An analysis of how Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa can protect and rebuild their local value chains

Across Guåhan (Guam), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, ancestral foodways persist despite a harsh colonial legacy.  Small-scale producers in these extremities of the US—growing taro, breadfruit, coconut, and other traditional crops—face a perfect storm: exorbitant input costs due to geographic isolation, fragmented aggregation infrastructure, distribution bottlenecks, and limited market channels that favor cheap imports.

One stark example shows how these hurdles compound and interconnect: A dragon fruit farmer in American Samoa sells a portion of their harvest to the school lunch program, but the rest rots in their fields. Why? They lack cold storage to preserve the fruit, cannot find other buyers on-island for the surplus, and have limited infrastructure to aggregate and distribute product. This producers' challenges and many more is not about production capacity or interest in developing local food systems—it's about major gaps in the middle of the value chain. Without more processing infrastructure, reliable aggregation, and distribution networks in these islands, a natural abundance turns into waste.

Nevertheless, momentum is building. Guåhan Sustainable Culture and other organizations are revitalizing traditional crops and strengthening producer cooperatives. American Samoa's school lunch program demonstrates institutional procurement's potential—anchoring reliable demand for local farmers. Innovative processors like Moana Taro Chips and Island Gluten Free Bakery are creating value-added products. And leaders across the region—from cooperative associations to government economic development offices—recognize that building resilient food systems requires investing in the infrastructure and markets that connect producers to buyers.

The Islands and Remote Areas RFBC- a project that was summarily terminated by USDA- was poised to accelerate this transition by strengthening aggregation capacity, developing processing facilities, supporting producer networks, and building pathways to institutional and tourism markets—ultimately enabling these islands to nourish themselves rather than depending on distant supply chains. This report highlights those strategies for further, future development

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