Understanding Hawaiʻi's Food Systems, Today

Hawai'i's food system thrives on deep connections between ʻāina, community, and kuleana. Local food production is flourishing despite agriculture's overall contraction—farmers' direct-to-consumer sales grew 28% while the sector shrank, and food hubs alone have tripled their sales in five years, generating nearly $19 million in 2023. This resilience reflects a powerful commitment to mālama ʻāina that animates producers, food businesses, and consumers across the islands.

A robust network or hui of 14 food hubs aggregates from over 1,600 farmers and growers, creating markets that individual producers cannot access alone. These hubs—from Kahumana on Oʻahu sourcing from backyard growers to Hawai'i ʻUlu Cooperative revitalizing ancestral breadfruit—are weaving kalo, ʻulu, and other traditional crops back into island diets and commerce. Community health centers, schools, and institutions increasingly recognize food as medicine and cultural practice, creating demand for foods that nourish both body and spirit.

Processing infrastructure is expanding through innovation and collaboration. Value-added producers craft products from local ingredients, and shared commercial kitchens support emerging food entrepreneurs. Food hubs themselves now process surplus harvests into frozen meals, dried goods, and specialty products—capturing abundance that would otherwise be lost.

Traditional production systems continue alongside contemporary agriculture, with networks like Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo actively restoring these practices. Young farmers, supported by robust training programs like GoFarm Hawaiʻi, bring innovation while honoring generational knowledge held by kūpuna.

The Hawaiʻi RFBC team was poised to accelerate this momentum by: supporting farmer cooperatives and networks; providing accessible technical assistance and capital; strengthening food hub infrastructure and inter-island logistics; and advancing institutional procurement that honors cultural foods. Despite the USDA's termination of the RFBC program, by building on existing networks, ancestral wisdom, and deep community commitment to pono—the righteousness of caring for ʻāina and each other—Hawaiʻi can deepen its thriving local food economy while strengthening food sovereignty and cultural continuity across the islands.

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