State Food System Planning Bill SB1186 Signed Into Law as
Act 239
We’re pleased to report that Governor Josh Green has signed SB1186 landmark bill into law as Act 239 (GM1341). The new law establishes the Statewide Interagency Food Systems Coordination Team and Interagency Food Systems Working Group within the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC). These bodies will guide coordinated, statewide planning to transform Hawai‘i’s food system.
State & Counties
Hawaiʻi Food System Plans
Food system planning is the process of assessing, organizing, and guiding the development and governance of food systems to promote sustainability, equity, resilience, and public health. It integrates considerations of land use, agricultural production, food distribution, food access, labor, environmental impacts, cultural foodways, and economic development. Food system planning involves collaboration across sectors—government, farmers, researchers, nonprofits, Indigenous and local communities, and businesses—to shape policies, infrastructure, and investments that support a healthy and just food system. For more information, go to the American Planning Association’s page for Food Systems. Additionally, for detailed examples of other state and regional food system plans or charters, view the Food Systems Plans Gallery (developed by MSU NCOP).
Food system planning is critical to Hawai‘i’s future as it addresses the state’s heavy dependence on food imports, vulnerability to climate and supply chain disruptions, and the need for sustainable economic diversification. By supporting local food production, food access, integrating Indigenous knowledge, protecting natural resources, and strengthening community resilience, food system planning helps build a more self-reliant, equitable, healthy and sustainable food system for the islands.
State-level Food System Planning
As outlined in both the Sustainable Food Systems Working Group Report (2024) and SB1186 (2025), the state-level food system planning processes and policy initiatives currently under consideration are designed to complement and support county-level plans through structured coordination, shared governance, and resource alignment. The aim is to create an Interagency Food Systems Coordination Team and Working Group within the Agribusiness Development Corporation to serve as hubs for collaboration across agencies and levels of government. These bodies are tasked with developing governance protocols that facilitate communication and cooperation with county and moku-based (regional/community-level) planning efforts.
The state’s role includes identifying and mobilizing resources—such as technical expertise, funding, and infrastructure—to support local priorities, while ensuring efforts align with broader statewide goals like food security, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability. Importantly, the planning process emphasizes deep community engagement and a commitment to equity and justice, ensuring that regional voices are not just heard but actively shape implementation strategies. In essence, state-level planning is meant to provide the infrastructure, policy alignment, and cross-sector support needed to amplify and unify county-level initiatives into a resilient, equitable statewide food system.
Coordinated Planning & Food Policy
Advancing Food System Planning in Hawaiʻi
REPORT TO THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE – 2025 REGULAR SESSION
Report of the Sustainable Food Systems Working Group in Response to SR 111, SD1 (2024 Legislature)
Download PDF
Summary: The Sustainable Food Systems Working Group’s 2024 report, prepared by the Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture, outlines a strategic framework for strengthening Hawaiʻi’s food system. It emphasizes improved inter-agency coordination in areas such as governance, data collection, biosecurity, land and water infrastructure, and institutional purchasing.
Legislation Supporting Interagency Food System Planning
Senate Bill 1186 signed into law in July 2025 as Act 239
View SB 1186
Summary: The new law establishes the Statewide Interagency Food Systems Coordination Team and Interagency Food Systems Working Group within the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC). These bodies will guide coordinated, statewide planning to transform Hawai‘i’s food system.
Hawaiʻi
State & County Level Plans
For more information, go to the American Planning Association’s page for Food Systems. See also, What is a Food System Plan? by the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems.
State-Level Food System Plan
Kauaʻi Food Access Plan
Maui County Food Nutrition Security Plan 2025-2030
Oʻahu Food Systems Plan
Hawaiʻi County Food System Plan
Toolkit Overview
Food System Planning Landscape Analysis
This toolkit provides a centralized synthesis of 25 state- and city-level food systems plans and charters from across the United States.
Catalog of Food System Plans & Charters
A database of state-level food systems plans and charters – as well as 5 city- and county-level plans – that provides summaries of plan content and creation. Use the database to explore each plan and charter.
National Community of Practice – State & Regional Food System Plans
For over a decade, many US states and regions have implemented food system plans and charters, serving as frameworks for collaboration, policy advocacy, and shared goal-setting among diverse food system stakeholders. These efforts aim to improve the sustainability, health, and equity of local food systems. The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (MSU CRFS) is now in the planning phase of establishing a National Community of Practice (NCOP) to support organizations engaged in state and regional food systems planning. (See our Food System Planning Landscape Assessment for a synthesis of 25 state- and city-level food systems plans and charters from across the US.) Building on the Center’s extensive experience and informed by the recent study by Konstantinos Zourgris, Albie Miles, Rose Benjamin, and Ella Geismar, this NCOP aims to harness collective insights to strengthen food system planning efforts across the country. Please stay tuned for additional details about the formation and participation in the NCOP in forthcoming newsletters of the THFST initiative.
Broader Landscape of Food System Planning
Food System Planning Landscape Analysis
Catalog of Food Systems Plans & Charters
Coordinated by the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, the Statewide & Regional Food Systems Plan Community of Practice is a national, multi-state community of practice that convenes leaders from current and emerging food system plan efforts across the country to increase our collective knowledge and capacity to collaborate and strengthen local and regional food systems using an equity approach. Find more resources and tools on the National Community of Practice website.