Hawaii Build Back Better Coalition
Coalition Lead Applicant: County of Hawaii
Region (applicant-defined): Hawai’i Island
Cluster Sector(s): Agriculture
Coalition Overarching Narrative (applicant submitted) (PDF)
Project Description:
The Hawai'i Island coalition, led by Hawaii County, seeks to create a robust agricultural economy that corrects past systemic barriers to growth that are unique to an island market, while also helping the island respond to economic downturns due to the pandemic and natural disasters. The project hopes to divert 20 percent of Hawai'i's food import market to local producers, creating thousands of new jobs and stimulating the specialty export market. If provided implementation funding, the coalition proposes to support the cluster's growth by building an industrial park, improving knowledge transfer, and increasing food processing/production capacity to create a robust agricultural economy, reduce food imports and increase local GDP growth.