Purchase a small tractor for our new farmstead

Aloha, my name is Fara Boisvert.

I am raising money in order to purchase a small farm tractor with implements for a farmstead I have started in Hawi, Hawaii, called Makana O Ka Aina.

I am a single mother of a teen son and an organic gardener. I enjoy making gardens, value added products, compost, and working outdoors with the soil and plants.

Many people in Kohala know me as Farmer Fara from the Hawi Farmers market. I began growing organic produce for the community of Kohala in 1998, on Sage Farms, where I farmed with my family until it was sold in 2017.

Since then, I have spent many years searching for a parcel of farmable land in Kohala that I could afford and manage on my own. During that time I lived in the most beautiful place on Kohala mountain, that a dear and generous friend rented to me and my children. Here I was able to save money and get back on my feet, heal my heart and body, get back to center, and prepare myself for my next manifestation .

Last year I was fortunate enough to have been offered the opportunity to purchase a small plot from a local family who saw my potential as a capable farmer, to whose restaurant I sold produce 18 years prior.

My vision for this property is to have a small farmstead for my family to live and thrive, to grow food for my community, and to inspire and share the therapeutic health benefits of gardening with adults and children in our community through hands on learning, especially with those with special needs and developmental disabilities.

Since September 2022, I have been working alongside other generous and kind friends, neighbors, and volunteers, to help renovate a shack, build a covered lanai, build my son his own 12x12 studio, install a hog fence, plant fruit trees and start a produce garden. Many people donated materials, dollars, tractor hours, man and woman hours; helping paint, raise walls, install roofing, and create a small garden. Without the generous help of our community members this dream would have never been possible.

The next thing that is needed to make this project less labor intensive is a small tractor.

A generous neighbor has offered to sell me a small Kubota tractor in great shape with a loader, rototiller, and bucket forks. The tractor will make it possible for me to make and turn large piles of compost, till the garden, and move things around the property with ease.

My goal is to raise $10,000 to put toward the purchase of this tractor and to pay for the materials and labor to make a small tractor shed.

I look forward to growing once again, and contributing back to our sweet community that has embraced me and my family for over 25 years.