Puna residents Allyson and Allen Blackard are tackling food insecurity through hydroponics, an education program and a weekly “you pick” farm.
After graduating from the Hawaii Community College agricultural program in May, Allyson Blackard was ready to take her skills and make a difference in the community.
Inspiration from her professor, Lew Nakamura, drove her to start using hydroponics to create the Hydroponic Hut in Ainaloa.
“While I was in the agriculture program, we just saw prices going up and up, and now lettuce at the grocery store is double what it was three years ago,” Blackard said. “After I graduated from HCC, Lew asked me, ‘What are you going to do now? How are you going to tackle food insecurity?’ He’s been a huge support of our mission with hydroponics and taught me everything I know.”
Every Thursday, residents are invited to pick their own produce, roots and all, for low prices. The hut has three rotating hydroponic tables at different germination cycles.
Blackard decided to pursue hydroponics — which is a soil-free method of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution — as a way to safely grow leafy greens without the risk of rat lungworm and to help save money on soil.
“I think hydroponics works for this island, because we don’t have much soil, and we have the threat of rat lungworm, which is hard to mitigate on leafy greens,” Blackard said. “This is a great way to grow lettuce and other leafy produce safely, high off the ground. You also don’t need electricity. You can do it with bucket and water.”
Hawaii residents will not pay more than $3 for a head of lettuce at the Hydroponic Hut, according to Blackard.
If the Blackard’s don’t sell out of their leafy greens, they will bag them up and offer them to the community for free.
“Our goal is to deliver high quality greens that last a long time at an affordable price for residents,” Blackard said. “The ‘you pick’ farm gives people a chance to witness growth and pick the freshest produce they see.”
While providing affordable, local produce to the community, one of Blackard’s main goals is also to share her knowledge about the Kratky method of hydroponics through her own class for anyone interested.
“We want to promote this food movement and get people to think about how they could do something in their own communities,” Blackard said. “The people who’ve taken the class always come back and show me what they’re growing, and it’s so exciting to see.”
Puna resident Kathy Weber, who took Blackard’s hydroponics class, will be starting her own hydroponic growth as she also prepares to open the Taste of Puna commercial kitchen and event space in Hawaii Paradise Park this December.
Blackard gives two hours of hands-on instruction, which includes a take-home system and fact sheets, for $40. She already has taught 57 people, with many of them starting their own hydroponic crops.
“Our goal is to solve food insecurity in our neighborhoods. I didn’t realize how bad it was until we started this and have so many people thanking us with such positive responses,” Blackard said. “We want to put the power back into the hands of our community and encourage everyone to grow for themselves.”
Blackard hopes to keep going with the mission and create a blueprint for sustainable micro-agriculture that can be replicated across the island.
“My major goal is to make this a nonprofit that supports small farmers similar to me,” Blackard said. “Other farmers have been coming to me that are so willing to be part of a nonprofit that is run by the community for the community, which would help get support where it needs to go.”
Those interested in learning more about the Hydroponic Hut can do so on its Facebook and Instagram accounts under Hydroponic Hut Ainaloa.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.