Farmers embrace agritourism

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Big Island farmer Bob Raley is eager to talk to anyone willing to listen about his coffee and tropical flower business.

Walter Liew of Dragon Garden and Hawaii Bonsai Culture Center prunes a 28-year-old jade ficus that he brought from Taiwan, where he grew up. More than half of his income comes from visitor activities and classes that he holds on his farm in Waimanalo. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Raley, owner of Volcano Isle Coffee and Tropicals, is among the increasing number of farmers who are enhancing their business and showcasing their products with agritourism-related activities. Raley's tours are free, but visitors make up about 40 percent of his coffee product sales.

"I really enjoy people," Raley said. "Sure, my time is valuable, but so is developing a good customer. They end up buying something when they leave and a lot of them buy later on."

More Hawai'i farmers and ranchers are catching on to the trend. Farmers are not only welcoming visitors but are partnering with tour groups and the culinary community. Ranchers also offer visitors outdoor activities and tours on their property.

It's a small but growing niche market that gives tourists different experiences while increasing awareness about the state's agriculture industry and lifestyle.

Only about 3 percent of Hawai'i's 5,500 farms engaged in agritourism last year, but a recent survey shows it is expected to continue increasing. Agritourism-related income totaled $33.9 million last year, up 30 percent from the $26 million generated in 2000, according to a report released last month by the Hawai'i Agricultural Statistics Service.

Agritourism activities include selling products directly from the farm, operating a bed and breakfast, educational farm tours, horseback riding, festivals and concerts, according to the Agricultural Statistics Service.

Last year 187 farms in Hawai'i had agritourism activity, compared with 126 farms in 2000, the survey said. An additional 145 farms either started agritourism activities this year, or plan to in the future.

The Big Island Farm Bureau, working with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is working to expand agritourism on the island with a new project called Hawaii AgVentures, which will market and package tours on participating island farms.

"Basically what we are trying to do is to get tourists who come to Hawai'i and then introduce them to the local farms and the farm products," said Howard Yamasaki, a director on the bureau's board and president of the Kona County Farm Bureau.

The bureau plans for Hawaii AgVentures to create and sell various farm-tour packages next year and market it to visitors through travel agencies, hotels and a Web site. About 30 farms islandwide — many of which do not currently offer agritourism activities — are on board and the bureau hopes the program will eventually have 100 participating farms.

"The idea is we want to show the people that food does not come from Safeway — food comes from the farmer producing the food," Yamasaki said. "Our main purpose is to try to show the public where their food comes from and hopefully make it interesting for the people who are visiting the farm."

Charlene Cowan, head of the Hawai'i Agricultural Tourism Association, said agritourism activities draw a "different kind of tourist — usually a more respectful tourist that is more interested in the natural environment and learning about the local community."

And Hawai'i is the perfect place for such activities, said Cowan, who runs the 8-acre Macadamia Meadows Farm, Bed & Breakfast in Ka'u.

"We have an extremely unique market here in Hawai'i because we have such agricultural diversity. It's what really defines us. There isn't a single day in 365 that we don't have something that you can see, touch, taste or smell coming into fruition, and that's what really makes us unique. We've just about got everything."

Walter and Ann Liew display a 10-year-old golden dew drop bonsai plant at Dragon Garden and Hawaii Bonsai Culture Center in Waimanalo. Their farm holds 600 trees. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I think Hawai'i has always been a mass-marketed destination, and anything that can help us differentiate our sand, surf and sun destination becomes one of our niche markets that we need to concentrate to some extent on just to have that product available," said Rex Johnson, executive director of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

"There are a lot of people that are interested in spending some time seeing the local products that Hawai'i grows and exports. So it's growing and it's a niche market that we definitely need to pay attention to."

For farmers, agritourism helps generate extra — and sometimes critical — income, as well as showcase and educate people about the products they sell.

"If people have experienced it first hand, they'll go back and talk about it," Cowan said. "It isn't just the initial experience of tourism here, it's to build a consumer base and continue to build that for our Hawaiian products."

More tourists are visiting Sumida Farm in 'Aiea to learn about its watercress operations, said David Sumida, operations manager of Sumida Farm Inc. That's partly because of partnerships with recent tours hosted by Joan Namkoong — which includes the United Fishing Agency, Chinatown and the Halekulani's La Mer — and Hawaiian Vanilla Company's Jim Reddekopp, he said.

"Now that (agritourism) is starting to take off, I can see more of these types of tours, including the Sumida Farm as a stop," he said. The visitors are usually Mainland tourists who are just interested in learning and seeing something new, he said. Sumida said tours of the farm, which he calls a community service, are generally free. The visits in themselves are good promotions, he said.

"They go back to their home state and tell people about us," he said. "These people get to go off the beaten path and they get to visit a Hawaiian farm. And it's really thrilling for me to meet them."

Tours of Chinatown and Dean Okimoto's 'Nalo Farms in Waimanalo will also be included in the "Taste of O'ahu" culinary tours that will be led by Kapi'olani Community College culinary program chef instructors later in the fall.

Ranchers also offer activities for visitors, such as Kualoa Ranch on O'ahu and Parker Ranch and Kahua Ranch on the Big Island. Kualoa Ranch, which relies on income from visitor activities, sees about 5,000 visitors a month, said president John Morgan.

The company has expanded its activities — which include agricultural tours and horseback and all-terrain-vehicle rides — during its 20 years of operating and has been putting more emphasis on eco- and ag-type tours rather than "noisy adventure" activities, he said.

For Walter Liew, who runs the Dragon Garden and Hawaii Bonsai Culture Center in Waimanalo, more than half of his income comes from visitor activities and classes he held at the farm. Bonsai enthusiasts and other visitors from the Mainland and beyond call him to arrange visits to tour the farm, which holds 600 trees.

Liew, well-regarded in the community for his bonsai collection and his classes, has had to suspend his tour activities and moved his classes away from the farm this year while he is working out permitting issues with the city.

In the Agricultural Statistics Service report, farmers reported that financing was the No. 1 problem they faced in starting up or operating their agritourism activities, followed by conflicts with ongoing farm activities, marketing, and liability and insurance issues. Some farmers also cited zoning restrictions, labor, building permits, signage restrictions and community and cultural oppositions.

Many farmers end up spending more money than they might have anticipated for amenities such as restrooms, parking and other facilities, said Kent Fleming, a Kona-based specialist with the University of Hawai'i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Labor also can increase because workers may be interrupted to talk to visitors —with a smile — about their work, he said.

"It's funny how people think it's easy money," he said. "But it's not for everybody. It's for people who really like visitors and spending time answering questions over and over again."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2470.