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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

Hawai'i Foreign Trade Zone No. 9 (FTZ)

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 Food Basket's Hoʻolako project will benefit farmers, growers, and value-added processors across Hawaiʻi island by providing shared production facilities, mechanisms for networking, collaboration and partnership, and on-site access to technical support and farmer training. With its increased facility size and custom-built food processing spaces, The Food Basket will be able to expand its purchases of locally grown produce for distribution in island and state-wide programs.
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Ho'olako

The Food Basket

Hawaiʻi Island’s Agricultural Innovation Park and Food System Campus dedicated to pioneering innovative solutions to Hawaiʻi's food scarcity and dependency problems.

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.

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.
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Market Systems Development Initiative

Hamakua Institute

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.

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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