MEDIA RELEASE

Attention farmers, gardeners, and interested community!

The 7th Annual Hawai’i Island Seed Exchange will be held at the Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook on Saturday June 13, 2009 from 8:30-12:30.

This annual agricultural festival to develop community food self-reliance brings together our agricultural community to freely share cuttings, roots, hulis, and seed of food crops that grow well on Hawai’i Island. Increasing home production of food brings us closer to community food security, better health, and development of a local agricultural economy.

Please bring a fruit or vegetable grown in your garden to share at our Opening Ceremony beginning at 8:30 a.m. with Kumu Keala Ching and Ka Pa Hula Na Wai Iwi Ola.

Agricultural Educational Presentations and information from Hawai’i Island Agricultural Organizations available all day. Hi’ilani Shibata from Bishop Museum will be telling stories of the Hawaiian Moon Goddess Hina, the Hawaiian Moon/Planting Calendar will be discussed, Craig Elevitch will speak about developing home food self-reliance, and our expert farmer panel will connect agriculture and the moon cycles.

This year there will also be a special youth program led by our young farmers.

There will be a $5 donation for all the day’s activities.

Organic plate lunches (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) by the Lotus Cafe will be sold from 10-1 p.m.

Camping in the garden on Friday evening June 12 for those coming from the Eastside is available with reservations. Contact lynnbell@hawaii.rr.com to secure a reservation.

This festival is made possible through a grant to The Know Your Farmer Alliance from the Hawai’i Peoples Fund and the Hawai’i Community Foundation, and support from the Amy Greenwell Garden Staff. For more information call Nancy Redfeather at 322-2801 or Lynn Bell at 325-0615.

Mahalo for your continued support for this most important festival.