Growing the Future: 14 Ways to Promote Food Independence on Maui
A 2013 study by researchers from the University of Hawaii found that an estimated 88.4% of the food available for consumption in Hawaii is imported. This results in high prices, supply chain fragility, declines in nutrition and freshness, economic leakage, harm to the environment, cultural and community disconnection and vulnerability in disasters.
Of course, it wasn’t always like this. According to Civil Beat, food sovereignty declined when westerners transformed vast stretches of Hawaiian farmland into pineapple and sugar cane plantations to produce goods that were mostly exported. “Hawaii’s reliance on food imports began in the 1960s. To achieve self-sufficiency again, experts say it will take old values and new tools.”
Building greater self-sufficiency will cut shipping emissions, increase resilience and keep dollars circulating on Maui.
Ok, you’re busy, and there’s no way you can pack 14 more items into your to-do list. You don’t need to. Even if you gradually incorporate only one or two changes into your daily routine, you will make an important contribution. Changing local culture, one person at a time, will bring Maui’s food system into balance.
1. SHOP LOCALLY SOURCED FOOD
Before heading to the supermarket, make a conscious effort to source your food locally. Explore local food hubs like Maui Hub. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). CSAs pay growers critical upfront capital and provide members with a box or share of fresh, local produce and other farm products. Find a program that works for you, such as Ho’olawa Forest Farm, Island Fresh Delivery, Kihapai Horticultural, Kupaʻa Farms, Lapa'au Farm, Oko‘a Farms, Pono Grown Farm Center, Sustainable Molokaʻi Food Hub and ‘Ulu Cooperative.
Be a regular at farmers' markets. Get to know the farmers, ask them what's in season, and try new things. This builds community and a stronger local food economy. When you do shop at grocery stores, look for the "Maui Grown" or "Hawaiʻi Grown" labels to support local producers.
Every dollar you spend on local food creates demand that makes Maui farming more viable.
2. COOK WITH SEASONALITY
Embrace the rhythm of the seasons. Learn to cook with local staples. Replace imported rice and wheat with breadfruit, kalo, cassava, and ʻulu flour in weekly meal plans. Become familiar with preparing ʻulu, kalo, sweet potatoes, and other local starches as the base of your meals. These are far more sustainable than imported grains. Maintain a resilience pantry. Keep two to four weeks of plant‑based staples that are grown or processed in Hawaiʻi to buffer shipping delays.
3. GROW SOME OF YOUR OWN FOOD
Maui's microclimates vary dramatically, from dry leeward areas receiving 10-20 inches of rain annually to windward areas with over 300 inches. Always select varieties suited to your specific location's rainfall, wind exposure, and elevation. What grows well in Kihei won't necessarily work in Ha’iku.
Start a microgreen and sprouts routine. Trays and jars yield nutrient‑dense greens year‑round with minimal space and water. Even a small space can produce a surprising amount of food. If you have a lanai or a sunny window, container gardening is a way to grow herbs, leafy greens like lettuce and kale, and even tomatoes or peppers in pots.
Grow food at home in containers or small beds: kalo (dryland varieties suitable for home growing), ‘ulu where space allows (breadfruit trees are large), cassava, sweet potato, bananas, papaya, Okinawan spinach, ti, lemongrass, and herbs. Choose wind‑tolerant, drought‑tolerant cultivars suited to your microclimate.
If you have the space, consider planting a small garden. Focus on easy-to-grow, productive crops that thrive in Maui's climate, such as sweet potatoes (ʻuala), cassava (manioka), pigeon peas (pi), and various types of beans. Additional good options for Hawaii include tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, papaya, bananas, herbs, and leafy greens (in shade). Even small gardens produce hundreds of pounds of food annually. If you have extra, donate to neighbors or food banks. Planting fruit trees like papaya, banana, avocado, citrus, or ʻulu is a long-term investment in your personal food security.
4. LEARN
Whether you want to grow your own food or establish a business, many online and in-person classes are available to teach you everything you need to know:
Gofarm Hawaiʻi’, a program of the University of Hawaiʻi’ College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, seeks to enhance Hawaiʻi’s food security and economy by increasing the number of sustainable, local agricultural producers. It offers several courses on Maui each year.
Hawaiʻi ‘Ulu Cooperative offers many resources for new breadfruit farmers.
Māla o ka Pono is a restorative permaculture project that has been developing a 27-acre property in Ha’iku, Maui since September 2020.
Maui County Department of Agriculture offers numerous resources, including education and outreach, grants, financial assistance, and a variety of permits, licenses and certifications.
Maui Food Innovation Center is a college-based incubator fostering Agribusiness and Foodpreneurs x-celeration and education. It is part of University of Hawai’i Maui College and opened in 2023.
Pono Grown Farm Center regularly hosts orchard and garden design and care workshops that focus on production permaculture systems.
University of Hawaii Master Gardener training provides comprehensive education. For more information, phone (808) 244-3242 ext. 228 or email MauiMg@ctahr.hawaii.edu.
University of Hawaiʻi’ Cooperative Education, Kahului Extension, (808) 244-3242 x222. Program topics include agriculture and food systems, garden, landscape and ornamentals, economic and community development, and more. The AgCurious online webinar is first step to learn more about the beginning farmer training program and how to apply.
Veganic Summit, Veganic Agriculture Network, the Food Empowerment Project and other organizations offer online webinars in veganic gardening and farming.
5. PRESERVE
When certain crops are abundant, learn to preserve them. Preserving reduces food waste and saves money by preventing seasonal gluts from going to waste. Learn the basics. Dehydrate, pickle, ferment, and freeze local produce in season; Techniques like canning, pickling, drying, and freezing can help you enjoy local produce year-round. For example, you can make a big batch of tomato sauce or freeze mangoes when they are in season.
For centuries, Native Hawaiians managed a largely self-sufficient agricultural system.
6. PLANT WATER-WISE
Install rain catchment where appropriate, use mulch, and employ shade cloth for heat spikes. Choose drought-tolerant crops such as sweet potatoes, taro, pigeon peas, and moringa that thrive with less water. Group plants by their watering needs. Time irrigation early or late in the day to reduce evaporation and conserve precious resources.
7. COMPOST AND SHARE SOIL
Build simple bins or bokashi; trade compost with neighbors and community gardens to close the loop. Healthy soil is the foundation of local food resilience, and composting keeps valuable nutrients out of the landfill. When neighbors swap compost or join a shared compost hub, it not only enriches gardens but also strengthens community networks.
To get started, collect fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and yard waste in a covered bin or bucket, then mix them with dry materials like leaves or shredded paper to balance moisture and airflow.
8. REDUCE WASTE
Plan meals around what is abundant locally; buy “seconds” produce. Store food correctly to cut spoilage. Turn leftovers into soups, stews, or smoothies instead of tossing them. Compost unavoidable scraps to return nutrients to the soil and close the loop on waste.
9. SHARE HARVESTS AND SEEDS
Join Maui Seed Savers or buy locally adapted seeds. Save seeds from successful crops to improve resilience season by season. Attend seed swaps and saving workshops. Maui Seed Savers hosts these through Pono Grown Farm Center. Check the events calendar.
Gift economy thinking builds food security. When everyone shares surplus, no one goes without. Building seed-saving skills and participating in seed exchange networks creates food sovereignty. You stop depending on seed companies and develop varieties adapted to your specific growing conditions. If your garden produces more than you can eat, create a free food stand in your neighborhood or donate to food banks. Share seeds from your best-performing plants.
10. ORGANIZE A BUYING CLUB
Coordinate orders from Maui Hub or farms, split cases of produce, and reduce delivery emissions. Get together with neighbors to buy bulk quantities directly from farmers. This gives farmers larger orders, cuts out intermediaries, strengthens farmer-consumer connections and reduces your food costs.
11. VOLUNTEER
Lend your time and energy to organizations working on the front lines of food security. Whether it’s a community garden, plant-based farm or food hub, you’re bound to find an opportunity that that will help you and Maui’s food system grow.
With the exception of Food Not Bombs, the following organizations do not identify as being vegan and may or may not meet your ethical requirements. Find a good match by reviewing websites and asking questions:
Common Ground Collective, a Maui-based non-profit, promotes food security, economic opportunities, education and sustainable agricultural practices. CGC's Foster Farming Project offers harvesting and distribution services to Upcountry, Central, South, and the North Shore of Maui. Landowners have the opportunity to donate or sell their produce. Donated produce is distributed to organizations working with food insecure individuals. The CGC Haʻikū House Community Garden grows fresh food for residents in need and offers weekly volunteer opportunities. Community gardens build skills, create social connections, and produce food for people in need.
CSAs: A number of community supported agriculture programs are listed in section #1 at the top of this article.
Food Not Bombs, Maui Chapter, serves free vegan food to the community, often monthly at Pāʻia Bay.
Grow Some Good: Since 2008, Grow Some Good has provided school garden programming and now supports over 7,000 students each year. School Gardens are a key resource for learning, engaging with nature, and instilling healthy habits. Nā Māla Kaiāulu (NMK), a multi-acre urban agroforest in Kahului, is a grassroots response to local and global challenges. The goal of the project is to foster sustainable food production and model climate resilience for Island of Maui and State of Hawaii. Led by Grow Some Good in partnership with the Maui Family YMCA, NMK is transforming a once dry fire-prone space into a thriving ecosystem by cultivating a diverse mix of food trees and native plants.
Hungry Heroes conducts ongoing programs, including meals for the hungry, fresh produce distribution, shelter assistance, and sustainable farming projects.
Maui Food Bank distributes over eight million pounds of food each year, including 2.3 million pounds of fresh produce.
Maui Nui Botanical Gardens fosters appreciation and understanding of Maui Nui’s plants and their role in Hawaiian cultural expression by providing a gathering place for discovery, education, and conservation.
Maui Hub is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide local fresh and affordable produce and added value items to Maui residents. Maui Hub manages the marketing, aggregation and distribution for farmers and small businesses, so they can spend more time growing and creating. Growing demand for local goods will create a more sustainable food system on Maui.
Maui Seed Savers is a grassroots initiative to cultivate a movement of farmers, gardeners, and community members toward saving and stewarding seeds.
The Maui Farm provides farm-based, family-centered programs that teach essential life skills for self-sufficient living. Services are offered to single mothers and their children in a safe neighborhood setting, where individuals and families are nurtured to develop their full potential.
12. CONNECT LANDOWNERS WITH FARMERS
Common Ground Collective's Foster Farming Project connects people who have land with farmers who will work it. You can refer landowners to CGC or help spread the word about the program. Maui has lots of underused agricultural land. Connecting idle land with farmers who need land increases production without requiring new land.
13. HOST EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
Organize a neighborhood seed swap. Host a plant-based potluck where everyone brings a dish made with local ingredients and shares recipes. Screen a documentary about food security and facilitate discussion. Education multiplies. Everyone you inspire might inspire others.
14. SUPPORT VEGAN AND PLANT-BASED RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS WHO SOURCE LOCALLY
Support vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants on Maui. Request dishes featuring ‘ulu, kalo, and locally grown greens.