Trust for Public Land Hosts A Day on the Land at MAO Organic Farms

Trust for Public Land Hosts A Day on the Land at MAO Organic Farms

130 volunteers from 11 local companies gather to steward the land, supporting youth leadership and food security on the Waianae Coast

(Issued by Trust for Public Land)

Release Date: 4/12/2025

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WAIANAE, OAHU - Today, Trust for Public Land (TPL) brought together over 130 community volunteers for its annual A Day on the Land at MAO Organic Farms. The event invited participants from across 11 local companies to work the land and learn about the community-led food movement to care for the aina and improve Hawaii's self-sufficiency.

"Trust for Public Land is humbled to have played a small, but catalytic part in MAO Organic Farm's expansion over nearly 20 years. MAO shows how aina builds community and is a source of purpose, pride and identity," said Trust for Public Land's Associate VP and Hawaii State Director Lea Hong. "We're grateful to partner with MAO and the Waianae community to strengthen our local food systems and reinforce the ties between land and wellbeing across Hawaii."

Trust for Public Land gathered over 130 volunteers from 11 local companies for its annual A Day on the Land at MAO Organic Farms to malama aina and strengthen local food systems.

Over 100 volunteers spent the morning working alongside MAO staff and interns to weed, plant, and harvest fruits and vegetables. The day began with a talk story session highlighting TPL and MAO's work to uplift the next generation of leaders, followed by hands-on stewardship projects and a celebratory picnic lunch.

Participating companies included Booz Allen Hamilton, Central Pacific Bank Foundation, G70, Hawaii Gas, Hawaiian Electric, Howard Hughes, James Campbell Company LLC, Oceanit, PAR Hawaii, Title Guaranty Hawaii, and the U.S. Navy.

Since 2009, Trust for Public Land has played a key role in helping MAO Organic Farm acquire 275 acres of farmland through a series of transactions that have expanded the farm's reach and impact. The partnership began with the acquisition of 11 acres, followed by 7.5 acres in 2010. In 2019, TPL facilitated the purchase of another 21 acres and helped connect MAO to $1 million in federal funding from the U.S. Navy, contributing to the acquisition of an additional 236 acres. Together, these efforts have secured vital agricultural lands on the Waianae Coast to support long-term sustainability.

"The Navy is always looking for opportunities to engage the local communities in mutually beneficial projects. The Navy's collaboration with MAO Organic Farms is one of those partnerships that benefits the community, enhances resiliency, and provides opportunities for the youth to learn and develop to be the leaders of the future of this incredible place of Hawaii," added CAPT Samuel White, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman Commanding Officer.

The event offered volunteers a chance to connect with the land and contribute to a more self-sufficient Hawaii.

Today, MAO Organic Farms-short for mala ai opio, or "the youth food garden"-is Hawaii's largest organic farm and a place where food sovereignty, youth leadership, and community resilience grow together. A nonprofit project of the Waianae Community Re-Development Corporation (WCRC), MAO has grown from a humble 5-acre lease in Lualualei Valley into one of the state's most productive organic farms, now stewarding over 532 acres across Lualualei and Makaha. Rooted in traditional Hawaiian values, MAO connects youth to their heritage while cultivating a future of maona (plenty) through college-career pathways, community-based entrepreneurship, organic farming, and the daily practice of aloha aina-a deep responsibility to care for the land that sustains us.

"At MAO, restoring aina and growing future leaders isnt a moment-it's our everyday practice," said Tina Tagad, Maona Director of Development & Impact, WCRC & MAO Organic Farms. "Through partnerships and events like A Day on the Land, it's an invitation, a call to action-to connect, learn, and contribute to the collective effort of building a more just and self-sufficient Hawaii."

Through strong collaborations with Waianae High School, Leeward Community College, the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Trust for Public Land, and many others, MAO continues to grow-cultivating both land and young leaders to nourish Hawaii's future.

About Trust for Public Land
Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,504 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $110 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.7 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.