Also in attendance were two other Big Island aquaponics farmers, David Stark and Lynn Howe, as well as an aquaculturist and other specialists in related fields.  The event turned into a lively discussion of the cutting edge in aquaponics technology, and many anecdotes were related about alternative plant nutrition diagnosis and supplementation techniques.  Kaika did a great one hour “IMO Cafe” presentation in which she shared the basics of Korean Natural Farming, and several people stayed for a continued animated discussion after the workshop, as evidenced by the telltale aquaponics sketches on the chalkboard.

All in all, the 15 people who came felt like the workshop was more than worthwhile.  We look forward to more workshops as we refine our presentation and deepen our experience.

Quotes from evaluations:

    “Kaika, thank you so much!  I got everything I wanted, plus more, from the workshop.  Your aquaponics system is great and your explanation of natural farming, focused on micro-organisms, is great.  And I met great people there, too.”

    “. . . what inspired me most was the Natural Farming.  Your enthusiasm is infectious, and you really got into the swing of things while presenting that information . . . the packet you prepared was excellent, and it all began to make more sense when we had a chance to study the written pages”