Kaibigan ng Lahaina is leasing 7 acres in West Maui to create a community agricultural and learning center. Courtesy photo

An organization formed after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire has worked out a lease for seven acres of land in West Maui for community farming.

The land, leased by Maui Land & Pineapple Co. to the group Kaibigan ng Lahaina for 10 years, is located above Honoapiilani Highway near Maui Preparatory Academy.

It will provide a communal site where families and neighbors can engage in farming and cultural and educational events.

The site is intended to support healing, education and restorative practices where residents can reconnect with one another to continue the long process of recovery as a united community.

Eric Arquero, executive director of Kaibigan ng Lahaina, said the nonprofit hopes to develop a community-driven plan for the land by April after holding public meetings.

He said the concept is to have an agriforest similar to the communal agrifores run by Kokua Kalihi Valley on Oahu, where people share in the work and crops grown there.

“The Kawili program will serve as a place of unity for all who call West Maui home — a welcoming space where our community can experience belonging and a return to cultural and community roots,” Arquero said.

Board President Nestor Ugale Jr. said many members of Kaibigan are Lahainaluna High School graduates like himself who came together after the wildfire to help feed residents. They made culturally appropriate food boxes, including Filipino dishes.

“This partnership allows us to build on the foundation we’ve created, nurturing a space where everyone feels seen, supported and embraced like family,” he said. “We are grateful to our partners at MLP for making this possible.”

Kaibigan received a two-year, $1.6 million grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation through the Maui Strong Fund in fall 2024.

The funding supports four core areas including a culturally sensitive food resource program, a mental health program, a workforce and youth development program, and a cultural education program.

Ugale said that while the group initially focused on feeding residents after the disaster, it plans to work across all four areas outlined in the grant and incorporate recovery and resilience efforts into the farming project.