Taro Farmers

Kalo was the basic and the original staple of life for Hawaiian people. The first name of the taro is Haloa Naka, which means long stock trembling (leaf) and is considered to be a sacred ancestor and brother that is feeding and taking care of humans.

Taro is the name of the plant. The root, corm, is called Kalo in Hawaiian, the leafs Lau and the scions Huli. Especially the root was the main source for minerals and vitamins: it was a modern super-food in the old days. It takes one year to grow Kalo before it can be harvest. The Kalo will be eaten, the Hulí’s are planted. Some species grows in water, other on the land. Since the arrival of the Americans on the islands, this specific Hawaiian farming has not been supported.

Nowadays there are a few Kalo farmers that want to expand their Kalo-patches (lo’i s) in order to produce such an amount that the Hawaiian Islands are self-sustainable.

The Share Aloha Foundation supports these farmers.