She Grows Food

[photo: Brad Goda]

What is She grows food?

In a nutshell, we are an agency of two local folks committed to developing and supporting solution-based projects that move us toward more resilient and fair local food systems in Hawaii and everywhere.

We come from diverse backgrounds of media (advertising in Dan’s case, independent media in Lisa’s). We also both come from and still work in the agricultural community here in Hawaii.

We also love exploring the current challenges as well as the historical contexts of our beautifully complex and unique food system here in Hawaii and the Pacific region. These explorations always turn out to be adventures. Sharing the stories of the incredible people and places we meet and learn from along the way brings us endless delight.

Lisa Asagi, Co-founder, SGF Editor and Storyteller It’s one of my earliest memories of growing up in my family’s chicken hatchery: Laying on a 50 lb. bag of chicken feed and listening to my grandparents and their friends talking story. In those early days, the hatchery was a place where people would drop by with a box of donuts or manapua, and the latest news and gossip. It was an unlikely space for endless discussion and brainstorming with chicks chirping in the background, but it happened. A lot. For me this was the beginning of learning the true value of talking stories, listening and collaborating.

Only later would I understand that the crackling energy of those times was the sensation of community. And perhaps even a movement. That particular era coinciding with my generation’s childhood was one of solid hard won growth for the Oahu food growing community. By the time we were graduating from high school though that era had peaked and the bottom was slowly being pulled out from under it. Like many of us I went away. Like many of us I came back to a home and family that was in crisis.

Dan Nakasone and I teamed up in 2007 on a project to help the egg farms. It feels like we’ve been on an adventure ever since – one that is constantly exploring the past, present and future of the state of local food systems here in Hawaii and all over the world.

Armed with cameras, a website and new strategies for helping farms we built She grows food. We hope that it grows into a space where all of us with the power of our stories can spark up a lot of crackling energy again. And perhaps, even a movement.

With my parents and sisters, I operate Asagi Hatchery, currently the only commercial chicken hatchery in this region of the Pacific.

I am also co-founder of GreenWheel Food Hub, a fiscally sponsored project of Feed the Hunger Foundation, an effort to broaden access to fresh locally grown food. Currently, I am a co-manager of the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s Oahu farmers markets: KCC, Mililani, Honolulu (Blaisdell) and Kailua.
Dan Nakasone Co-founder, Producer and Photographer She grows food was one of those ideas that needed to break ground. It emerged from another effort – saving Hawaii’s four remaining commercial egg farms. They were in jeopardy, in danger of closing their doors forever and Lisa and I were part of a task force to bring their situation to light. It was rewarding to see that our community responded and those four farms are still providing Island Fresh Eggs today.

Through that experience, I’ve learned that Lisa has an extraordinary gift – her writing, her story-telling. I’m inspired by the depth and breadth of her knowledge and the sensitivity in her interviews with the farmers and their stories. Her writing is at the heart of She grows food. Turn the pages and you’ll agree.

Since the She grows food web site went live, we’ve gained valuable experiences and insight that has helped us refine our focus. Telling stories of women farmers is at the core of our purpose but we see something else looming on the horizon – the perfect storm.

We’ll be working to shed light on this collision of forces to show what women farmers and others are doing to strengthen Hawaii’s agricultural community. See how you can join in and be part of the solution.

Mascot Theory Mascot Theory designed, built and maintains shegrowsfood.com. They are a print + web design agency fueled by the artistic and technical talents of Jesi Asagi and Rob Dunn.