Earthing: What It’s Like to Volunteer at a Lo‘i

Earthing is Frolic’s three-part series for Earth Month. Each post spotlights a different way to support local food production on O‘ahu—with tips and a list of places to volunteer at the end. Part 1 took us through a morning at a local farm. Part 2, below, is an even more intimate connection with the earth.

Photo: Sarah Burchard

I miss the entrance every time. Distracted by the sun glistening off He‘eia Pond, I drive right past Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi’s tiny driveway and have to turn around. Again. I pull into the parking lot just in time to catch two dozen people spraying down with sunscreen, preparing for a day in the mud.

A century ago, these vast wetlands were planted in enough kalo to supply three poi factories in He‘eia. In the 1990s, plans for a high-end residential community with a golf course, resort and elaborate water features were derailed by grassroots opposition. This is how 405 acres of agricultural land once integral in the He‘eia ahupua‘a were preserved under the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority.

In 2010, HCDA gave Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi, a nonprofit that restores and stewards lo‘i kalo and dryland farming, a 38-year lease for the land. Since then, it’s been growing kalo and making value-added products such as poi and kūlolo, which you can purchase through Farm Link Hawai‘i or straight from the farm.

You can volunteer at a lo‘i at Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, or you can join a big community workday on the first Saturday of every month.

A morning at a lo‘i

Lo‘i kalo at Ho‘okua‘āina in Kailua. Photo: Sarah Burchard

We gather under a shady tree by the processing facility. After an introduction to the land and the nonprofit, we head to our kalo patches for the day’s task: weeding. You will not always be weeding. At Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi, I’ve done everything from harvest kalo to prune banana plants. It just depends on what they need that day.

A dirt road lined with ‘ulu trees weaves around several lo‘i kalo, a banana orchard and a dryland garden. At the edge of the lo‘i, we remove our slippers. The grass feels rough under my feet and I watch where I step, avoiding the tiny thorns I have stepped on in the past. I slide myself into the lo‘i, grabbing on to weeds as my feet sink deep into the sludge. Slowly and steadily, we begin pulling out the long clumps by their roots, laying them around the kalo as mulch.

SEE ALSO: Earthing: What It’s Like to Volunteer at a Local Farm

I pick up speed as I clear the path in front of me, getting into a rhythm like a moving meditation. Everyone has their own “lane.” When we reach the other side, we are done. This takes a few hours, so we settle in, chat and focus on the work. Along the way, critters like crawfish, shrimp, frogs and the occasional centipede appear. For the most part, they are harmless (except the centipedes). In fact, it’s kind of fun when a little frog hops across your path.

It is at least four hours from beginning to end, so be prepared. The mud is cooling in the hot sun and feels good on the skin (like a mud bath at a spa!). Not to mention, you are perpetuating something of great importance to Hawaiian culture and an integral part of O‘ahu’s food system.

Volunteering at Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi. Photo: Sarah Burchard

Tips:

• Use the restroom and hydrate first. Once you’re in the mud, it’s a big ordeal to get out and get clean enough to touch anything, let alone enter a porta-potty.
• Try to find a picnic table or big tree to set your bag under. It will undoubtedly rain while you are there. Better yet, put your belongings in a trash bag.
• Wear a long-sleeved waterproof shirt. That sun is going to beat down on your back and arms for at least three hours. Even with sunscreen, I’ve gotten burned.
• Wear a bathing suit. I usually wear a baseball cap, bikini, board shorts and a long-sleeved waterproof shirt to work in.
• Don’t wear sunglasses—they might fall in.
• Bring a change of clothes.
• Wear slippers when you volunteer at a lo‘i. You will be in bare feet most of the time, but you need shoes that are easy to get in and out of.
• Bring a clean green scrubby to scrub your skin with. That mud gets really caked on. You will need to do some vigorous scrubbing after you get out of the mud and again at home. And don’t get a mani pedi before a lo‘i day. Your fingernails and toenails will be caked with mud for a couple days after.
• Try to check in with the organization on the morning of, if possible. If it is raining too hard that day, the event coordinator will usually cancel the workday.

O‘ahu lo‘i you can volunteer at:

• Kāko‘o ‘Ōiwi
• Ho‘okua‘āina
• Ka Papa Lo‘i o Kānewai and Ka Papa Lo‘i ‘o Punalu‘u
• Kaulaakalana (Formerly Papahana Kuaola Lo‘i Kalo Mini Park, 1243 Lo‘i Kalo Pl. (off North School Street in Kalihi)
  • Community workdays are every first Saturday of the month starting at 8 a.m. Bring gloves.

SEE MORE IN OUR EARTHING SERIES:

Earthing: What It’s Like to Volunteer at a Local Farm
Earthing: What It’s Like to Volunteer at a Fishpond