Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Located over 2,000 miles from the continental U.S., Hawaii imports about 85%-90% of its food, making it particularly vulnerable to disruptions in the food supply. In addition, Hawaii's geographic isolation makes it even more imperative to support local food systems and farmers within Hawaii, especially in times of disaster. On August 8th, 2023, 90mph winds caused wildfires to devastate communities throughout the Island of Maui. This catastrophic event has been called the deadliest recorded natural disaster in Hawaii. Not only was the entire town of Lahaina lost, but other regions of the island sustained much damage, much of it being agricultural lands. The devastation of this natural disaster is immense and has had a substantial detrimental impact on Hawaii's fragile food system and the general agricultural industry in Maui County, including the loss of critical markets and outlets for farmers and the widespread loss of agricultural infrastructure on farms.This project aims to support the Maui farmers and producers whom this natural disaster has impacted. Sustainable Molokai will take a multi-prong approach to fill the needs of Maui farmers and producers for this proposed extension project. Our focus will be on purchasing products from those who have lost a large portion of their market to sell through our Food Hub and other Farm to Food Assistance programs. This increased support for Maui producers will allow them to keep these businesses intact while the local economy can be rebuilt. Sustainable Molokai will also provide financial and educational assistance through a Disaster Grant Program. Affected Maui farmers can apply for funding to help restore farm infrastructure while gaining more education and training on strategies for agricultural resiliency. These farmers will receive 1-1 consultations and a specialized educational plan tailored to their individual farm business needs. Through these innovative approaches, Sustainable Molokai aims to help support food security for Maui County during this time of disaster and into the future by supporting the most critical piece of agriculture--our farmers.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Major goals of the projectOur project goal is to provide relief for Maui producers affected by Maui wildfires while providing new marketplaces and support through technical assistance, consultation, and education to build agricultural resiliency for future disasters.Objective 1:Identify and support Maui farmers affected by the Maui wildfires by creating new market opportunities.Sub Objective 1a:Purchase Maui products from affected producers to sell through SM Food HubObjective 2:Create a Disaster Grant Program (DGP) to support Maui farmers affected by Maui WildfiresSub Objective 2a:Provide funding to help build back infrastructure and implement new innovative strategies for resiliency during times of disaster.Sub Objective 2b:Provide technical assistance, educational opportunities, and training to increase agricultural resiliency.
Project Methods
Data points will be collected to evaluate outcomes and to determine the success of the project by the following methods:Workshop evaluations that measure pre & post knowledgeFarmer Site Assessments, follow-up assessmentsPre- and post-surveys and interviews with farmers/producersAnalyzing sale records, software database recordsActivity logs, sign-in sheets, listserv countsParticipant applications, surveys, and participant tracking forms will be completed via Google Forms, and responses are collated into a Google Sheets file, which is also exported to Excel (.xlsx). Some participants may complete print versions of the preceding forms; those will be input into the corresponding digital form. Curriculum used in this project will be in PDF, Word (.docx), Text (.txt), and Video (.mp4)