Having worked in Ag Support for many years now, Pinsky have collective knowledge of the County, State and Federal system for agriculture. Pinsky has been able to save new farmers and even established farmers hours of arduous time navigating the complexities of: Obtaining building permits for farm infrastructure Purchasing or leasing farm land utilizing the USDA Farm Service Agency loan programs Permitting systems for water access, plumbing and electrical codes and inspections

During 2022, MFN’s first year of grant funded programming, 27 farmers applied to be coached via Zoom for an average of 16 hours each, as goals were set, modified, and accomplished: A bee farmer found and purchased her own farm in Haiku and built a web presence A permaculture consultant to many other farms on Maui, decided to purchase his own farm with coaching help. An avocado farmer in Huelo looks to expand his orchards, feed Maui, and create an export facility for Sharwil A

As MFN surveyed Maui island farmer training program graduates in 2021, 2022 and early 2023, they found that 92.3% of the 40 farmers polled were socially disadvantaged and 77% were women! In each of its’ yearly surveys, the farmers polled expressed a need for: Access to tools and equipment used infrequently, but necessary such as a chipper to create wood chips made from pruning trees on their own farms Help with access to land as leases in 40% of cases had become untenable Nav

MFN was founded in 2021 to support small and beginning farmers in Maui County. Initial programming focused on farmer networking and education through one-on-one online coaching and webinars. In 2022, MFN was funded by a grant from the County of Maui, Office of Economic Development. In 2023, with ongoing support from the County, a grant from Atherton Family Foundation supported the initial steps to create a Tool Library for Small and Beginning Regenerative Farmers on Maui. As