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.
Food systems will continue to play a defining role in global environmental change, human welfare and socio-economic stability.
United Nations
Our Collective Impact
September 2021 to Present
Users
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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.
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.
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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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.