Hawai‘i to receive $40M to support local coffee, cacao farms, boost production

US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience will receive a $40 million grant from the US State Department’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab program.

The five-year grant will support the research and development of new technologies that will help small coffee and cacao producers in Hawai‘i boost local production and will secure supply chains for US markets by partnering with small farms in six developing countries.

“This is great news for our small local coffee and cacao farms and showcases Hawai‘i’s global leadership in agricultural research. This new federal funding will give local farmers more tools to fights threats like drought and invasive pests and help boost production of Hawai‘i’s world-class coffee and chocolate,” said Senator Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, Schatz led efforts to restart and fund the State Department’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab grant program.