A $1 million grant awarded two years ago to the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu Sustainable Community Food Systems program from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has resulted in numerous positive outcomes from the past year alone that will make lasting change in the sustainability, equity, and resilience of Hawai‘i’s food system.
The two-year grant (2022 to 2024) was awarded to create a Hawai‘i Institute for Sustainable Community Food Systems (HISCFS) and to help support the implementation of a range of applied food system research, education, policy analysis, planning and community engagement activities, all designed to support meaningful systemic change in Hawai‘i.
“The work supported by the WKKF funding has had a profound impact, accelerating important food system research, undergraduate and public education, and state-level planning in Hawai‘i, establishing a foundation for sustained progress,” said Dr. Albie Miles, Associate Professor of Sustainable Community Food Systems at UH West O‘ahu. “The policies, educational pathways, community engagement efforts, and research products developed or influenced through this grant are driving systemic change.”
Reflecting on the outcomes of the WKKF-funded project, Miles, the grant’s principal investigator (PI), said one of the most significant achievements was the completion of the Integrated State Food Policy Framework for Hawaii (v.1), which directly influenced the creation of the SR111 SD1 Interagency State-Level Food System Planning Process and resulted in the Sustainable Food Systems Working Group’s Report to the 33rd Legislature (2025). New food systems coordination bills, introduced by Sen. Mike Gabbard, Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa, and colleagues (SB1186 / HB967) are now in front of the state legislature which would help institutionalize interagency food systems coordination and planning work at the state level, Miles said.
“This policy framework — coauthored by over 40 technical experts — has provided a foundation for ongoing, coordinated food system planning and policy development across multiple state agencies and sectors,” Miles said.
The basis of this policy framework was derived from a comprehensive analysis and ‘toolkit’ called Food Systems Plans & Charters: A Landscape Analysis, which synthesized the content of 25 state- and city-level food systems plans and charters from across the United States. These resources, used nationally and internationally, are intended to help other future food system planning initiatives get underway.
“The continued momentum behind this food system change work, including the establishment of the new Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems of the University of Hawai’i System, with Dr. Noa Lincoln, speaks to the urgent need and the growing social and scientific movements in support of food system transformation in Hawai‘i and beyond,” Miles said.
Another key accomplishment was the 3rd Annual Hawai‘i Food System Summit, presented by the Transforming Hawai‘i’s Food Systems Together initiative in December at UH West O‘ahu. The Summit convened over 215 community, state and, NGO leaders and created a shared understanding of the state’s key food system challenges, including the high rate of chronic household food insecurity in Hawai‘i. The Food System Summit at UH West O‘ahu demonstrated the power of cross-sector collaboration in driving transformative change, Miles said.
“Finally, the multiple research collaborations, including that on Forming a National Community of Practice of Food System Planning Initiatives Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals done in coordination with Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, which marks a key contribution to the broader national food system transformation movement,” Miles said. “Importantly, this study has resulted in the formation of a new National Community of Practice (NCOP) of State and Regional Food System Planning that representatives from the State of Hawaiʻi will join.”
Other recent WKKF-funded achievements include:
- Over $200,000 in scholarships were awarded to UH West Oʻahu SCFS students in 2024.
- Over 60 UH System students have participated in the Hawai‘i Food+ Policy legislative internship program.
- Six UH West O‘ahu SCFS recent graduates are now enrolled in multiple graduate programs at UH Mānoa.
- An additional $160,000 Alaka‘ina Foundation Scholarship Grant (2023-2025) and the $1.5 million Huaka‘i ‘Ike ‘Āina (HI‘A) Project Grant (2024-2027) extends the prior USDA NIFA– and WKKF-funded work of building a higher education pathway and leadership in sustainable food systems in the UH System.
- Over 20,263 independent users in 13 countries accessing the Transforming Hawai‘i’s Food Systems Together (THFST) food system planning initiative (see “Our Collective Impact”). THFST is a collaborative and multi-sectoral food system change initiative that seeks to convene key stakeholders, conduct applied research, articulate policy and planning recommendations and build statewide capacity to achieve a more economically robust, sustainable, equitable and resilient food system for Hawaiʻi.
- Over 3,123 people have participated in the Future of Food and Agriculture in Hawai‘i Speaker Series via in-person venues and videos. The series brings thought leaders, academics, community leaders, state officials, and practitioners from across the state and the nation into a dialogue to facilitate the development of a common understanding, vision, and plan of action for achieving a healthy, equitable, resilient, and sustainable food system for Hawai‘i.
- The development of a range of new Knowledge Products, including a technical report on Food System Resilience Indicators for Hawai‘i.
- Peer-Reviewed Publications and Technical Reports:
- Zougris, K., Miles, A. F. (2024). Assessing Household Emergency Preparedness in Hawai‘i. Technical Report to the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency.
- Shon, J., & Miles, A. (2024). Ranking food security indicators and metrics in Hawaiʻi: a Delphi approach. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1427270.
- Zougris, K., Miles, A. F., Benjamin, R., & Geismar, E. (2025). Forming a National Community of Practice of Food System Planning Initiatives Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1490923.
- Zougris, K., Miles, A. F. (2025). Analyzing Disaster Preparedness and Rates of Household Compliance in Hawai’i: A Socio-Cognitive Approach. The International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters (in review).
“The support of WKKF has made this all possible and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead this important work,” Miles said. “The momentum we have built will continue to shape Hawai‘i’s food system for many years to come.”