Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together
“Food is the single strongest lever to optimize human health and environmental sustainability on Earth”
The Eat Lancet Commission
Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together
Building A More Robust, Sustainable, Equitable And Resilient Food System, Especially In Times Of Crisis
Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together is a collaborative and multi-sectoral food system change initiative that seeks to convene key stakeholders, conduct applied research, articulate policy and planning recommendations and build statewide capacity to achieve a more economically robust, sustainable, equitable and resilient food system for Hawaiʻi.
What is a Food System?
A food system is the socio-ecological system that encompasses all the drivers, activities and resources that go into producing, distributing, consuming food and waste disposal. The food system intersects with aspects of public health, culture, society, economics, public policy, and the environment.
Our Primary Objectives
Food System Mapping, Social Network Analysis, Vulnerability Assessment and Policy Analysis comprise a set of Hawaiʻi knowledge products that will inform the framing and content of the statewide policy and strategy.
Design, coordinate and deliver an Integrated State Food Policy Framework and Food System Resilience and Equity Strategy that is inclusive of indigenous and community producer perspectives.
Support the facilitation and participation of public and private entities to amplify purchasing and procurement of local, sustainable and equitably produced food.
Objective 1
Generate applied research and evidence to inform policy and strategy
Objective 2
Develop an Integrated State Food Policy Framework and a Food System Resilience and Equity Strategy
Objective 3
Build State capacity for institutional purchasing of local and sustainable foods.
Opportunities for Food System Transformation
Our Collective Impact
September 2021 to Present
Users
page views
Key Food System Issues
Key Food System Issues
48% Vulnerability
Household Food Insecurity Rate
What We’re Doing: Food system vulnerability assessments help to identify key systemic risks to household food insecurity in Hawaiʻi due to natural and human caused disasters.
3X Health
Native Hawaiian health inequities
What We’re Doing: The Integrated State Food Policy Framework and the Food System Resilience and Equity Strategy will identify key structural obstacles and pathways forward to ensuring that: 1) Hawaiʻi’s food system drives community wellbeing, economic vibrancy, and ecological resilience and, 2) Locally grown food is the healthy, accessible and affordable choice for Hawai‘i communities.
15.7% Sustainable Development
Food self-Sufficiency Ratio
What We’re Doing: Through enabling public policy and private sector investments – informed by the Integrated State Food Policy Framework – and combined with scaled institutional purchasing, Hawaiʻi can increase its food self-sufficiency ratio, circulate capital in the local economy and create new jobs.
Our Initiative
The Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together initiative is uniquely poised to dismantle existing silos and unite key food system partners to craft a common way forward, bringing Hawai‘i one step closer to food security. A more sustainable, equitable and resilient food system for Hawai‘i is critical to our future and to recapture a portion of the $8 billion dollars annually spent on imported foods
PHASE I: RESEARCH & FINDINGS
Our Knowledge Products
The Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food Systems Together initiative has conducted a series of applied research projects to inform policy and planning recommendations and build statewide capacity to achieve a more economically robust, sustainable, equitable and resilient food system for Hawaiʻi. The key findings of these Knowledge Products will inform the development of an Integrated State Food Policy Framework and Food System Resiliency and Equity Strategy for Hawaiʻi.
A visual way of showing complex relationships and interdependencies allowing us to identify leverage points or opportunities for collective action.
Analysis of the current food system in Hawaiʻi to determine who holds influence in the food and agricultural system at different scales, identify key pathways and to explore key connections that are currently lacking.
Catalog and describe the current food policy landscape in Hawaiʻi and highlight on-going efforts and opportunities for collaboration. The analysis will help identify key structural obstacles to achieving the food systems related UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Identify key points of vulnerability to household food insecurity and the risks faced from future natural disasters or economic shocks. Assessments will include the identification of capacity gaps of the emergency feeding system of Hawaiʻi. Priorities for developing a more resilient and equitable food system will be identified.
Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) aims to expose network members to emerging conversations and movements around food systems and food sovereignty through the the perpetuation of their cultural practices.
Public and private food service institutions should participate in transforming food systems toward greater public health, planetary and community well-being, by utilizing their significant market demand in ways that foster a localized food economy supportive of fair labor and sustainable farming practices.
The Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance (HGFA) is a state-wide diverse network of community-based food systems practitioners working collectively to rebuild thriving community food systems. Their mission statement:
We join together—with a sense of urgency—to raise community voice and support one another in the belief that each and every person in Hawaiʻi can share in healthy, locally produced food.
This toolkit provides a centralized synthesis of 25 state- and city-level food systems plans and charters from across the United States. Born out of a project to inform food systems planning in Hawai’i with support from the The Hawai’i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems at the at the University of Hawai’i’ – West O’ahu. These resources are intended to help future food systems transformation efforts organize their initiatives and envision change. To do so, our databases and analyses focus on the how and what of food systems planning efforts across the country.
A visual way of showing complex relationships and interdependencies allowing us to identify leverage points or opportunities for collective action.
Analysis of the current food system in Hawaiʻi to determine who holds influence in the food and agricultural system at different scales, identify key pathways and to explore key connections that are currently lacking.
Catalog and describe the current food policy landscape in Hawaiʻi and highlight on-going efforts and opportunities for collaboration. The analysis will help identify key structural obstacles to achieving the food systems related UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Identify key points of vulnerability to household food insecurity and the risks faced from future natural disasters or economic shocks. Assessments will include the identification of capacity gaps of the emergency feeding system of Hawaiʻi. Priorities for developing a more resilient and equitable food system will be identified.
Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA) aims to expose network members to emerging conversations and movements around food systems and food sovereignty through the the perpetuation of their cultural practices.
Public and private food service institutions should participate in transforming food systems toward greater public health, planetary and community well-being, by utilizing their significant market demand in ways that foster a localized food economy supportive of fair labor and sustainable farming practices.
The Hawaiʻi Good Food Alliance (HGFA) is a state-wide diverse network of community-based food systems practitioners working collectively to rebuild thriving community food systems. Their mission statement:
We join together—with a sense of urgency—to raise community voice and support one another in the belief that each and every person in Hawaiʻi can share in healthy, locally produced food.
System Mapping: Hawaiʻi’s Food System
A visual way of showing complex relationships and interdependencies allowing us to identify leverage points or opportunities for collective action.
Social Network Analysis
Analysis of the current food system in Hawaiʻi to determine who holds influence in the food and agricultural system at different scales, identify key pathways and to explore key connections that are currently lacking.
Comprehensive State Policy Analysis
Catalog and describe the current food policy landscape in Hawaiʻi and highlight on-going efforts and opportunities for collaboration. The analysis will help identify key structural obstacles to achieving the food systems related UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Food System Vulnerability Assessment
Identify key points of vulnerability to household food insecurity and the risks faced from future natural disasters or economic shocks. Assessments will include the identification of capacity gaps of the emergency feeding system of Hawaiʻi. Priorities for developing a more resilient and equitable food system will be identified.
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Our Partners
Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together
Building a more robust, sustainable, equitable and resilient food system, especially in times of crisis.
Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together is a collaborative and multi-sectoral food system change initiative that seeks to convene key stakeholders, conduct applied research, articulate policy and planning recommendations and build statewide capacity to achieve a more economically robust, sustainable, equitable and resilient food system for Hawaiʻi.
WHAT WE DO
Our Primary Objectives
Food System Mapping, Social Network Analysis, Vulnerability Assessment and Policy Analysis comprise a set of Hawaiʻi knowledge products that will inform the framing and content of the statewide policy and strategy.
Design, coordinate and deliver an Integrated State Food Policy Framework and Food System Resilience and Equity Strategy that is inclusive of indigenous and community producer perspectives.
Support the facilitation and participation of public and private entities to amplify purchasing and procurement of local, sustainable and equitably produced food.
48% Vulnerability
Household Food Insecurity Rate
What We’re Doing: Food system vulnerability assessments help to identify key systemic risks to household food insecurity in Hawaiʻi due to natural and human caused disasters.
3X Health
Native Hawaiian health inequities
What We’re Doing: The Integrated State Food Policy Framework and the Food System Resilience and Equity Strategy will identify key structural obstacles and pathways forward to ensuring that: 1) Hawaiʻi’s food system drives community wellbeing, economic vibrancy, and ecological resilience and, 2) Locally grown food is the healthy, accessible and affordable choice for Hawai‘i communities.
15.7% Sustainable Development
Food self-Sufficiency Ratio
What We’re Doing: Through enabling public policy and private sector investments – informed by the Integrated State Food Policy Framework – and combined with scaled institutional purchasing, Hawaiʻi can increase its food self-sufficiency ratio, circulate capital in the local economy and create new jobs.
Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together
Building A More Robust, Sustainable, Equitable And Resilient Food System, Especially In Times Of Crisis.
Food systems will continue to play a defining role in global environmental change, human welfare and socio-economic stability.
United Nations
Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together is a collaborative and multi-sectoral food system change initiative that seeks to convene key stakeholders, conduct applied research, articulate policy and planning recommendations and build statewide capacity to achieve a more economically robust, sustainable, equitable and resilient food system for Hawaiʻi.
Opportunities for Food System Transformation
Workforce
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Research & Policy
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Education
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