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~ . <br /> TROP-AG HAW4II <br /> Dr. Ben R, Paulita Mahilum <br /> Kalopa & Kapulena, HI <br /> ~ acres (FS j <br /> ?4 acres Ag Coop lease <br /> Elev: 1,500' & 200'to 80' <br /> Crops: mac nut & coffee with <br /> some tropical friut trees in Kalopa. They started this farm in 1986. Both Ben and <br /> Paulita work for the Liniversity of Hawaii. Ben is a member of the Ag Coop. In 1995 <br /> he started his Ag Coop lease. Crops include papaya (photo), coffee, soybeans, snap <br /> beans, cocoa ginger, eggplant, bitter melon, squash, taro, pineapple, all vanities of fruit <br /> trees: mangos, avocados, langsat, caimito, lychee, mangostein, rambotom, ecerola, <br /> Chinese manderan, orange, starfruit, jack friut, bread fruit, & sour sap. Ben says its <br /> good to intercrop with beans or soybeans. Ben shakes his head when asked about the <br /> Hamakua ditch, "Without water we are a goner!" Ben has worked hard to make the <br /> RETA-H grant available for coffee. He is setting up a coffee pulper and roaster with <br /> the RETA monies so that everyone can COOP with their coffee produce. "We want to <br /> create a label for all our coffee out here, Hamakua Coffee. It is better than Kona cof- <br /> fee." Ben is also working on a solar dryer for fruit products that will be dov<m on the <br /> .Ag Coop Kapulena lower acres. Paulita and Ben work hard and love farming. They <br /> want to help the farmers and the Hamakua Coast be the diversified ag area that it is <br /> <br /> meant to be. Ben sees using mac nut husks and coffe pulp in the future for our source <br /> of mulch. They believe that we can create our future to be sustainable and productive. <br /> <br />