08-12-2018, 12:15 PM
I’ve supported 7 loans to agricultural producers in the state of Hawaii through the Kiva.org microfinance lending platform. 5 of those are all over the Island, with one in Puna (towards Kurtistown) + one each on Kauai and Oahu. They’re all for loan terms of around 36 months, and have been paying back like clockwork. I’ve been very pleased with the experience since I started supporting Kiva loans in Hawaii 3 years ago. I especially like that these loans are primarily for family-run small sustainable farms. The last couple have been with Slow Money as a Trustee. I can highly recommend going through Kiva as a lender, or through Slow Money Hawaii as a borrower. Like everything else, though, due diligence on your part is required.