State and county officials broke ground Friday on the first phase of a subsistence agricultural development in Honomu.
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries will be able to move onto 16 one-acre lots near Akaka Falls when they are completed in about a year. Those lots comprise the first phase of a planned 375-lot Honomu Subsistence Agriculture Homestead Community.
Following a ceremony in the heavy rain, DHHL Director William Aila said the Honomu location was specifically chosen because of its frequent rainfall and rich soil quality.
Once completed, the 16 lots will have overhead electricity and rural roads, Aila said, which was made possible through a memorandum of agreement between DHHL and the county.
Aila said subsistence agriculture lots are more flexible than DHHL’s regular agricultural lots, because they do not require that lessees cultivate or develop at least two-thirds of their lot at all times. At the Honomu development, residents will be able to grow food crops on their lots and, if they have surplus, sell them at markets, although they must meet food quality standards in order to do so.
Any future phases depend on additional funding, Aila said. The first phase cost about $2 million in state funds.
However, at Friday’s ceremony, state Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D-North Hawaii) announced that $2 million for the next phase of the project has been secured in the state Senate’s draft budget.
Aila said the second phase is expected to bring the number of lots up to 45.
“From a cultural standpoint, these projects let us fulfill Prince Kuhio’s promise,” Aila said. “It’s not just about building homes, it’s about connecting Hawaiians to the ‘aina and taking care of the ‘aina and passing it on to our children and our children’s children.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.