Over the years we’ve addressed a variety of complex and difficult topics. Few issues are more challenging than the role Maui vegans can play in building a more sustainable food system. Are individual actions enough? Can Maui vegans contribute to major initiatives that address systemic barriers to food independence?

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. Limited food sovereignty 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.