Food Systems
Today, more than 80% of Hawaiʻi’s food is imported, leaving our food system vulnerable to natural disasters and climate shocks while also increasing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Increasing our food security and investing in sustainable local food systems will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint, support our local economy, and honor our island’s legacy of food self-sufficiency.
Resilience Office Key Projects
Oʻahu Compost Project
Thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, City Department of Environmental Services and community partners, the Oʻahu Compost Project collects food waste and excess food from participating Chinatown food vendors and turns it into a resource. Edible excess food is redistributed to feed people, and food waste is transformed into compost for local farmers.
Hawaiʻi Food Garden Fund
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute have launched the Hawaiʻi Food Garden Fund in partnership with the City to establish 1000 edible gardens to increase food sovereignty. This program builds upon similar efforts in 2020 with CARES Act funds, which implemented edible gardens in public housing complexes.
Oʻahu Good Food
The Resilience Office, Office of Economic Revitalization, and Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute are implementing Oʻahu Good Food, a program to increase the purchase of locally sourced food. Working with institutions and the hospitality sector, purchasing data is analyzed and events are held to connect institutional buyers with local producers.
Food Access on Oʻahu
Food access is one of the three pillars of food security. This story map walks through key aspects of food access on Oʻahu, from the location of emergency food assistance programs (e.g. food banks) to the location of community and school gardens. Tools like this help us plan for a more affordable, accessible, and equitable island food system.
“[Our] role will be to dig deep into systemic food issues and work with the community to develop local policies and programs that ensure food equity and sustainability on Oʻahu.”
- Dexter Kishida, Food Security and Sustainability Program Manager
Partners
