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Initiatives

The Hawai'i Island Agriculture Partnership seeks to keep its members and other stakeholders aware of initiatives being planned and already being implemented that are intended to improve the island's agricultural economy. The list below provides information about each of these initiatives.

The Tropical AgTech Hub is a visionary collaboration aimed at revolutionizing Hawai'i Island's agricultural economy through innovation, education, and strategic partnerships. Anchored at the Foreign Trade Zone facility adjacent to Hilo Airport, this project 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. The Hub's mission is to enhance farm profitability and foster greater collaboration across agricultural value chains by serving as a centralized nerve center for agricultural trade and innovation. The Tropical AgTech Hub‘s core purpose is to become a nerve center for Hawaiʻi Island’s agrifood ecosystem, serving as a centralized repository and dissemination point for shared information, technologies and training. By focusing on market trends, emerging opportunities, cutting-edge technologies, and burgeoning agricultural careers and business opportunities, the hub aims to catalyze a new era of productivity and innovation in Hawaii's agricultural sector. This project aligns with the strategies developed collectively by public and private sector stakeholders in the Hawaiʻi Island Agriculture Partnership (HIAP), aiming to create a more sustainable and inclusive agricultural ecosystem in Hawaiʻi. The collaboration between educational institutions, government agencies, and non-profit organizations exemplifies the collective impact model HIAP advocates for, emphasizing the importance of strategic cohesion among diverse stakeholders in Hawaii's agriculture sector. To support HIAP’s strategies, the Tropical AgTech Hub will: 1. Serve as a centralized point for innovation in agriculture and food technology. 2. Facilitate the introduction and adoption of new agricultural technologies and processes. 3. Support the development of new agricultural careers and business opportunities. 4. Enhance data collection, analysis, and dissemination on market trends and opportunities. 5. Strengthen the agricultural value chain on Hawaii Island through optimized practices and technologies.
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Tropical AgTech Hub

Hawaii Community College

Anchored at the Foreign Trade Zone facility adjacent to Hilo Airport, this project 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.

Establish Community Food Center and Agriculture Innovation Hub in Hilo, serving as a centralized high end processing facility and co-locating key agricultural market system functions to develop synergies and more easily diffuse innovation in the sector.
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Community Food Center/ Agriculture Innovation Hub

The Food Basket

Establish Community Food Center and Agriculture Innovation Hub in Hilo.

Upgrade existing processing facility in Hilo to increase kitchen facilities and small scale processing capacity.
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Upgrade former Miko Meats Facility

Miko Foods

Upgrade existing processing facility in Hilo to increase kitchen facilities and small scale processing capacity.

Expand breadfruit agroforestry production and processing by upgrading the East Hawai?i Island processing facility.
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Expanded Agroforestry Production and Processing

Hawai'i 'Ulu Cooperative

Expand breadfruit agroforestry production and processing by upgrading the East Hawai?i Island processing facility.

Increase the availability of Polynesian crops through nursery expansion and educational programing to increase traditional food production and preservation .
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Polynesian Crop Production and Education

The Kohala Center

Increase the availability of Polynesian crops through nursery expansion and educational programing .

Integrate closed loop waste strategies within the cluster and grow the waste management value chain by aligning public and private interests.
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Waste Management Value Chain Program

Ma'ona Community Gardens

Integrate closed loop waste strategies.

Public-private review and collective improvement of education, training and technical services needed to build the workforce needed to enable sustain growth in the Agriculture Sector.
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Agricultural Workforce Development Program

UH-Hilo

Public-private review and collective improvement of education, training and technical services needed to build the workforce needed to enable sustain growth in the Agriculture Sector.

The Market Systems Development Initiative (MSDI) is a groundbreaking effort aimed at increasing Hawaiʻi Island's collective capacity to build competitiveness and sustainability within its local economy. By leveraging a market systems development approach—an internationally recognized framework used in over 67 countries—we seek to unlock the full potential of markets to drive inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty, and enhance resilience. MSDI is more than a set of projects; it's a transformative movement that brings together public and private stakeholders to collaboratively address systemic challenges and stimulate sustainable development. Through six interrelated component projects, MSDI is evolving into an exciting systems innovation that holds the promise of reshaping Hawaiʻi Island's economic landscape. Our Mission Empower Collaborative Action: Strengthen Hawaiʻi Island’s capacity for joint public-private economic analysis and action. Stimulate Inclusive Growth: Leverage market-driven growth to increase employment, income, and resiliency, particularly benefiting communities in need. Foster Systemic Change: Address root causes of economic challenges through a holistic understanding of market ecosystems. What is Market Systems Development? A market system refers to the ecosystem surrounding an economic sector, encompassing all the actors, functions, and relationships that define how a market operates. A market systems development approach involves using guiding principles and analytical tools to understand and influence this ecosystem, aiming to create sustainable growth that benefits specific populations or communities. By focusing on systemic constraints rather than symptoms, we can develop solutions that lead to lasting positive impacts. This approach encourages collaboration, innovation, and the effective alignment of efforts across public and private sectors. Our Component Projects MSDI comprises six interrelated projects, each contributing to our overarching mission: 1. Public-Private Partnership & Action Objective: Facilitate and support the Hawaiʻi Island Agriculture Partnership (HIAP) and its members to enable more effective alignment and coordination of efforts supporting Hawaiʻi Island’s agricultural economy. Activities: - Establishing systems and mechanisms that make it easier for organizations and businesses to collaborate. - Lowering barriers to shared efforts through innovative platforms and communication tools. - Aggregating supply chain partnerships to achieve greater growth opportunities and profitability for producers. 2. Hawaiʻi Island Clusters of Opportunity (HICO) Objective: Collect and analyze economic data to identify clusters of opportunity, facilitating collaborative action planning among high-potential clusters and value chains. Activities: - Utilizing real-time, reliable data to understand current economic conditions. - Identifying four key economic clusters: Knowledge & Technology, Diversified Healthcare, Hospitality & - Experience, and Agriculture & Food. - Convening business leaders to develop actionable growth strategies. 3. Market Systems Facilitation Training Objective: Build the capacity of mid-career professionals to understand market systems and use diagnostic tools to identify systemic constraints and develop strategies for equitable growth. Activities: - Providing applied learning experiences to introduce market systems development concepts. - Training participants to lead value chain analyses and facilitate stakeholder collaborations. - Equipping facilitators with skills to drive systemic change within their sectors. 4. Value Chain Analysis Objective: Analyze three key value chains—staple food crops, export crops, and agricultural services—to identify systemic constraints and recommend pilot projects for stimulating growth. Activities: - Collaborating with industry partners and stakeholders to conduct in-depth analyses. - Focusing on root causes of inefficiencies and barriers within each value chain. - Developing detailed reports and actionable recommendations. 5. Value Chain Pilot Projects Objective: Implement pilot projects that introduce solutions to overcome systemic constraints and stimulate new income and employment growth where it is needed most. Activities: - Developing small-scale pilot projects with informal working groups. - Testing innovative interventions with the potential to scale up through producer associations. - Fostering collaborations that lead to systemic change and enhanced competitiveness. 6. Market Analysis and Development Objective: Identify Hawaiʻi Island’s comparative and competitive market advantages, analyze demand for new value-added agricultural and food products, and develop shared marketing strategies. Activities: - Conducting in-depth market research to understand consumer demand and preferences. - Supporting branding and marketing efforts for Hawaiʻi products in local and export markets. - Collaborating with partners to enhance the visibility and appeal of Hawaiʻi Island's agricultural products. Our Evolution into Systems Innovation MSDI is not static; it is continuously evolving to meet the changing needs of Hawaiʻi Island's economy. By integrating insights from our component projects and fostering a culture of collaboration, we are: - Driving Innovation: Encouraging new technologies, practices, and business models that enhance efficiency and competitiveness. - Enhancing Resilience: Building capacities that enable the economy to withstand and adapt to challenges. - Promoting Inclusivity: Ensuring that growth opportunities benefit all communities, including disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Acknowledgments We are deeply grateful to our donor partners whose generous support has been instrumental in advancing MSDI's mission: County of Hawaiʻi University of Hawaiʻi Arizona State University Hawaiʻi Foreign Trade Zone No. 9 Kamehameha Schools Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Hawaiʻi Community College Greenpoint Nursery Hawaiʻi Community Foundation Their contributions have enabled us to develop and implement innovative strategies that are reshaping Hawaiʻi Island's economic future.
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Market Systems Development Initiative

Hamakua Institute

Identify and develop high potential growth opportunities, establish market linkages to develop them and facilitate innovations that create a multiplier effect throughout the local agriculture and food system.

Increase access to technical assistance in business development, marketing, and capitalization services for farms, processors and aggregators island-wide.
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Business & Technical Assistance Program

The Kohala Center

Increase access to technical assistance in business development, marketing, and capitalization services for farms, processors and aggregators island-wide.

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