EAST MAUI COMMUNITY FOOD ASSESSMENT
designing a food system from the ground up
2019-2022
JUST LAUNCHED!
Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke is excited to share our East Maui Community Food Assessment, a project under the USDA Agricultural Marketing Services Local Food Promotion Program.
We set out to answer the question: “How can we increase and reaffirm food security in Hāna and the greater East Maui?”
Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke conducted consumer, farmer and producer, and market and distribution research, as well as in-depth interviews and community discussions with keiki, ʻohana, other local nonprofits on Maui and across the pae ʻāina, and agricultural stakeholders throughout East Maui districts.
Collectively, we identified consumer preferences for locally-grown and sourced foods, supply and demand trends, and challenges ʻohana, farmers and producers, and local suppliers face when it comes to accessing, cultivating, and distributing more of these locally-grown and sourced foods.
This research project has already begun to evolve and community-based solutions are taking shape.
mahalo nui iā ʻoukou.
Community voice has been integral throughout the East Maui Community Food Assessment project. Ma Ka Hana Ka ʻIke is grateful to the hundreds of community members, from keiki to kūpuna, who contributed to every phase of this project.
If you or your organization have any questions about or feedback on this project or the plans underway, please reach out to us at kokua@hanabuild.org.