LIHUE — For at least three decades, North Shore farmers and community members like Gary Pacheco, Rodney Yadao and David Sproat have all had a simple vision: A place in Kilauea that farmers can call their own and grow food locally.
For most of those years, the trio and other community members pushed forward to make it a reality as homes gradually sprouted up in agricultural areas around town once dominated by plantation fields.
“A lot of things start with a dream and a promise and that’s how this got started,” Sproat said about a vacant 75-acre parcel of land that was given by the developer of a nearby subdivision to the county and set aside for an agriculture park in Kilauea.
That vision may be able to move forward after the Kauai County Council unanimously approved an agreement on Thursday to transfer stewardship responsibilities for the agriculture park land over to a seven-member committee and Kilauea-based nonprofit Malama Kauai.
“I think this is just a wonderful thing that has been happening right now and I think it probably should have happened 25 years ago,” councilman Gary Hooser said before casting his vote.
Under the approved 10-year stewardship agreement, Malama Kauai and the Kilauea Agricultural Committee are charged with maintaining the proposed park and must perform and complete a master plan.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura voiced support for the agricultural park but was concerned the group did not have specific plans for the future, such as finding an adequate water source and installing the proper infrastructure.
“This whole history has been built on possibilities,” Yukimura said. “The reason why we’re still here today looking for an ag park is because there were possibilities but there were no concrete plans.”
Adam Asquith, who has been farming on Kauai for the past 15 years, disagreed and said it is more important to make the land accessible to the community groups first so that work can begin.
“It is the limitless analysis, details and planning that will kill a project like this,” Asquith said. “Farming is difficult enough, if you will allow us to get on this land. No extent of further planning and details will improve the success of whoever is on the land.”
