Kīhāpai ʻo Moanui
BY KA IPU MAKANI CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER
Cultivating resilient food systems on Molokaʻi’s East End.
Kīhāpai ʻo Moanui is located in the Moanui Ahupuaʻa on the east side of Molokaʻi. The farm cultivates canoe crops, fruit trees, and culturally significant plants using regenerative agriculture and agroforestry systems that strengthen soil health, support biodiversity, and increase local food production.
Molokaʻi has long been recognized as ʻāina momona, a place where the abundance of the land and sea sustains its people. Moanui Farm contributes to maintaining that legacy by cultivating food that nourishes community while caring for the health and productivity of the land.
We honor the kamaʻāina of Moanui and mahalo our partners, Puʻu o Hōkū Ranch, for allowing us the privledge to care for and learn from this abundant place! Ola Moanui!
Why Food Systems Matter on Molokaʻi
Like many island communities, Molokaʻi depends heavily on imported food. Strengthening local agriculture is essential to building a more resilient and self sustaining future for the island.
Traditional Hawaiian farming systems once produced abundant and diverse food across Molokaʻi’s landscapes. Crops such as kalo, ʻulu, ʻuala, and kō sustained communities while maintaining the balance between land, water, and people.
Kīhāpai ʻo Moanui contributes to rebuilding these systems by cultivating staple crops and diversified plantings through regenerative farming practices. By increasing local food production and reconnecting people with the practice of mahi ʻāina, the farm strengthens Molokaʻi’s capacity to feed itself while perpetuating cultural knowledge tied to traditional crops.
About the Farm
Kīhāpai ʻo Moanui sits within the historic Moanui landscape, an area long associated with agricultural production . The region was once home to the Moanui Sugar Mill and Plantation, established in 1875 as one of several small sugar operations on Molokaʻi during the late nineteenth century.
Today the site has been reactivated for diversified agriculture focused on food production, agroforestry plantings, and soil regeneration. Through careful land management and crop diversity, the farm supports both ecological health and long term agricultural productivity.
Services
Farm Products + Availability
We grow diverse crops for local consumption and community distribution, with seasonal production that is expanding. Products are available through community distribution, for sale on Sustainable Molokai's Mobile Market, local markets, and direct purchases based on harvest availability.
Community Engagement
We reconnect community with agriculture and land stewardship, inviting members and students to engage with the land and strengthen ties to ʻāina and local food systems.
Training + Workforce Development
We serve as a training site for agricultural skills, offering hands-on experience in regenerative farming, agroforestry, and food production. This supports agricultural growth on Molokaʻi and fosters future farmers and land stewards while connecting community members and students to the land and local food systems.
Farm Nursery + Plant Propagation
Kīhāpai ʻo Moanui operates a propagation nursery that supports both on site production and community access to planting materials.
The nursery cultivates fruit trees, canoe crops, and other food producing plants suited to Molokaʻi’s climate and soils. By growing plants locally, the nursery supports the expansion of home gardens, agroforestry systems, and small scale farming across the island.
Locally propagated planting stock also helps protect Molokaʻi’s agricultural health by reducing the need to import plants or soil from outside the island.
