WAILUA — The many facets of agriculture require a variety of ways of marketing to let people know of its complexities and scope. The Kauai Farm Bureau and the University of Hawaii College of Human Resources and Tropical Agriculture hosted
WAILUA — The many facets of agriculture require a variety of ways of marketing to let people know of its complexities and scope.
The Kauai Farm Bureau and the University of Hawaii College of Human Resources and Tropical Agriculture hosted several hundred elementary school students, primarily fourth and fifth graders, to the Ag Awareness Day at the Wailua Research Station, with help from the Kapaa High School JROTC unit who provided help in escorting the groups of students through the myriad of stations as well as setting up and breaking down the tent city.
Armed with questionnaires which required answers obtained at stops at different stations, the students became immersed in agriculture through hands-on activities such as making poi at the taro farming station, or rooting herb cuttings at the Master Gardener station.
Ryan Oyama took the helm of the annual program where students could gain a better understanding of agriculture and what is involved in producing some of the food they like to eat.
“Someone had an accident and dropped the egg,” Mary Pigao of the Department of Agriculture said. “Yes, the chicken will lay another one, but I keep telling the students to keep quiet and not get the bird excited.”
Other students were more engrossed in getting rid of the contents of bags of popcorn being produced by the Syngenta Seeds crew.
Ed Kawamura of M. Kawamura Farm Enterprises said people are able to get more of the hands-on interaction with agriculture on Friday and Saturday when the family-run operation hosts its annual expo featuring representatives from the many lines offered by the garden and farming outlet offering a variety of information and samples.
