The Kohala Center created the Beginning Farmer-Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) in 2012 with funding from the United States Department of Agriculture and the County of Hawai‘i Department of Research & Development. Through partnerships with several local government agencies and academic institutions, the program has recruited, trained, and supported more than 150 new farmers in the Hāmākua region of Hawai‘i Island to date.
