Dam Fine Farms
About the Farm
Dam Fine Farms is a third-generation, family-run hydroponic farm in Keaʻau, Hawaiʻi, operated by Kristen Kunzer-Adair and her family. For nearly a decade, the farm has provided fresh, nutritious vegetables to the East Hawaiʻi community, including local restaurants and The Food Basket's DA BOX program.
The farm's greenhouses have a special family history. Originally designed by Kristen's grandfather more than 30 years ago for her parents' orchid business, they were later repurposed to grow food for the community. Today, Dam Fine Farms combines generations of agricultural knowledge with innovative hydroponic growing methods, emphasizing food safety, efficient production, and greater access to locally grown vegetables.
The Challenge
Dam Fine Farms faces growing challenges from increasingly severe storms, prolonged periods of drought, and the high costs of maintaining safe, reliable hydroponic food production. Strong winds have damaged multiple aging greenhouses, disrupting harvests and making it difficult to consistently meet customer demand. At the same time, limited water catchment capacity has created additional challenges during dry periods.
Food safety is another important priority. Growing leafy greens in Hawaiʻi requires careful management of slugs and snails to reduce the risk of rat lungworm disease. The farm relies on labor-intensive inspection and pest management practices to protect its crops and customers. Together, these challenges have limited the farm's ability to expand production and provide a steady supply of fresh vegetables to the East Hawaiʻi community.
How Mālama Da Farmer Grant Helped
Through the Mālama Da Farmer Grant, Dam Fine Farms received funding to repair and reinforce its aging greenhouses, expand water catchment capacity, and improve irrigation infrastructure. Investments included greenhouse repair materials, landscape fabric, water storage tanks, pumps, plumbing supplies, and components for the farm's hydroponic growing systems.
The grant also supported the purchase and installation of a new water catchment system, helping the farm better prepare for periods of drought. Together, these improvements are strengthening the farm's growing infrastructure, supporting more reliable production, and helping Kristen and her family continue providing fresh, locally grown vegetables to the East Hawaiʻi community.
Impact
The Mālama Da Farmer Grant helped Dam Fine Farms strengthen its growing infrastructure and build greater resilience against increasingly unpredictable weather conditions. Greenhouse repairs and improvements to water catchment and irrigation support more reliable production, better water management, and a safer growing environment for the farm's hydroponic vegetables.
These investments are helping Kristen and her family build on three generations of farming experience while creating opportunities to expand production and better meet local demand. By strengthening the farm's long-term sustainability, Dam Fine Farms is better positioned to provide fresh, nutritious vegetables to East Hawaiʻi restaurants, local food programs, and families throughout the community.
