Happy Vegetable Farms

My office is a courtroom. My sanctuary is a greenhouse. As a lawyer, my days are spent navigating the complexities of the law. But for years, my escape has been found in the quiet, green growth of a vegetable farm.

What began as a personal hobby, a "Happy Vegetable Farm", has blossomed into Samoa Hydro Greens, a testament to resilience, adaptation, and the power of growing your own food.

Like every Samoan, my connection to the land runs deep. As a child, my parents tended a taro plantation in Tiavi. I remember my mother travelling to American Samoa to sell our harvest.

Later, in New Zealand, my twin brother Mathew and I spent school holidays working long, labour, intensive days in orchards to help pay our fees. That early exposure to hard work and cultivation planted a seed that never left me.

When I returned to Samoa to serve the government, I started growing everything I could: tomatoes, cucumbers, long beans, cabbages. If there was a patch of soil, I wanted to see something grow in it. By 2020, I had planted my first lettuce.

With so many vegetable crops, I started selling them to my then workplace colleagues - to my surprise, that one day of selling vegetables (kapisi saiga and cucummbers) I made $600.50. To put things into perspective, thats how much I made in 1 week - as a Principal Policy Analyst lol. But traditional farming here presents immense challenges.

The Turning Point: Why I Switched to Hydroponic Farming

The realities of climate change, unpredictable yields, and the high cost of labour made soil-based farming increasingly difficult. At the time I had 6 guys working at the farm. I needed a more reliable, efficient, and sustainable method. The answer was hydroponics.

I taught myself the basics, then did something crucial: I contextualised the technology for Samoa. I didn't just copy a system from a manual; I adapted it for our unique climate, our available materials, and our specific needs. For me, this wasn't about importing a foreign concept; it was about building a local solution. For example, a nutrient mix that works in other Countries with dry air may not necessarily work for Samoa, a country with high temperature and humidity.

Why? because crops like lettuces thrive in temperatures of 24 degrees; however, Samoa's temperature averages around 29 - 31 degrees, other times higher. The difference is between you enjoying a fresh crispy lettuces and a very bitter lettuce - which is why most people tend to prefer overseas lettuces.

Building a Local Solution, One Unit at a Time

The journey wasn't straightforward. I started by importing my first hydroponic units. Quickly, I realised that to make this truly viable, I had to learn to build them myself using locally sourced materials at a fraction of the cost. This shift was transformative. It allowed for scalability and affordability, turning a hobby into a potential business model for others.

To date, that adaptation has led to the sale of over ten thousand crisp, clean heads of hydroponic lettuce to households, hotels, supermarkets, and restaurants across Samoa.

More importantly, it has enabled me to develop and install complete hydroponic systems for other aspiring growers on the islands.

Key Takeaways from My Hydroponic Transition:

• Start with Passion: Farming, especially as a side venture, requires a deep love for the process. It was my 'happy place' that provided the perseverance needed.

• Adapt, Don't Adopt: The success of hydroponics in Samoa depends on tailoring systems to local conditions and resources.

• Embrace Problem-Solving: Moving from imported kits to locally built units was a game-changer for cost and sustainability.

• See the Bigger Picture: This isn't just about growing lettuce; it's about building food resilience and new agricultural opportunities for our community. The direction taken by the Government of Samoa regarding Agriculture looks promising and I'm excited.

The journey hasn't been easy, but every crisp leaf harvested makes it worth it.

Acknowledgements:

Big shout-out to my friend Andrew Redwood, this farm would not have existed if it weren't for you my uso.

Thank you Civil Society Support Program - Samoa for the faith and trust in me, your programs have helped startup farmers like myself realise their dreams.

Thank you Dr. Liu and Sunfield Agriculture LTD, affordable greenhouse and hydroponic units. Appreciate the partnership and networking. Looking forward to the next phase.

Special shoutout to Ford Samoa. The 2025 Ford Ranger (manual) is a reliable and powerful vehicle. In the space of 12 months, the farm has grown significantly and orders delivered successfully to customers thanks to such a reliable vehicle.

Finally, big thank you to everyone, friends and family who have supported this journey over the years.

PS: We are launching our website soon - where I will share my experience and write blogs about hydroponic farming and most of all "order online". Watch this space.

We are also transitioning to a new set-up "Samoa Hydrop Greens".

Hydroponic tomatoes grown locally right here in Samoa 🇼🇸 🍅

Fresh from the Farm to your Table!

Crisp, clean, 100% pesticides-free, and grown with love right here in Samoa - our green lettuce harvest is ready for you!

Perfect for salads, sandwiches and healthy meals.

Available now - message us to order and taste the difference!

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