Statewide leaders convene for 2025 Hawaiʻi Food System Summit focused on disaster resilience

More than 180 leaders from government, private sectors, public health, education and community organizations gathered for the Hawai‘i Food System Summit on Dec. 8 and 9 to explore actionable strategies for building a stronger, more accessible and disaster-resilient food system.

“This year’s summit focus on disaster preparedness and resilience in Hawaiʻi food and agriculture comes at a critical time, on the heels of federal cuts, uncertainty and ongoing crisis for many in our communities,” said Amanda Shaw, director of food systems at Agricultural Stewardship Hawaiʻi. “From a policy perspective, the summit is an important place for us to gather lessons, develop solutions, activate networks and collectively shape the path ahead.”

Held at the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center, the two-day event offered a comprehensive understanding of Hawai‘i’s food system and state-level planning efforts. With the theme, “Food System Resilience and Disaster Preparedness,” panels and showcases highlighted frontline perspectives, including lessons from the Lahaina wildfires and the O‘ahu Feeding Task Force. Discussions focused on the practical challenges of emergency food distribution, gaps in access and opportunities to strengthen local production and resilience.

“Food system resilience is the capacity to absorb, adapt to and recover from disruptions while ensuring equitable access to nutritious food,” said Albie Miles, associate professor of Sustainable Community Food Systems at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu. “It depends not only on physical assets like storage and supply chains, but also on strong social infrastructure – relationships, networks, institutions, trust and coordination. The 2025 Food System Summit is designed to help build this essential social infrastructure.”

Participants also engaged in the National Academy of Sciences’ “Extreme Event Game” to simulate disaster scenarios, followed by a multi-sector open space dialogue to identify gaps, explore opportunities and translate ideas into concrete strategies for action.

The summit concluded with a shared message: building a disaster-ready food system in Hawaiʻi is possible, but it requires coordinated action, sustained investment and shared responsibility. Organizers say that the state has the expertise, resources and community leadership to make it a reality.