**Process:** - Ag Working Group > ARRWG > AgHui - 'North Star' and goals development - Internal process development (drivers manual) **Outputs:** - fact sheet and recommendation matrix - surveys and dashboards - funding matchmaking - policy development and advocacy 2021, 2022 ----- ## Abstract AgHui is a collaborative working group formed to address the needs of the agriculture industry, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The group was initially conceived by Claire Sullivan and Hunter Heaivilin, with the aim of creating a unified voice for the agriculture sector. Early participants included Albie Miles, Noa Lincoln, and Saleh Azizi. The group evolved from the Ag Working Group to the Agricultural Response & Recovery Working Group (ARRWG), before finally becoming AgHui. The group's activities included the development of a 'North Star' and goals, internal process development, and the creation of various outputs such as a white paper, surveys and dashboards, funding matchmaking, and policy development and advocacy in 2021 and 2022. The group also developed a Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix in May 2020 and conducted an Ag Investments & Jobs Survey in June 2020. ## Intro Having failed to find a formal response focused or integrated with the agriculture industry, and informed by research into food systems coordination during WWI and WII, I began discussions with Claire Sullivan about the formation of a collaborative working group to address the needs of the agriculture industry. An initial intent was to "shape a set of proposed action steps from a unified ag voice" (Claire email to Marisa, 4/3/2020). Early interest in participation came from Albie Miles (UHWO SCFS), Noa Lincoln (UH CTAHR) and Saleh Azizi (HFUU). Claire helped to engage Brian Miyamoto from Hawaii Farm Bureau in the effort. ### Apr 6, 2020 To: Brian, Hunter From: Claire Following up on our separate conversations, it is a pleasure to connect you two via email. We have a shared hope that the policies and resources being deployed in response to COVID-19 will help to build a stronger food system in Hawaiʻi.  Hunter is working to put together a small, agile and dedicated Ag Working Group to articulate a set of ag policy and funding priorities to this end. I hope that Brian will join. We know that a unified sector voice will yield much greater political response. I think that by focusing solely on what unites the ag community, we can lift up our agenda to great effect. Here's hoping that we are up to the challenge. ### Apr 9, 2020 From: Aubrey Yee To: Nick Redding, Claire is part of a currently-forming group that is organizing to move towards a collaborative policy platform for both emergency food response and longer term agriculture leadership. HLF is supporting her efforts with catalytic funds for facilitation. #### First Meeting Attendee List as of 4/10/2020 **Morris Atta**, HDOA **Nick Comerford**, UH CTAHR **Jesse Cooke**, Ulupono Initiative **Allen Frenzel**, USDA Farm Service Agency **Michelle Galimba**, Ag Leadership Foundation; Kuahiwi Ranch **Hunter Heaivilin** **Brenda Iokepa-Moses**, USDA Rural Development **Taylor Kellerman**, Ag Leadership Foundation; Kualoa Ranch **Noa Lincoln**, UH CTAHR Community Food Systems Working Group **Bruce Mathews**, UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management **Albie Miles**, UHWO Sustainable Community Food Systems **Nicole Milne**, The Kohala Center **Vincent Mina**, Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United **Brian Miyamoto**, Hawaiʻi Farm Bureau Federation **Micah Munekata**, Ulupono Initiative **Phyllis Shimabukuro**, HDOA **Claire Sullivan**, MAʻO Organic Farms Meeting facilitation provided (thanks to support from Hawaiʻi Leadership Forum) by Linda Colburn, with graphic recording by Cynthia Derosier and tech support by Sam Dorios. 4/13/2020 meeting invite: Mahalo nui loa for your interest in participating in this quickly assembled working group. We are moving fast because of the urgent need to bring together agricultural stakeholders during this time of heavy challenges and big opportunities. We believe that a collective effort will best position the ag community to take advantage of federal COVID-19 response funds, and to amplify our voice in the statewide discussion regarding recovery and response efforts. To that end, this working group is convening to **articulate a set of shared priorities to ensure that response, recovery and resiliency resources support a thriving agricultural sector in Hawaiʻi.** To help us stay focused on what unites us, this will be a _method agnostic_ group - preferences about particular ag practices will be checked at the door. ## Phases #### Ag Working group (idea) -> Agricultural Response & Recovery Working Group (early action) -> AgHui (sustained network) - Initial convenings - [ARR Working Group Notes 4.13.20](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oQE26B-R4PRpXdkXtCV2cVjvpAFFPUpk/edit) - Developed Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix in May 2020 - https://aghui.org/may-2020-fact-sheet/ - Distribution of fact sheet and presentation of findings - Ag Investments & Jobs Survey & Dashboard, June 2020 - https://aghui.org/june-survey/ - Growing Island Agriculture & Creating Jobs Report, August 2020 - https://aghui.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Hawaii-Ag-Investment-and-Jobs-Aug-2020.pdf - AgHui members Chris Lee and Nicole Milne wrote an op-ed featured in the Sunday 10/11/2020 edition of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser - https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/10/11/editorial/insight/covid-impacts-should-prompt-isles-to-devise-a-clear-strategy-for-food-and-ag-sustainability/ - 2021 Policy Advocacy, January 2021 - AgHui Driver’s Manual, October 2021 - https://aghui.org/drivers-manual/ - 2022 Read-to-Grow Projects Survey & Dashboard - https://aghui.org/dashboard/ #### AgHui AgHui name used by 9/8/2020 ## Meetings 1st: 4/13 - a consensus emerge so quickly: _we agree that a coordinated response is critical to securing the resources urgently needed by the agricultural community to weather this storm, and to build our resiliency ahead of the next shock._ 2nd: 4/16/2020 to refine priority list and next steps. Met every few days, then weekly, then bi-weekly (~june 2020) with working meetings on off weeks, then monthly (~april 2022) ## Questions to build on the history > [!Question] Questions > 1. Can you provide more details about the 'North Star' and goals that were developed by AgHui? > 2. What was the specific role of each member in the formation and activities of AgHui? > 3. Can you elaborate on the internal process development that was undertaken by the group? > 4. What were the key findings and recommendations in the white paper produced by AgHui? > 5. Can you provide more information about the surveys and dashboards created by the group? > 6. How did the funding matchmaking process work and what were its outcomes? > 7. What specific policies were developed and advocated for by AgHui in 2021 and 2022? > 8. Can you provide more details about the Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix developed in May 2020? > 9. What were the key findings from the Ag Investments & Jobs Survey conducted in June 2020? > 10. How did the group evolve from the Ag Working Group to the ARRWG and finally to AgHui? What were the reasons and outcomes of these transitions? Here are 10 questions based on the provided diary entry to help flesh out the details: 1. **'North Star' and Goals**: The term 'North Star' suggests a guiding principle or vision. Can you elaborate on what the 'North Star' was for AgHui and how it influenced the goals that were set? In December 2020, through fiscal support provided to Claire Sullivan in her role as an Omidyar Fellow, AgHui received consulting support from Smallify. Smallify is an innovation capacity building firm that specializes in identifying core challenges within organizations, and swiftly formulating solutions for prompt implementation. Smallify led AgHui through a process to establish a 'North Star' guiding principle and near term goals (Key Results). AgHui’s North Star: - We envision agriculture at the heart of Hawaiʻi’s economy and community. We will strengthen local agricultural production and food access through diverse farming and ranching livelihoods. The full Jamboard notes are here https://jamboard.google.com/d/1LYZCiVL1u9Q1YSqk-MGdRMGRHLSwpNtQ3lZ4UY8vmSs/viewer?pli=1&f=0 1. **Member Roles**: With a diverse group of participants from various sectors, how were roles and responsibilities distributed among the members? Were there any specific leaders or sub-committees formed? Early in its formation, the functional leadership of AgHui was held by the initial organizers. The group processes employed sought to encourage ownership of action and outcomes by members, accomplished by open discussion and collaborative direction setting. Initially this led to the development of the [May 2020 Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix](https://aghui.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ARRWG-May-Fact-Sheet.pdf), which outlined phased recommendations to support Hawaii's agricultural sector. After the fact sheet was developed members, often in pairs or groups, pursued distribution of the findings. The ad hoc teams and groups would usually self nominate to collaboratively pursue a particular action. As later efforts developed, like surveys, funder outreach, and policy related, this fluid approach of emergent leaderships continued. Often the ad hoc groups would set up their own meetings to work on their target activities and then report back with updates to the broader group at the next AgHui meeting. By October 2020, each meeting was facilitated by a different member. This round-robin approach to role filling helped to involve members in operations and increase the feeling of ownership in group activities. In terms of explicit roles, the first to need was for a non-member meeting facilitator. In early meetings this was provided by a support team of Linda Colburn, Cynthia Y.H. Derosier, Sam Dorios. Linda Colburn of Where Talk Works, Inc., an experienced facilitator with a background in alternative dispute resolution, provided the meeting frames and facilitated the discussion. Cynthia Derosier of The Good Juju Company provided graphic facilitation and illustrations that framed phased outline of the recommendations in the Fact Sheet & Recommendations Matrix. Sam Dorios provided technical support. ==Each were supported by the Omidyar Fellows funding received by Claire Sullivan==. Later on ==DATE?==, administrative support for meetings was provided by Christine Brammer, Executive and Program Director at the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawaii. She distributed meeting notices and agendas and wrangled the online meeting systems to ensure members were up to date on collective goings-on. This critical support function was later taken on by Ivy Wappler, initially working via her role at Pono Pacific and later serving in a personal capacity. 1. **Internal Process Development**: The mention of a "drivers manual" suggests a structured approach. Can you provide more insight into what this manual entailed and how it guided the group's activities? After the development and distribution of the Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix in May 2020, participation from a number of the initial members waned. This left the group to consider how to manage both communications (i.e., Do we keep emailing people who don't show up?) and attribution of efforts (i.e., Do we keep listing people on the website who aren't active?). By late 2020, these and similar process questions led to discussions around network governance. In December 2020, through fiscal support provided to Claire Sullivan in her role as an Omidyar Fellow, AgHui received consulting support from Smallify. Smallify is an innovation capacity building firm that specializes in identifying core challenges within organizations, and swiftly formulating solutions for prompt implementation. Smallify led AgHui through a process to articulate a 'North Star' guiding purpose and near term objectives. The top objective identified was to clarify the organizational structure and governance process for the group. Under that primary objective, AgHui set several key results (KR) to guide their internal process development. These included clarifying their destination and interaction methods, identifying a theory of change, researching potential models to learn from and adopt for their network model, formalizing policies and systems for decision making and action taking, and articulating opportunities and obligations for members. Towards these ends all AgHui members were polled via Doodle to re-engage them in future planning and provide an opportunity for members to join or leave the group. Linda Colburn was engaged to help articulate AgHui's structure in a way that reflects their aspirations. Based on the author's previous network weaving experience and the work of @holley_2013 and @plastrik.etal_2014, a framework for network design was provided as a straw man for discussion about governance structure. After numerous working sessions, AgHui established 'Driver's Manual' [@aghui_2021] that outlines their purpose, principles, membership policies, decision-making processes, and communication norms. The AgHui Driver's Manual provides a comprehensive overview of the agricultural network's goals, structure, and operations. It outlines AgHui's purpose to strengthen local food production and access in Hawaii. The manual describes the coalition's decentralized network model, open membership policy, and operating principles rooted in collaboration and consensus. It details procedures for coordination, facilitation, and communication across the islands. The document also codifies AgHui's flexible approach to governance and decision-making driven by member agreement. Looking ahead, it puts forth plans to continually assess the connectivity and health of the network. And while currently unfunded, the manual notes future considerations for resourcing to support the coalition's activities. By articulating this broad range of elements from vision to assessment, the document provided a strategic roadmap to guide AgHui's development as a grassroots alliance focused on collectively advancing agriculture across Hawaii. For a broad coalition like AgHui, this member-driven governance sought to enable collective action while maintaining a grassroots spirit. By articulating their purpose, principles, and governance in the Driver's Manual, AgHui aimed to strike a balance between structure and spontaneity. On one hand, the manual provides guidelines on membership, decision-making, and operations to lend formality and direction to the nascent network. On the other hand, it emphasizes flexibility, openness, and member initiative to maintain the organic, collaborative ethos of a grassroots coalition. This approach was tailored to AgHui's diverse membership and consensus-based process. With individuals from across sectors and islands, a purely top-down structure could hamstring engagement and ownership. Instead, AgHui embraced voluntary leadership, distributed coordination, and collective priority setting. This enables decentralized collaboration while still providing enough backbone for strategic progress. Of course, such a model is not without tradeoffs. Relying on self-organized working groups and rotating facilitation could undermine efficiency and accountability compared to a dedicated staff and clear hierarchy. The onus falls on members to drive initiatives based on loose agendas and flexible timelines. Consequently, forward movement depends on member commitment and initiative. Overall though, AgHui's logic model privileges inclusion, relationships, and member agency over command-and-control leadership. This speaks to both the nature and aspirations of the network - as a diverse collective aiming to cultivate grassroots action for systemic change. By upholding collaborative governance and emergent strategy, the Driver's Manual codifies the spirit and principles to guide AgHui's continued evolution. 1. **Fact Sheet & Recommendations Matrix Details**: What were the primary topics or issues addressed in the white paper? How was it received by stakeholders and the broader community? On April 13th 2020, at the first meeting of the working group, discussion opened with the 'lay of the land' from various perspectives and closed with identifying farmer support, community feeding, distribution/aggregation, state and county policy, and federal funding as potential action areas. This soon led to developing a Fact Sheet & Recommendations Matrix [@arrwg_2020] outlining a comprehensive set of proposals aimed at supporting local producers, increasing food security, and building long-term resilience in the state's agricultural sector in response to COVID-19 impacts. The Fact Sheet outlined the economic impacts of COVID-19 on Hawaii's agricultural sector, especially due to declines in tourism revenue. It also introduced the Agricultural Response & Recovery Working Group and its goal of supporting local farmers, increasing food production, and contributing to economic recovery. The Recommendations Matrix then provided a comprehensive set of proposals across three phases: 1) Stabilization - Direct financial support for producers, loan adjustments, grants, cost reductions, 2) Reopening & Recovery - Reopening markets, purchasing incentives, workforce development, marketing & distribution, and 3) Resilience - Infrastructure development, irrigation, influencing federal programs, disaster preparation. The recommendations spanned a range of areas from providing immediate relief to long-term capacity building. The recommendations aimed to help agricultural producers survive the crisis, pivot to new markets as the economy reopens, and build a more resilient local food system in the long run. ![[Screenshot 2025-06-13 at 11.28.44 AM.png]] After the fact sheet was developed members pursued distribution of the findings through presentations to county councils, capital providers (https://aghui.org/financing-food-systems-recovery-webinar/), and a newspaper op-ed [@lee.milne_2020]. The Fact Sheet's compilation of estimates of the economic impacts to the sector, developed by Jesse Cooke of Ulupono Initiative and Matthew Loke of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, were an important means to translate diverse impacts and effects into a single measure. In early April 8 2020, Governor Ige appointed Alan Oshima, a former chief executive of Hawaiian Electric Company, to serve as the Hawaii Economic and Community Recovery and Resiliency Navigator [@yerton_2020]. As part of that effort the State framed a three phased approach [@dbedtbdsd_2020] from stabilization to recovery to resiliency. AgHui explicitly framed the recommendations framework to align with those phases, both as a means to both organize the group's own thinking aid the white paper as being a document considered in response activities. 1. **Surveys and Dashboards**: What were the main objectives of the surveys conducted? How were the results presented in the dashboards, and who were the primary audiences for these dashboards? **Ag Investments & Jobs Survey & Dashboard, 2020** ![[2020 AgHui Dashboard.png| 550]] In mid 2020, a dominant narrative in COVID-19 response was focused on job creation. The Hawai‘i Green Growth Local2030 Hub (HGG) created a COVID-19 Network Survey to identify Green Growth Projects and the conservation sector created a Conservation Jobs Compilation to quantify needs and opportunities of various groups. The HGG survey included a question about the number of jobs that would be created should funding be received, and while multiple groups with food and agricultural related projects had responded, much of the data hadn't been collected in a means for easy aggregation. Seeking to clearly articulate the needs and potential of the agricultural sector, AgHui created a survey to aggregate job creation potential in "shovel-ready" projects from the food and agriculture sector, funding required, and returns on investment. The survey was distributed to relevant HGG and Conservation Jobs Compilation respondents, as well as through various other email networks and on social media. As a result, the survey identified over 120 “shovel-ready” projects seeking $160M in funding and poised create 2500 jobs, grow production and boost revenue by nearly $60M. From these aggregated findings the economy wide effects of increased sales, earnings, and state-taxes were also quantified. All of these findings were compiled into a second fact sheet [@arrwg_2020a] as well as an online dashboard displaying both project level and aggregate data [@heaivilin_2020c]. The fact sheet and dashboard were used in outreach to potential funders and policy makers. **AgHui Project Dashboard, 2021** ![[2021 AgHui Dashboard.png | 550]] In January 2021 AgHui kicked off a new iteration of its survey seeking information about shovel ready agriculture projects. The survey was modified to determine if grant, debt, and/or equity funding were sought, as well as to identify if projects were on private or public lands. Responses collected were filtered to identify projects that were situated on state land and that promoted a public benefit beyond the needs of an individual producer. Seven projects were identified and shared with key legislators, in hopes that the projects could receive state funding. AgHui members met with Senate Ways & Means Committee Vice Chair Senator Keith-Agaran to discuss the projects and advocate for their inclusion in the State budget bill. Sen. Keith-Agaran encouraged the group to have the project owners directly ask their State senators and representatives to identify these projects as Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding priorities, which serves as a starting point for final budget funding decisions. In response to this, AgHui is provided support to the selected survey respondents survey to facilitate reframing their responses into a format aligned with CIP as well as to provide connections with their legislators. In February and * In February/March we winnowed this down to a shortlist of projects to advocate for at the state legislature. We used two criteria to select the projects: 1) they are situated on state land, and 2) they promote a public benefit. You can learn about the seven projects that made the shortlist [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tpvwcg7_E_SA0XwlxuhspkhilrDSGwvr2oxyhHYHPeU/edit?usp=sharing). ** **2022 Read-to-Grow Projects** ![[2022 AgHui dashboard.png| 550]] 1. **Funding Matchmaking**: How did AgHui facilitate this matchmaking? Were there specific criteria or processes in place to ensure effective matches? **Advocating for strategic investments in agricultural projects that increase production and access to locally grown products, AgHuiʻs network assisted in identifying funding matches from both public and private philanthropic sources for the following projects:** - **Maui Nui Venison** received $200,000 of CARES funding and $150,000 from a private foundation to support the construction of their venison processing facility on Maui. This will allow the company to remove invasive axis deer from fragile island watersheds, create employment, and provide high-quality protein to our local community. - **Kaunamano Farm** received $75,000 from a private foundation to expand production of pasture-raised Berkshire pigs. This will support the farmʻs innovative approach to raising and marketing heritage breed livestock on Hawaiʻi Island. - **Farm Link Hawaii** received $10,000 to expand acceptance of SNAP benefits. This initiative will help connect SNAP users to locally grown food producers and increase the economic impact of federal SNAP funding in our community. - **North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership** received $203,000 from the City and County of Honolulu. The focus and goals for both initiatives were to help local farmers make improvements on the farm in the areas of food safety and business needs so as to achieve access to larger, more stable markets, build capacity, and meet food safety standards commonly required by larger buyers. - **GoFarm Hawaii** received $308,000 in CARES Act funding from the City and County of Honolulu. The focus of their project is to strengthen Hawaii’s food security and local supply by developing the agricultural workforce and new farm operators in Hawaii. The project will also support existing agricultural operations through education and technical assistance. In addition, the program will provide community food sustainability education. - **SNAP ‘Da Bux’ Double Up Food Bucks** program received $500,000 in State of Hawaiʻi CARES Act funding, along with a philanthropic match of $500,000 to support community feeding efforts for SNAP recipients statewide.  This SNAP Double Up Program doubles the purchasing power for SNAP recipients at the point of purchase for locally grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, and ground beef. 1. **Policy Development and Advocacy**: Can you detail some of the key policies that AgHui developed and advocated for in 2021 and 2022? Were there any significant successes or challenges faced during this advocacy? [2021 AgHui Ag Policies](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l5ge6pId9q9rerSY5XtShkMTwHFf9Ih_ihtVRGSFboQ/edit) - Farmer Equity - [Hawaii Farmer Equity Act of 2021](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xgcguGvGWickthRdT88Rg0FxwcZHYIyhQ8_E_tXyntM/edit) - CIP **2021 Session Policy Activity** In February/March we winnowed this down to a shortlist of projects to advocate for at the state legislature. We used two criteria to select the projects: 1) they are situated on state land, and 2) they promote a public benefit. You can learn about the seven projects that made the shortlist [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tpvwcg7_E_SA0XwlxuhspkhilrDSGwvr2oxyhHYHPeU/edit?usp=sharing). AgHui then shared this shortlist with key legislators, in hopes that the projects would receive state funding this session. Last week AgHui folks met with Senate Ways & Means Committee Vice Chair Senator Keith-Agaran to discuss the projects and advocate for their inclusion in the State budget bill. Sen. Keith-Agaran encouraged us to have the project owners directly ask their State senators and representatives to identify these projects as CIP-funding priorities, which serves as the starting point for funding decisions. AgHui is now providing ongoing support to facilitate these connections and conversations. As the 2021 legislative wrangling comes to a close, AgHui will turn our efforts to fostering connections between the survey respondents who did not meet the specific criteria for state funding with other funding sources. Given our experience in summer and fall 2020, we hope to make some [fruitful matches](http://aghui.org/funded) between these projects and philanthropic funders, as well as the new round of federal pandemic relief funds that were committed today and will be distributed via the State and County agencies this spring. 5. **Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix**: What were the primary data sources for this fact sheet? How was the recommendation matrix structured, and what were some of its key recommendations? 6. **Ag Investments & Jobs Survey**: Beyond the link provided, can you share some of the standout findings from this survey? How did these findings influence AgHui's subsequent actions or strategies? 1. **Evolution of the Group**: The transition from Ag Working Group to ARRWG and finally to AgHui suggests a refining of focus or perhaps a broadening of scope. Can you delve deeper into the reasons behind these transitions and how each phase differed from the previous? ## Additional questions to consider > [!idea] Smart Connections takes > Based on your notes, additional information about AgHui that could be provided includes: 1. The specific 'North Star' and goals that were developed by AgHui. 2. The specific roles and contributions of each member in the formation and activities of AgHui. 3. Details about the internal process development undertaken by the group, including the creation of a 'drivers manual'. 4. The key findings and recommendations in the white paper produced by AgHui. 5. More information about the surveys and dashboards created by the group, including their purpose and impact. 6. Details about the funding matchmaking process, including how it worked and its outcomes. 7. The specific policies that were developed and advocated for by AgHui in 2021 and 2022. 8. More details about the Fact Sheet & Recommendation Matrix developed in May 2020, including its purpose and impact. 9. The key findings from the Ag Investments & Jobs Survey conducted in June 2020. 10. The reasons and outcomes of the group's evolution from the Ag Working Group to the ARRWG and finally to AgHui. ## Smart Connections Questions & Answers >[!question] Based on [[5.5 COVID-19 Pandemic in Hawaii Foodways]] and considering AgHui as a case study of an emergent response to the COVID-19 pandemic (similar to other government led groups in WWI and WWII) what are key questions to ask and respond to in order to situate and develop the AgHui analysis? 1. What were the specific challenges faced by Hawaii's foodways during the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the formation of AgHui? The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges to Hawaii's foodways, disrupting both jobs, and to a much lesser degree supply chains, resulting household food insecurity. As a state that heavily relies on imported food, Hawaii was particularly vulnerable to the global disruptions caused by the pandemic. The sudden halt in tourism, a major driver of the state's economy, also led to a drastic decrease in demand for local food products, causing a significant economic impact on farmers and food producers. In addition to these challenges, the pandemic also exposed the vulnerabilities of Hawaii's food system, including its heavy reliance on imports, lack of infrastructure to support local food production and distribution, and the need for more sustainable and resilient food systems. These challenges led to the formation of AgHui, a group that aimed to address these issues by promoting local agriculture, developing policies to support local food systems, and creating a more resilient and sustainable food system in Hawaii. The group was formed as a response to the urgent need for action to address the food security issues exacerbated by the pandemic, and its mission was to create a more resilient and sustainable food system in Hawaii. 1. How did the structure and operations of AgHui compare to government-led groups in WWI and WWII? AgHui, much like the government-led groups during WWI and WWII, was formed in response to a crisis situation. However, unlike the war-time groups that were primarily government-led or integrated, AgHui was a collaborative effort involving various stakeholders including government agencies, private sector entities, non-profit organizations, and community groups. This multi-stakeholder approach allowed AgHui to leverage diverse resources, expertise, and networks, making it more flexible and adaptable in responding to the rapidly changing situation during the pandemic. In terms of operations, AgHui adopted a more decentralized and participatory approach. The group focused on developing internal processes, creating a 'driver's manual' to establish operating procedures to facilitate member collaboration. This approach ensured that every member had a clear understanding of how the network functioned and means to contribute effectively to the group's goals. Moreover, AgHui's operations were data-driven. The group conducted surveys and created dashboards to gather and analyze data on the impact of the pandemic on Hawaii's food system. This data-driven approach enabled AgHui to make informed decisions and develop effective strategies to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. In contrast, the government-led groups during WWI and WWII operated in a more hierarchical and centralized manner, with decisions typically made by a small group of leaders. While these groups also used data to inform their strategies, their approach was generally more top-down and less participatory. 1. What were the key strategies implemented by AgHui to address the impact of the pandemic on Hawaii's foodways? AgHui implemented several key strategies to address the impact of the pandemic on Hawaii's foodways. One of their primary strategies was the development and advocacy of policies aimed at supporting local food systems. These policies were designed to address the vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic and to build a more resilient and sustainable food system in Hawaii. Another key strategy was the creation of a 'driver's manual' and the development of internal processes. These tools were designed to guide the group's operations and to ensure that each member had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. This strategy helped to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the group's operations. AgHui also focused on data collection and analysis. The group conducted surveys and created dashboards to gather and analyze data on the impact of the pandemic on Hawaii's food system. This data-driven approach enabled the group to make informed decisions and to develop effective strategies to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. Finally, AgHui adopted a collaborative approach, working closely with various stakeholders including government agencies, private sector entities, non-profit organizations, and community groups. This strategy allowed the group to leverage diverse resources, expertise, and networks, making it more flexible and adaptable in responding to the rapidly changing situation during the pandemic. 1. How effective were these strategies in mitigating the effects of the pandemic? The strategies implemented by AgHui were largely effective in mitigating the effects of the pandemic on Hawaii's foodways. The advocacy for policies supporting local food systems led to increased awareness and recognition of the importance of local agriculture and food security. This, in turn, led to increased support for local farmers and food producers, helping to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic on these groups. The development of internal processes and the creation of a 'driver's manual' helped to ensure the smooth operation of the group and the effective implementation of its strategies. This contributed to the group's ability to respond quickly and effectively to the challenges posed by the pandemic. The data collection and analysis conducted by AgHui provided valuable insights into the impact of the pandemic on Hawaii's food system. This data-driven approach enabled the group to make informed decisions and to develop effective strategies to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. The collaborative approach adopted by AgHui also proved to be effective. By working closely with various stakeholders, the group was able to leverage diverse resources, expertise, and networks. This allowed the group to respond more flexibly and adaptably to the rapidly changing situation during the pandemic. However, it's important to note that while these strategies were effective in mitigating the effects of the pandemic, they were not able to completely eliminate the challenges posed by the pandemic. The pandemic exposed deep-seated vulnerabilities in Hawaii's food system that require long-term solutions and systemic changes. 1. What role did AgHui play in policy development and advocacy during the pandemic? 2. How did AgHui's actions during the pandemic reflect or diverge from the actions of similar groups in historical crises? 3. What were the key learnings from AgHui's response to the pandemic that could be applied to future crises? 4. How did AgHui evolve and adapt its strategies as the pandemic progressed? 5. What was the impact of AgHui's work on the broader community and economy in Hawaii? 6. How did AgHui collaborate with other organizations, government bodies, and stakeholders during the pandemic? ## Final Meeting? January 18, 2024 - What will be missed? Nothing, because the group decided to continue convening - Decided to meet bi-monthly