Informing Place-Based Equity for Hawaiʻi's Local Producers

Abstract

The burdens of meeting aggressive green mandates, competing in a diversified local economy, and achieving food security rest on the shoulders of Hawaiʻi producers. To provide the necessary support to farmers and ranchers in establishing climate-conscious markets, USDA and Hawaiʻi state resources are becoming increasingly available. However, USDA policies that insufficiently address the context of inequities experienced in Hawaiʻi raise the risk of negative equity feedbacks that can disqualify the viability of government interventions for climate-smart outcomes. Local Hawaiʻi producers face unique circumstances shaped by Hawaiʻi’s agrarian and cultural history and geographic isolation. These factors that set Hawaiʻi producers apart from contiguous US producers result in an inherently different complex of barriers to accessing government resources. This proposal justifies a cross-sectional methodology to investigate the gaps within the government’s understanding of “historically underserved producers” with the objective of improving participation by local and small Hawaiʻi producers in transitioning to a climate-smart economy. This work will inform state climate-smart initiatives and governmental agencies of policy needs. Overall, this work will document barriers producers face to accessing government support and propose policy modifications to state and federal decision-makers that intend to improve contextual equity and reduce burdens associated with being an agricultural producer in Hawaiʻi. Upon capstone panel approval, the project will be conducted from May 2023 through May 2024.