Resilient Food Systems
Policy & Partnerships Program

Agriculture Stewardship Hawaiʻi’s Resilient Food Systems & Policy Program collaborates with government agencies, nonprofits, funders, and industry partners to strengthen Hawaiʻi’s agricultural policy, food systems, and infrastructure. Our core initiative — the Hawaiʻi Statewide Food Systems Coordination — connects stakeholders across the state around a unified food system agenda, translating shared goals into measurable outcomes through research, policy engagement, and on-the-ground coordination.

In 2025, the program focused on three priorities:

Enabling

equitable access to institutional markets

Strengthening

local food systems

Accelerating

collaboration across government, community, and industry

Key Highlights of 2025

  • Provided backbone support for Hawaiʻi’s Statewide Food Systems Coordination, connecting state agencies, counties, and community partners around shared food system goals.
  • Supported the introduction, passage, and implementation of Act 239 — the State of Hawaiʻi’s Interagency Food Systems Working Group — translating food system working group goals into actionable, measurable outcomes.
  • Convened monthly statewide coordination calls with public agencies, nonprofits, and food system stakeholders to align efforts, share information, and support policy development.
  • Facilitated an Ag-Camp in-person convening bringing together agencies, legislators, and community-based organizations to advance shared food system priorities and build cross-sector momentum.
  • Disseminated two statewide federal funding reports identifying gaps and opportunities to better position Hawaiʻi’s food system amid shifting federal priorities.
  • Partnered with the Hawaiʻi Food Systems Summit to highlight disaster preparedness coordination and response data gaps.
  • Launched a statewide mapping of institutional food purchasing networks — engaging schools, healthcare systems, and nonprofits — to identify opportunities to expand local sourcing.
  • Advanced food security strategies including the Food Security Fund for the Honolulu Charter and support for the Food as Medicine initiative.

Agriculture Stewardship Hawaiʻi’s Reports on the Impacts of Federal Funding Changes

 Federal Funding Freeze Impacts on Hawaiʻi Food Systems

Federal Funding Cuts Impacting Hawaiʻi’s Food System Part 2, More Than Just Money at Stake