In a recent interview, Lehia Apana, multi-year Future Organic Farmer grant recipient and co-founder of Polipoli Farms on Maui, Hawaii, recalled her struggle identifying as an organic farmer. Despite using agroforestry and applying organic methods on the farm for many years, Apana speaks of having imposter syndrome and wondering when she and co-founder Brad Bayless could call themselves farmers. Their journey is not unlike that of other young farmers across the United States or even of young professionals in the first five years of their careers. The learning curve is steep, especially in organic, and with new seasons and climate change bringing a different set of challenges with every planting and harvesting cycle, farmers are in a constant state of learning.
For this reason, among many others, the CCOF Foundation and Inspira Studios recently co-produced a video highlighting Apanau2019s story. Watch the video and join Lehia Apana and the CCOF Foundation for a special Earth Day virtual event.