A 2023 REPORT BY THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION found that the world’s current agri-food systems impose hidden environmental and societal costs equivalent to over $12.7 trillion a year, or 10 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product.
Most of these hidden costs stem from unhealthy diets, leading to obesity and chronic illnesses that reduce labor productivity. Low-income countries suffering from poverty and undernourishment are especially impacted. Agricultural production is also degrading ecosystems through land-use changes, biodiversity loss, freshwater resource exploitation, soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution from fertilizers and pesticides. Moreover, food and farming systems are increasingly threatened by the global climate crisis.
While current agri-food systems are driving negative ecological changes and major global public health issues, developing sustainable agri-food systems can play a crucial role in achieving socio-ecological health, equity, resilience, and sustainability, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The urgent call for food system transformation and rigorous monitoring of progress toward the SDGs is increasingly echoed throughout the global scientific community.
Holistic & Collaborative Solutions
These pressing global issues, along with local food system challenges, have catalyzed the development of the Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems at the University of Hawai‘i (UH). Building on similar efforts at other universities, the soon-to-be research, education, planning, and policy hub will focus on improving the local food system in Hawai‘i. Led by UH West O‘ahu Associate Professor Albie Miles and UH Mānoa Associate Professor Noa Lincoln, the center will be a cross-campus and community-engaged collaboration addressing pressing problems in food and agriculture in Hawai‘i and beyond.
Examples include Miles’ collaborative food system planning effort with the Hawai‘i Public Health Institute that is funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Food Systems Partnerships Program and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Over the last three years, this project has convened thousands of food system stakeholders around the state and increased legislative engagement through the annual Hawai‘i Food System Summit. Lincoln’s collaboration with the Hawai‘i Food Hub Hui has supported data analysis, impact measurement, and public awareness, leading to financial support for the continued growth of Hawai‘i food hubs.
“With significant hidden costs and the growing risk of climate destabilization, we need to work toward healthy, equitable, resilient, and sustainable food systems,” said Miles. “Integrated research, education, and planning are essential to inform public policy and private-sector investment toward transforming our food system.”
Socio-Ecological Performance vs. Federal Funding
According to a 2016 analysis by Miles and his colleagues, less than 15 percent of USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) funds have supported agroecology, sustainable agriculture, and local food systems development. Despite a track record of agroecological farming systems in reducing environmental externalities and promoting ecosystem and social services, the combined funding from key USDA programs supporting agroecology is estimated to be less than five percent of the total USDA REE budget as of 2023.
“In agroecology, farms are understood as ecosystems where ecological theory and natural resource management principles are applied,” Lincoln explained. “Modern agricultural systems focus on chemical inputs and capital-intensive technologies to maximize yields, often ignoring important environmental and social factors. We need to instead adjust farming practices to suit the parameters of agroecosystems for sustainability.”
Hallmarks of agroecological farming systems include: biological diversification through poly-cultures, cover cropping and crop rotation; enhancing soil health through soil organic matter management; biological control of pests, weeds and pathogens; reducing reliance on mineral fertilizers and chemical pest-control agents; and the integration of Indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge and practice.
Agroecology in Hawai‘i
In Hawai‘i, ancestral farming practices reflected Native Hawaiians’ kinship with the land, balancing societal and environmental health. Over centuries, they cultivated a range of agricultural systems adapted to the archipelago’s diverse landscapes, from rainforests to volcanic plains. Systems like agroforestry mimic forest nutrient cycling and preserve ecosystems while maximizing outputs like food, medicines, fiber, dye, and timber. Trees such as kukui (candlenut) and ‘ulu (breadfruit) play a key role in these systems by enhancing soil fertility and creating micro-habitats for other Polynesian-introduced crops like like mai‘a (banana/plantain), wauke (paper mulberry), mamaki (Hawaiian nettle), awapuhi (shampoo ginger), ‘awa (kavakava) and kalo (taro).
Despite the absence of archaeological remnants distinguishing traditional wetland and dry-field agricultural systems, recent research by Lincoln confirmed that agroforestry was the dominant form of landscape modification for agriculture in Hawai‘i.
“Agroforestry maximized production in marginal environments, increased yields, and enhanced resilience through diversity,” said Lincoln. “Our ancestors walked intelligently upon the landscape, maintaining sustainable and equitable food systems for centuries. There are many relevant lessons to bring forward to today’s food and agricultural systems.”
Barriers to Agroecology in Hawai‘i
Adoption of agroecological practices in Hawai‘i has been limited due to greater initial investment requirements and slower returns. Other barriers include high costs of agricultural production, competition from mainland producers, inadequate enabling policies, lack of technical assistance to growers, farm financing, and short-term land leases that discourage long-term investments in conservation practices.
Lincoln has supported overcoming some of these challenges in partnership with the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative, which seeks to support agroforestry through the revival of traditional staple crops while democratizing the value chain. Through partnerships, Lincoln’s lab addresses various challenges faced by the cooperative through research and development, including economic forecasting, nutrient management, pruning, variety trials, carbon sequestration, disease and pest management, and post-harvest management. Programs like the Expanding Agroforestry Program, administered by the cooperative in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, provide financial support to farmers to plant new agroforestry systems.
Next Steps & Potential Impacts
“We need a fundamental shift in our thinking about food and agriculture,” said Miles. “Changing our research, education, planning, community engagement, and policy priorities to support meaningful food system change toward the realization of the UN SDGs is essential, and the Ke Ō Mau Center will play an important role in this.”
The Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems at UH marks a pivotal step towards fostering transdisciplinary and applied agri-food system research, education, planning, policy analysis and community engagement. By serving as a hub for collaborative efforts, the center will bridge the gap between academic research and practical implementation, ensuring that theoretical advancements in the biophysical and social sciences translate into tangible, on-the-ground improvements.
The center’s co-directors Lincoln and Miles, invite fellow academics, practitioners, philanthropist and community stakeholders to join forces in this endeavor, leveraging collective expertise and resources to create a thriving, sustainable food system that can serve as a model for island communities worldwide.
The goal of the Ke Ō Mau Center for Sustainable Island Food Systems is to create a thriving, sustainable food system that can serve as a model for island communities around the world