COM 0844.000 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I. BUSINESS PLAN After four years of closure, the Friends of Amy B. H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden (the Friends) are eager to move forward with the educational, ethnobotanical, historical and cultural programs that made the Garden one of the most popular visitor destinations in South Kona. The overall goal of our Business Plan and Proposal is to reinvigorate the Garden. To do that, the Garden requires undertaking major restoration, repairs, and maintenance. The Garden is a true ethnobotanical garden that contains a curated collection of native, rare, endangered, and Polynesian-introduced plants. Along with the plant collection, the Garden is well-known for its community-based activities that are held on site, such as hula dancing demonstrations and classes, weaving, poi pounding, carving, etc. The physical, biological, and human resources associated with the Garden will allow for rural development through direct support of farmers and other rural businesses, through the training and education of youth and adults, and through direct workforce development programs conducted through partnerships. The Farmer's Market is still being held every Sunday, allowing vendors from around the island to display and sell their edibles and crafts, for musicians to entertain the public, and for various service organizations to be available to the public, such as low-cost veterinarians. As soon as the Covid-19 pandemic allows us to meet together again, the Friends plan to re-engage the community with economic opportunities and private events; we will directly distribute agricultural materials in the form of plants and crop varieties to farmers, resorts, other nurseries, and will be open for special events. Although in-person school is not being held this fall, the Friends eventually hope to engage Hawai'i Island's young people in education, training, and workforce development including partnerships with organizations such as Alu Like; Hawaii Youth Conservation Corps; Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science; the Forest TEAM; and Juvenile Detention Facilities to train and promote higher level employment opportunities for rural youth. The Hua O Ke Ao youth gardening program provides `aina-based education to K-12. The University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai'i Sea Grant) has been a partner in the Hua O Ke Ao program for the past five years, providing science-based curriculum and educational resources to students and their families. In the past, Hawai'i Sea Grant partnered with the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden to participate in the Hawaii Island School Garden Network (HISGN). The Friends also plan to engage more adults in continuing education and workforce training, primarily focused on agricultural workforce skill sets (i.e. grafting, taro farming, etc.). 7