ʻāina while creating green jobs, preserving culture, educating future generations, and improving access to kalo and other native Hawaiian food staples, central to which is kalo.
