Realizing Equitable Value Chains
Overview
Equitable Value Chains focus on transforming the post-production stages of the food system—aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution—into pathways for shared prosperity and local empowerment. Currently, these segments are often dominated by large-scale corporations that control access, dictate prices, and capture the majority of profits, leaving producers with minimal returns. Our work aims to reimagine this structure by creating transparent, community-driven value chains that center equity, cultural integrity, and circular economies. Through collaborative research, policy engagement, and infrastructure development, we seek to return power and value to farmers, producers, and local communities, ensuring that the benefits of food production are fairly distributed from farm to table.
Projects
Hosted Statewide Convening of Cooperatives to Develop Strategic Initiative
This statewide gathering united more than 40 cooperative food enterprises, farmers, and community organizations to strengthen collaboration across Â鶹´«Ã½’s local food economy. Together, participants explored cooperative business models, shared infrastructure needs, and policy pathways to scale community-based food production and resilience. Read more here.
Supported the Development of the Hawaii Food Hub Hui as an Associate Member
As an associate member of Hawai‘i Food Hub Hui (HFHH), we conducted key research and policy-analysis that underpinned legislative support for expanding Â鶹´«Ã½’s food-hub infrastructure. By documenting hub capacity, distribution reaches and volume of local-food transactions, this work helped frame the case for state investment in food-system resilience. Watch the video .
Assessment of Hawaii Food Hubs key performance indicators. Food hubs in Â鶹´«Ã½ have joined together to develop the Â鶹´«Ã½ Food Hub Hui. The nation’s only food hub association of its kind, HFHH aims to raise the capacity of Â鶹´«Ã½’s food hubs systemically by fundraising, coordinating market opportunity, advocating for policy and legislative change, and providing technical assistance to food hubs. The Ke O Mau Center provides one of only two Associate Members, to support the analysis, documentation, and governance of the hui by providing services and technical assistance as requested by the Hui members.
Supporting cooperative development of indigenous crop value chains. Multiple research projects have explored the value chain of indigenous crops in Â鶹´«Ã½, examining production, consumer sourcing, and aggregation and distribution. We have worked closely with cooperative business structures to explore the impacts and outcomes of these more equitable business structures.
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