Seeds of Perseverance | Page 103 | Go Hawaii

Seeds of Perseverance

下に
スクロール

Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama

Fifth Generation Taro Farmer

The soothing babble of water trickling into a kalo loʻi (taro patch) is broken by the honk of a nēnē goose somewhere in the distance. The cooling, early-morning mist has retreated to the Hanalei Mountains. Midday approaches and its rising heat slows everything down. Except the sweat dripping down Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama’s brow. She’s been working non-stop since before sun-up on her 55-acre family farm.

The black mud is midway up Lyndsey’s knee-high boots as she rocks heel to toe to loosen the suction so she can step forward in the loʻi between green, heart-shaped kalo leaves. She’s harvesting mature kalo ahead of today’s tour - a busload of local school children learning about the importance of agriculture with a hands-on experience in the fields. She calls her dad, Rodney, to help her finish up, because she’s got to deliver a load of taro burgers, taro hummus and kūlolo (a coconut-taro dessert) to her lunchwagon just down the road in Hanalei Town.

There’s rarely a break and never a day off in the life of a taro farmer, especially one as entrepreneurially driven as Lyndsey. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. For her, each day is an opportunity to contribute to the legacy handed down to her from her great-great-grandparents, who worked these very same fields.

Where do you get the work ethic to farm every single day?

For our ʻohana, our family, it's something that we grew up doing. It's just ingrained in our nature. My grandfather is 96, and he still comes and works on the farm every day. Just to see him working in the fields across from me, you know, gives me a sense of encouragement. Like, "Hey, there's Grandpa. Oh, he's going! I better get going." You know?

So it's that sense of encouragement, inspiration, and definitely camaraderie and that family work ethic, working together on the farm. I think when you work every day doing something you love, trying to persevere and preserve something for generations to come, it might not feel like a lot of work.


And taro isn’t an easy plant to grow, is it?

It’s very much a labor-intensive crop. There is no machine invented to plant, harvest, and weed taro in a loʻi wetland taro patch. We do it all by hand. You're bending over for hours at a time. I always joke that the chiropractors here on Kauaʻi know our family quite well.
Woman throwing tarotaro

You also offer a museum, a food truck and ecotours for visitors. Why do you do all that?

My mother is a teacher and she realized that there is nowhere else in the entire state of Hawaiʻi where children can come and learn about the agricultural history, about what generations have sacrificed, and how hard they worked. She started the museum 36 years ago to instill that type of agriculture and environmental awareness education in children, where they can see it and experience it firsthand.

It’s called the Ho‘opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill agrarian museum. Ho‘opulapula is its mission. In Hawaiian that means, "to plant the seedlings of." Whether it’s to plant the seedlings of rice or the seedlings of taro, and especially seeds of education and knowledge for future generations.

"To me it's important that people understand how hard farmers work and what they go through, and respect the farm areas and the endangered bird nesting areas, especially, by not trespassing."

What do visitors learn from Hanalei Taro and Juice Company?

To me, it's important that people understand how hard farmers work and what they go through, and respect the farm areas and the endangered bird nesting areas, especially, by not trespassing.

The farm is also a U.S. Fish and Wildlife refuge. It's home to about five endangered native Hawaiian water bird species, and they nest here throughout the years. Our priority is to be able to not only provide food for the community, but also keep endangered birds safe as well. That's why it's important for people when they visit to learn that they have to be careful where they walk. They can come on a farm ecotour, but they can't trespass on our land because when they do, it'll put endangered bird nesting areas at risk. Not to mention the health of our crops.

I also try to convey to tourists, I kinda educate them, because a lot of people have a negative connotation of poi if they didn’t grow up eating it. There are so many other forms of taro. We enjoy sharing family dishes that we've been making for generations, like taro hummus, taro smoothies, taro burgers. Try the kūlolo! Give it to them in a healthy way and they're like, “Oh taro is actually very nutritious!” They walk away with an appreciation of taro, culture here in Hawaiʻi, and especially how hard farmers work to get it to their table. When they grasp that concept, I know I got through to them.

More Stories

Kauaʻi

Brandon Baptiste

A chef gives up culinary fame to come home, and reinvents a humble plantation-era dessert with world-class technique and local ingredients.

More

Maui

Isaac Bancaco

A spearfisherman and chef exemplifies taking only what you need, defending the ocean’s bounty and representing local farmers and fishermen in his cuisine.

More

Maui

Dustin Tester

A trailblazing big-wave surfer empowers women to overcome the gnarliest challenges through surf therapy, just like she did.

More

Molokaʻi

Greg Solatorio

A cultural practitioner sacrifices everything to carry on his ancestors’ way of life, even as the modern world encroaches.

More

Lāna‘i

Anela Evans

A cultural practitioner bridges both worlds so that luxury and ease can coexist with the grit and authenticity that shaped her native land.

More

Island of Hawaiʻi

Cliff Kapono

A young Hawaiian leaves home to further his education and returns with the ability to use chemistry as a platform to share ancestral wisdom with the modern world.

More

Oʻahu

Kyle Reutner

An ex-bartender works with Hawaiian researchers and local farmers to return glory to noble cane with craft and mixology, redefining the Mai Tai as a worthy cocktail.

More

Oʻahu

Keone Nunes

A Native Hawaiian tattooist bestows ancient, hand-tapped kākau upon worthy recipients willing to endure a rite of passage.

More

Browse Hawaiʻi Adventures

Please note: We apologize for any inconvenience, but our preferred business listings below are in English only.
Filter Results
showing 1225 - 1227 of 1227