Jack Johnson’s foundation transformed neglected Hawaii farmland into a thriving farm for students

Photo credit: Kōkua Learning Farm In 2019, musician Jack Johnson’s Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation acquired neglected farmland on Oʻahu with a plan to turn it into a place for education, food production and community involvement. Six years later, the Kōkua Learning Farm had reported harvesting more than 40,000 pounds of produce and welcoming over 2,200 students on educational field trips. The figures were included in a document submitted to the City and County of Honolulu, while the foundation’s Kōkua Learning Farm website describes the site’s wider work in farming, composting, agroforestry and food education. What began as a neglected agricultural property has gradually become a working classroom where children, teachers, volunteers and young farmers can learn how food is grown.From neglected land to a working farmThe Kōkua Learning Farm was created on land that had not been fully used for many years. Rather than treating the property simply as a place to grow crops, the foundation imagined a broader community resource that could connect people with Hawaiʻi’s food systems.The farm’s work reflects the Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation’s focus on environmental education and sustainable living. Its ...