Hawai'i Island Agrifood Support Initiative
Transforming Hawai'i Island's Agrifood System through collaborative strategies to strengthen the supporting functions that enable the island's agribusinesses to thrive and grow.
The diagram below serves as a system map for the Hawai'i Island Agriculture Partnership (HIAP) to identify and track challenges and opportunities throughout the island's agrifood system. The system's supporting functions represent the range of activities, both public and private, that enable locally produced agricultural products to make their way through a value chain from production to their end markets in ways that generate profitability and growth.
Agrifood System Map
Set out below is a framework for identifying and understanding the many components of this multi-faceted initiative.
The Partners involved in HIASI have organized themselves to effectively align and coordinate multiple projects and efforts in support of a common vision of agrifood system change. The information below lists the partners involved and the way they have organized themselves for collective action.
Name | Organization |
|---|---|
Bruce Mathews | UH College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources (CTAHR) |
Cheryl Matsumura | East Hawaiʻi Community Development |
Dennis Flemming | Hāmākua Institute |
Eric Tanouye | Green Point Nursery |
Glenn Sako | County of Hawaiʻi Dept of Research & Development |
Kaiana Niezman | Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center (SBDC) |
Leanne Kami | Kamehameha Schools |
Lyle Fujikawa | Hawaiʻi State Dept of Business Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) |
Moani Crowell | Wailea Agricultural Group |
Nathan Trump | Island Harvest |
Noa Lincoln | UH College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources (CTAHR) |
Paul Agamata | Hawaiʻi Community College |
Pono Kekela | Hawaiʻi Island Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce |
Scott Saito | Honda Food Processing |
Tiana Hirota | Hawaiʻi Community College |
Tsurumi Hamasu | Hawaiʻi Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) |
Partner | Role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
Hawaiʻi Community College | Offer new AgTech courses |
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Hawaiʻi Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) | Manage HIASI steering committee. |
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East Hawaiʻi Community Development | Manage HACE and HTAC |
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Hāmākua Institute | Manage HIAP and the Agribusiness Service Center. |
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Hawaiʻi Community College | Manage training and education functions |
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Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center (SBDC) | Manage small business outreach and support. |
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Hawaiʻi Island Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce | Manage development of training and support services for Hawaiian agribusiness. |
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Each collaborative project within the HIASI framework has a team. Each team has a Coordinator who is responsible for scheduling, coordinating and documenting the activities of the project to keep team members aligned and inform other partners of progress. The Initiative uses a constellation form of governance, meaning each team is autonomous and agree upon their own rules of decision-making, roles and responsibilities within their project. For teams that integrate closely with other teams, there will be overlapping team membership to ensure alignment and coordination.
The Partners involved in HIASI have effectively aligned their strategies to ensure they establish synergies in their efforts in support of a common vision of agrifood system change. The information below lists the strategic framework, initiatives and collaborative projects that form the collective action HIASI represents.
HIASI's strategic framework is based on a market systems development approach to facilitating sustainable improvements in Hawai'i Island's agrifood system. This approach focuses on working collaboratively with local industries to identify and implement targeted interventions in the way the local economy functions to stimulate market-driven changes that can be scaled up for improved business benefits and wider economic impact.
This model for system change starts with pilot projects aimed at validating the potential benefits from identified solutions. Partners involved in the pilots share responsibilities for testing the solution as well as measuring and analyzing the results. Successful pilots are then scaled up through expansion and/or replication and with broad awareness stimulating a "crowding-in" effect of new market entrants recognizing the opportunity.
Agribusiness Service Center
Establish an Agribusiness Service Center (ASC) in Hilo to facilitate increased services, information and support for small farms, businesses and non-profits on Hawai'i Island.
Market Systems Development Initiative
Kubota-Hawaii AgTech Collaboration
Kubota collaboration with HIAP and the Tropical AgTech partners, focusing on identifying market needs, showcasing advanced agricultural equipment, and facilitating knowledge transfer.
Hilo Tropical AgTech Initiative
Integrated AgTech Business Model
Develop an integrated business model for sustainable tropical AgTech support and services to Hawai'i Island's farmers
Hilo Tropical AgTech Initiative
Soybean Value Chain pilot
Pilot project to explore the viability of increasing local soybean production to open new opportunities for farmers growing soybeans. Soybeans are being processed and sold to supermarkets and catering services.
Hilo Tropical AgTech Initiative
Imported Fertilizer Pilot
A pilot project designed to source lower cost fertilizer and other input supplies for farmers.
Hilo Tropical AgTech Initiative
Initiatives include multi-faceted programs and projects with multiple component pilot projects and collaborative efforts.
Hilo Tropical AgTech Initiative
Establish a new facility and set of partnerships for identifying and introducing new agrifood technologies and innovations.
Hawai'i Foreign Trade Zone No. 9 (FTZ)
Market Systems Development Initiative
Train multi-stakeholder teams to identify high potential growth opportunities, establish market linkages to develop them and diffuse innovations that create a multiplier effect throughout the market system.
Hamakua Institute
Upgrade former Miko Meats Facility
Upgrade former Miko Meats facility in Hilo to establish an AgTech Center of Excellence.
East Hawai'i Community Development
The Hawai'i Island Agrifood Support Initiative seeks to establish facilities that create a "pipeline" for useful new technologies and innovations to be introduced and adopted in ways that stimulate interest from students, farmers and entrepreneurs to explore new opportunities. The Initiative will build the long term commercial viability of the Hilo Tropical AgTech Center (HTAC), the Hilo AgTech Center of Excellence (HACE) and HIAP's Agribusiness Service Center (ASC) to serve as the integrated steps in that pipeline.
Anchored at the Foreign Trade Zone facility adjacent to Hilo Airport, the Hilo Tropical AgTech Center (HTAC) will establish a state-of-the-art facility for identifying and introducing new agrifood technologies and innovations to Hawai’i Island’s farmers and food producers.
VISION
HTAC will serve as a centralized point for agtech innovation, facilitating the introduction and adoption of new agricultural technologies and processes.
In doing so, it will:
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Increase farm profitability by lowering costs of imported input supplies.
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Support the development of new agricultural careers and business opportunities.
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Strengthen the agricultural value chain on Hawaii Island through optimized practices and technologies.
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Leverage public-private collaboration for agrifood cluster development, enhancing export market opportunities for Hawaiʻi Island agricultural products.
Lead Partner: Foreign Trade Zone
With support from: East Hawaii Community Development, HIAP
PHASED DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
Phase 1: The Park (2025-2028)
Establish initial site operations using the utility yard. Commence services and activities in collaboration with partners.
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Use for storage and demonstrations.
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Hold an AgTech Demonstration Fair, incorporating Kubota imported equipment demonstration possibly combined with display of other products from Japan.
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Establishment of services and activities:
Services
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Container Storage
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Freight Handling and Transportation
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Import and Export Services/Support
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Identify and source equipment and supplies for farms and producer groups
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Facilitate supply chain partnerships and other market linkages
Activities
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Equipment and Technology Demonstrations
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Operations and Maintenance Training
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Fumigation and Inspection of Floriculture and Nursery Crops
Phase 2: The Center (2029 +)
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Design, build and open AgTech Center building and associated infrastructure. Build capacity, commercial viability and sustainability.
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Continue to use the Park and all outside facilities in conjunction with new building, maximizing opportunities for shared usage of facilities and HIAP support.
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Continue Phase 1 services and activities, expanding in Phase 2 with the following:
Services
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Expanded Warehouse space for Storage
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Increased Freight Handling and Transportation
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Provision of Shared Office Workspace and Meeting Space
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Increased infrastructure for member use
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Laboratory services
Activities
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Use of interior space for demonstrations
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Training and education programs
HTAC will expand upon the Foreign Trade Zone's existing warehouse to add additional office and meeting space, more warehouse capacity, a demonstration and utility yard and mobile greenhouses.
The Agribusiness Service Center (ASC) aims to optimize the provision of tailored public and private services to small farms, agribusinesses, and service providers. It serves as the signature project of the Hawai'i Island Agriculture Partnership (HIAP), seeking to leverage the alignment of public and private service offerings to farms, businesses and non-profits to optimize the support available for sustainable growth and self-sufficiency. ASC will work proactively to help stakeholders in the island's agrifood system better understand where free public assistance leaves off and where private sector service provision can take over to facilitate new opportunities.
Lead Partner: HIAP
With support from: Hamakua Institute, East Hawaii Community Development, SBDC, FTZ
VISION
The vision for the ASC project is to empower Hawaiʻi Island's farmers by providing access to a broad range of useful, low-cost services offered locally, enhancing farm profitability and productivity. By bridging the gap between public support and private investment, we strive to cultivate a synergistic environment where public initiatives attract and stimulate private investment rather than displacing it. We seek to elevate small-scale, informal, and part-time producers into higher levels of income and opportunity, integrating them more fully into the mainstream agricultural economy and enabling them to produce more without increasing their workload.
OBJECTIVES
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Public/private collaboration and coordination strengthens the linkages between supply and demand of local agricultural products, services and input supplies.
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A sustainable market is established for local service providers to increase the availability of market data, analysis and market development opportunities that sustainably build regional competitiveness.
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A sustainable market is established for training, research and technology services utilized by local agribusinesses, cooperatives and producer associations to grow production and increase profitability.
The Hilo AgTech Center of Excellence (HACE) is a visionary collaboration aimed at revolutionizing Hawai'i island's agricultural economy through innovation, education, and strategic partnerships. The center’s focus is on economic development, international trade and sustainable technologies at the nexus of agricultural and environmental science, with benefits accruing to small-scale agricultural producers and historically underserved populations. The center is operated by East Hawaii Community Development Corporation (EHCDC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working in East Hawaii and surrounding communities.
Lead Partner: East Hawaii Community Development
With support from: Hawai'i Community College, HIAP
The Hilo Tropical AgTech Center of Excellence (HACE) and the Agribusiness Service Center (ASC) will be established at the former Miko Meats facility in the Kanoelehua Industrial area in the center of Hilo.
Mission
To support early-stage AgTech startups in transforming their ideas into market-ready solutions through comprehensive business development, mentoring, and resource access, all within a collaborative ecosystem.
Key Objectives
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Support AgTech innovation, cultivating innovative solutions that address the most pressing challenges in agriculture.
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Facilitate entrepreneurship development, providing training, mentorship, and resources to help AgTech entrepreneurs turn their ideas into viable products and businesses.
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Accelerate commercialization of technology and innovation by providing the skills and tools necessary to build an enterprise.
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Foster collaboration, encouraging collaboration between startups, corporate partners, universities, investors, and governmental bodies to create a robust innovation ecosystem.
Key Services and Offerings
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Education & Workshops: Host workshops and educational sessions on AgTech trends, investment opportunities, and sector challenges.
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Mentorship & Advisory Support: Access to experienced mentors from the AgTech, agriculture, and business sectors.
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Technology Resources: Provide access to technology tools, software, and platforms for research and development.
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Business Development Programs: Tailored programs to refine business models and go-to-market strategies.