Elizabeth Uilani Ito had lots of citrus, avocados and liliko'i, but no Internet site to sell them on. And like many of Hawai'i's small farmers, Ito, owner of Kalamania Farm in Kilauea, Kaua'i, didn't have easy access to O'ahu markets. Now she has both.

Ito is among about 40 farmers selling their goods through Fresh from the Farm LLC — a virtual farmers market launched last fall. The company runs a government-sponsored Internet site, www.farmfreshhawaii.com, which markets fresh and processed local farm products.

Customers can browse and purchase products for pickup at one of three O'ahu farmers markets. Fresh from the Farm, which also sells produce at farmers markets, generates 70 to 100 pounds of produce sales for Kalamania Farm each week — produce that otherwise would sell for lower prices, if at all, at Kaua'i farmers markets, Ito said.

"For me, it works very well," Ito said. "I've tried doing farmers markets here, but it's really hard for us to get a fair price. And I don't have to stand at a stall. I just pack and ship out (produce) every Friday."

With sales of $576 million last year, Hawai'i's farm sector remains relatively small compared with the $12 billion tourism trade. Yet agriculture remains important as a local food source, for providing economic opportunities in Hawai'i's rural areas and for keeping land free of urban development.

There are about 5,400 crop farms statewide, but only about 800 of those farms are located on O'ahu, which generates the bulk of the state's food demand. Large distributors help fill that gap by importing produce for sale at O'ahu retailers. Fresh from the Farm wants to give Neighbor Island farmers a way to eliminate one step in the distribution process by selling directly to customers.

"The big key for a lot of them trying to get to the next level is to establish a presence on O'ahu," said Juanita Kawamoto, president for Fresh from the Farm. However, "for the Neighbor Island farmers, breaking into the O'ahu market has always been a challenge."

Sales via the Internet and O'ahu farmers markets generate higher prices for farmers, Kawamoto said.

So far about 80 percent of Fresh from the Farm's sales come from farmers market customers, while 20 percent of sales come from the company's Internet site.

Fresh from the Farm collects a 25 percent fee for products purchased through the Web site and sold at farmers markets, to cover shipping, handling and taxes. Including that fee, the company last week was offering Kula Country strawberries for $4.06 a pound and Kula Country sweet onions for $3.13 a pound.

That compared with Times Supermarket's advertised prices of $3.99 a pound for Kula strawberries and $3.49 a pound for Maui onions (effective Jan. 24 to last Tuesday).

For consumers, the site promises fresh, competitively priced produce.

Waipahu resident Elaine Evans said she spends $30 to $50 a month shopping on the company's Web site. "It's cheaper and it's convenient, and they're Hawai'i products, which I really support."

Fresh from the Farm has received $50,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and $50,000 from the Maui County Farm Bureau to launch the Web site, which opened in late September. The goal is to help offset the geographic disadvantage of growing products on the Neighbor Islands, said Matthew Loke, administrator of the state Agricultural Development Division, which helped the company secure the federal grant.

"Distribution is one of the most challenging issues we have on the islands," he said. "This is one way to look at consolidating and distributing agricultural products."

Additionally, the site provides a new way for people to tap into Hawai'i's growing array of agricultural offerings, Loke said. Higher sales of so-called diversified agricultural products have helped the agricultural sector grow despite falling pineapple and sugar cane sales.

These locally produced goods also include an inventive variety of processed products, which also are offered on the site. These include cilantro pesto dressing, roasted macadamia nut butter and li hing mango jam.

Kula Country Farms on Maui offers fresh strawberries, strawberry syrup and strawberry jam on the site.

"It provides us with an opportunity to sell more stuff on O'ahu," said Chauncey Monden, president for Kula Country Farms. "Every little bit helps."

Currently, customers can place orders only on Wednesdays and Fridays. Orders can be picked up at farmers markets at Kapi'olani Community College on Saturdays, the Mililani Farmers Market on Sundays, and the Kailua Farmers Market on Thursdays.

"It's a great venue for the consumer," said Monden. But "it's something new, and I think it will take people time to get used to it."

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.