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The farm-to-school movement has come a long way, and this legislative session there’s a chance to pass three bills that build on the hard work that’s come before, making for a real food-system success story.

Advocates for farm to school have worked for decades to make sure our schools not only talk the talk about healthy eating and the many STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lessons to be learned in school gardens and agriculture programs — but also walk the walk by actually serving healthy, locally grown food in school cafeterias.

The idea of farm to school is actually a triumvirate of school gardens/farms, agriculture plus nutrition education, and local food procurement.

Farm to school had a big win in 2015 when Act 218 created a pilot program in the Kohala Complex Area that was a partnership between the Hawaii Department of Education, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, the Kohala Center, and others. The program’s goal was to address the supply and demand issues surrounding the purchasing of local food for Hawaii public schools, with aims to systematically increase state purchasing of local food for student meals.

In 2018 the farm to school initiative took on which loosely translates to “righteous, or the right way, of eating.”

When expanded to Mililani High School, students helped shape popular and nutritious menus dominated by locally grown food that dramatically increased student meal participation, sharply cut food waste and saved more than $100,000 in one year. The pilot actually reduced costs while buying more local food, according to the Aina Pono 2020 final report.

Then, in 2021, , establishing the Hawaii Farm to School Program within DOE for all students and requiring a boost in the purchasing of locally grown foods for student meals to 30% by 2030 (1). The benchmark of “30 by 30” also set in motion a goal to accelerate garden and farm based education, which would expand relationships between public schools and agricultural communities.

However, a sharp decrease in local food purchasing was observed after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic (2). In spite of a $125 million food service operating budget, schools continued to supply foods that were processed and imported, and the DOE has yet to articulate a plan to implement Act 175.

Also in 2021 , which set goals for “principal state departments, beginning in 2025, to ensure that they meet certain benchmarks in the purchase of locally grown produce and products.”

It was envisioned this act would stimulate a slow growth in local food purchasing not only by the DOE, but by 18 state departments, with a goal to reach 50% by 2050.

According to the first annual report, only seven state departments spent an estimated 11.5% of their departmental budget on local foods — $2.65 million out of a $23 million budget. A common concern among these state departments: “ensuring there was enough supply to meet the eventual goal, given local produce was generally more expensive than imported foods.”

During the 2022 legislative session the law was amended as Act 144 so that only five state agencies would be required to meet the farm to state goals.

While the focus on our local food supply is important, increasing production alone won’t solve all our problems.

It isn’t just the amount of food currently being produced in Hawaii that holds back farm to school, but also issues such as school staffing, training, reporting, leadership, and the economics of buying local. To address the multi-faceted issues of Hawaii’s food system, our approach must also be multi-faceted. 

This year, three bills are attempting to address these multifaceted issues to make farm to school actually happen. , , and collectively address restructuring, funding, and changing procurement rules to allow farm to school to succeed.

HB 248 delegates responsibility and authority for meeting farm to school goals from the statewide system level to the complex area level.

It gives complex area superintendents the authority to work with school principals and cafeteria supervisors on hitting farm to school goals by the 2024-2025 school year. This reorganization would also regionalize school food menus, giving complex areas the ability to work with and purchase from local farmers.

HB 249 provides funding through a grant program for the purchase of local foods, equipment to prepare local foods, professional development to educate students about nutrition and farm to school connections, and technical assistance to increase participation in federal child nutrition programs.

HB 249 also addresses a structural problem unique to Hawaii, the only state with one statewide school district. It moves the Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs, the agency that administers , from the Hawaii Department of Education to the Office of the Auditor. Currently, HCNP is located within the DOE, alongside the School Food Services Branch, making it difficult for HCNP to do its job as a grantor.

HB 248 and HB 249 both decentralize existing cafeteria supervisor positions and create an additional eight full time positions to make all of the work described above happen. These positions include a farm to school coordinator, a Hawaii Child Nutrition Programs accountant, a farm to school farmer support position, and five school cafeteria supervisor positions. HB2 49 also requires a review of cafeteria supervisor compensation to reflect the additional responsibility of taking on farm to school goals at the complex area level.

Finally, House Bill 250 requires the DOE to adopt rules for the procurement of goods and services that incorporate a geographic preference for unprocessed locally grown and locally raised agricultural products. This bill would facilitate an increase in local food purchasing, and allow school complexes to regionalize their menus.

Farm to school procurement can affect Hawaii’s economy and agricultural sector on a large scale, but its greater purpose is something we should all be able to agree on: feeding and educating future generations. As people of Hawaii, we can perpetuate the health and vitality of future generations via the smart plan put forward in HB 248, HB 249, and HB 250.

Contact your legislators to let them know you are in support, and to urge their support as well!