Every day, hundreds of people drive to the very end of the road out of Honokaʻa on the northeast corner of Hawaii island to peer into Waipio valley from the lookout. They see that many signs warn to do the right thing, or “be pono,” and show respect by heeding the “Road Closed, Local Traffic Only” signs and keeping their vehicles out of the valley. So most wonder what happens in Waipio valley. One sign shares that Waipio valley has a thousand-year taro (kalo in Hawaiian) farming tradition. Kalo is used to produce one of the more popular indigenous foods on the islands, poi. Kalo was once a staple of the Hawaiian diet and poi is still quite popular on the islands. You can find fresh poi from Waipio valley in the local grocery stores and even at Costco. But how is poi made and who in Waipio valley is still making it? In this episode we speak with Kahealani from Mokuwai Piko Poi, Inc. whose family has been making and selling Waipio poi since the 1970s.

Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resilience (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

Resources:

• Mokuwai Piko Poi on Instagram
• 2023 Hawaii Public Radio podcast about Waipio valley
• Glossary of Taro (kalo) words and translation
• UH GoFarm’s many programs for growing farmers

Find out more about us:

• Seeds Of Wellbeing website
• Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub
• All the SOW links