Case Study: Agriculture Development Plan, Hawaii County, HI

Article Read time:
Projects: Health Impact
Case Study: Agriculture Development Plan, Hawaii County, HI

Opportunity

Hawai‘i County was working on a new agricultural plan. Its purpose was to revitalize agriculture as a basis for economic development through serving as a guide for county government, local advocacy groups, and local businesses. The Kohala Center received a grant from the Health Impact Project to conduct an HIA to inform the plan.

Situation

Hawai‘i Island is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Despite abundant fertile lands and a 12-month growing season, the island imports about 85 percent of its food.

There were several existing conditions that could be affected by the agricultural plan:

  • Availability of healthy foods: Nearly one-quarter of Hawai‘i Island residents and an even larger percentage of its children don’t have access to adequate amounts of healthy foods.
  • Obesity rates: While Hawai‘i as a whole has one of the nation’s lowest rates of obesity, the incidence of obesity falls disproportionately on native Hawaiian, rural, and lower-income people.
  • Unemployment: The statewide unemployment rate was dropping after the recent recession, but the unemployment rate for Hawai‘i County remained much higher than the rest of the state.
  • The HIA

The HIA found several potential health benefits of the agricultural plan, and included recommendations to maximize health benefits in implementing the policies and reaching the goals articulated in the Hawai‘i County Agriculture Development Plan, including ways to make it easier for schools to buy more local produce, tactics to increase the amount of food grown for the local market, and suggestions to increase home, school, and community gardening.

Outcome

Kohala Center staff members had an opportunity to meet with County of Hawai‘i Planning Department staff members during the strategy development period and made additional specific suggestions during the draft review period. All of the key issues and most of the HIA recommendations were included in the final state strategy documents, with dollar figures attached to some of the recommended initiatives. Also, the statewide Hawai‘i School Food Authority’s school food services director at the Department of Education has added staff members to assist in developing ways to more successfully source local food.

Read more about this HIA.

Downloads Hawaii Ties Expansion of Local Food System to Community Health
Downloads Hawaii Ties Expansion of Local Food System to Community Health
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
RELATED
Projects
Health Impact
Places
Hawaii

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A bright blue T-cell infected by HIV is engulfed by hundreds of yellow virions.

Article

March 14, 2024 Pew Researcher Seeks to Crack Code on HIV Cure
A person in a lab coat and red pants looks back at other staff members in a hospital hallway lined with medical equipment.

Article

March 12, 2024 Few Hospitals Use Recommended Suicide Care Practices
A person holds a box of medication and sits at table in front of a computer during a telemedicine call.

Speeches & Testimony

February 15, 2024 Congress Should Support Telehealth Treatment for Addiction

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.