Few issues are more difficult than how Maui vegans can help build a more sustainable food system. We’ve suggested 14 Ways to Promote Food Independence on Maui, but are individual actions enough? Can Maui vegans contribute to larger 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.