Developing Scientific Indicators & Metrics of Food System Sustainability
Overview
Global and regional agri-food systems face unprecedented challenges, including climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, chronic illnesses, ecosystem degradation, and profound social inequalities (Webb et al., 2020; Zurek et al. 2022; Ewert et al. 2023). While the 17 UN SDGs offer a framework for global sustainability by 2030, measuring progress, particularly within food systems, remains challenging. The existing but limited metrics often lack scientific robustness and fail to capture the complex social, economic, cultural, and ecological dimensions of food systems, hindering effective policy interventions and stakeholder actions (Fanzo et al. 2021). To effectively assess progress towards the SDGs, food system transformation requires rigorous, participatory and science-based monitoring that supports public and private decision-making (Bene et al. 2024). This Ke Ō Mau Center Priority Initiative sets out to develop a comprehensive food system sustainability indicator and metric system for tracking Hawaiʻi’s progress toward the UN SDGs.
Past Projects
Integrated State Food Policy Framework for Hawaiʻi
The Integrated State Food Policy Framework for Hawaii articulates 18 food system planning elements, policy recommendations, and proposed indicators and metrics for tracking Hawaii’s progress toward relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Interagency Food System Working Group
State-level food system planning and policy initiative linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Senate Resolution 111, Senate Draft 1 (2024) urges the Department of Agriculture to create a Sustainable Food Systems Working Group. This group will develop a plan to strengthen Hawai‘i’s local food production, enhance food security, and reduce dependency on imported food, aligning with sustainability and equity goals.