Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together
an initiative of the
Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems
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Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together
Our Primary Objectives
Generate applied research and evidence to inform policy and Strategy
Develop an Integrated State Food Policy Framework and a Food System Resilience and Equity Strategy
Build State capacity for institutional purchasing of local and sustainable foods
The Four Essential SPaces
Our Theory of Food System Change
Guided by the social theory of Gail Feenstra (2002), THFST creates and sustains the four essential “spaces” required for lasting transformation.
An Annual Food Gathering
Hawaiʻi Food System Summit
The Hawaiʻi Food System Summit is organized each year to bring our collective focus and problem-solving skills toward understanding and addressing the many food and agriculture issues facing Hawaiʻi, including household food insecurity, building food system resilience, supporting sustainable agriculture practices and the economic viability of local producers, improving the conditions of agri-food labor, and enhancing disaster preparedness, among others.
Key Food system Issues
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.
Recently completed to help illustrate and communicate the logic, Theory of Change and complexity of the Transforming Hawaiʻi’s Food System Together initiative.
These Hawai’i Food System Change Maps are designed to assist key stakeholders to better understand and solve key issues in our food system.
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.
Report Summary: This report presents a preliminary set of food system resilience indicators for Hawai’i. These indicators are expected to be correlated with the ability of the food import and distribution infrastructure on O’ahu to maintain food availability during and after a hurricane, and for food to remain physically and
economically accessible to island residents. The indicators were derived from existing knowledge about vulnerabilities and gaps in Hawai’i’s food system.
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.
Building the Social Infrastructure for
Systemic Food-System Change in Hawaiʻi
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
New Report Highlights Federal Funding cuts Impacting Hawaiʻi’s Food System
Agriculture Stewardship’s newly released report reveals that Federal Funding cuts and program shifts are putting at least $64M – $175M at risk for Hawaiʻi’s food system – equivalent to roughly 25% of Hawaii’s agricultural GDP. That’s without taking account of the larger, economic multiplier effects we know these resources have when we invest in our food systems and communities. This follows Agriculture Stewardship’s first report, published in March, which found that $88M in funds were frozen, cut or at risk. The numbers have already had real world impacts in Hawaii, with our farmers scaling back production, development projects postponed or canceled, and increased concern around food access.
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.
September 2021 to Present
Our Collective Impact
Countries
Users
Page Views
Opportunities for Food System Transformation
Key Food System Issues
1 in 3 Households are struggling with Food Insecurity
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.
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.
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