With the decline of the sugar and pineapple industries on O‘ahu, large agricultural farmsteads struggled to remain sustainable. The Galbraith Estate, which encompassed 1,723 acres north of Wahiawā, was one such impacted property. In 2004, their lessee Del Monte harvested their last crop on the property and subsequently the estate dissolved in 2007. As a result, local residents lost jobs, active farmlands became fallow, and the local economy suffered.
To prevent potential residential development of agricultural lands, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) acquired approximately 1,207 acres of the estate in 2008. Recognizing the need to modernize existing processing facilities to further support small scale farmers, the ADC worked with community members and organizations to envision the Whitmore Food Hub. The project is a part of the overall strategic goals of ADC to revitalize agricultural production, boost the economy, and support small scale farmers.
In addition to preparing an environmental assessment for this project, PBR HAWAII used ArcGIS StoryMap to produce the Whitmore Food Hub webpage.
