State to receive $525K from USDA to support specialty crop programs
Hawai‘i has been awarded $524,773 by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Through this grant program, the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture will fund nine projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers.
Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). Much of Hawai‘i’s diversified agriculture falls under this specialty crop designation. Eligible crops must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food, medicinal purposes and/or aesthetic gratification.
“Hawai‘i agriculture is uniquely different from the mainland in that specialty crops comprise the majority of our agricultural industry,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawai‘i Board of Agriculture. “This block grant program is an important source of funding in support of both food and horticultural production in the state.”
The projects that will be funded this year include: research on disease resistant varieties of coffee plants, improving ʻawa and corn production, education and outreach activities for macadamia nuts and horticultural crops, as well as expanding markets for various specialty crops.
“We are happy to once again be partnered with Hawai‘i on the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The innovative projects funded through this program will strengthen US specialty crop production and markets and ensure Americans have sustained access to fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables and other specialty crops, and support the region’s specialty crop growers to help ensure their long-term success.”
The funding for Hawai‘i is part of a total of $72.9 million in non-competitive Fiscal Year 2024 funding awarded to 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia through the 2018 Farm Bill.
Projects Awarded for FY2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Project are posted below.
Awardees funded
| Project # | Awardees | Funded Amount |
| 1 | “Improving Propagation of Coffee Leaf Rust Resistant Varieties in Hawai‘i” Hawai‘i Agriculture Research Center – Coffee | $67,658 |
| 2 | “Seeding the Future: A Complete Course for Hawai‘i’s Specialty Crop Growers” Hawai‘i Seed Growers Network | $50,306.76 |
| 3 | “2025 HFNA Accessibility, Education and Promotion Program” HFNA | $41,318 |
| 4 | “Educating Coffee Farmers on Best Practices for Farm Management” Kona Coffee Farmers Association | $23,500 |
| 5 | “Improving Sustainable ʻAwa Production in Hawai‘i through Tissue Culture Propagation and Education” Mālama Sanctuary | $69,915.77 |
| 6 | “Expanding Markets for Hawai‘i’s Specialty Coffee Growers” SHAC Foundation – Coffee | $62,245 |
| 7 | “Educational Outreach for Small hold Growers on Macadamia Orchard Health” SHAC Foundation – Mac Nuts | $52,804 |
| 8 | “Improving Sweet Corn and Other Specialty Crops Production Through Variety Trials and Sustainable Practices” University of Hawai‘i – Amjad Ahmad | $60,466 |
| 9 | Expanding Markets of Specialty Crops for Import Substitution in Hawai‘i University of Hawai‘i – Keith Kardish | $36,000 |
| TOTAL | $464,213.53* |
Sponsored Content
