The Food Basket is developing a large “agricultural innovation park” in Hilo.
Hawaii Island’s food bank recently purchased 24.5 acres off Ponahawai Street in Hilo from Suisan for a discounted rate of $1.6 million.
The newly acquired land will be used to create the Hawaii Island Agricultural Innovation Park, which will help alleviate food insecurity, lift barriers to pursuing agriculture and respond to the current pandemic-related downturn by providing the capital needed to create a robust agricultural economy.
Selling a portion of the land and donating another part became an easy decision once Suisan President Steve Ueda learned about The Food Basket’s plans.
“We’ve had this land for sale for a couple years, but never had a good buyer interested in purchasing,” Ueda said. “The Food Basket learned about the property, and I happened to be on the board of directors. All the dots seemingly connected to make this happen.”
Ueda and Suisan decided to donate a portion of the land since the goals of The Food Basket coincide with Suisan’s mission to increase the amount of local food producers and help them thrive.
“We did have the opportunity to share our thoughts on the project and see that it’s a good thing for Hilo, and the property will be a perfect place for the park,” Ueda said. “I think it’s great that the name of our food bank is The Food Basket, because they want to turn Hilo into the food basket of Hawaii.”
The Food Basket Executive Director Kristin Frost Albrecht visited Maui last month to tour The Maui Food Innovation Center for inspiration and ideas.
While the idea of building an agricultural innovation center on Hawaii Island is not new, recent food supply challenges helped jump-start the project.
“During the pandemic, we had to source a lot of our food locally, and it was an opportunity to think about how to best support our farmers,” Frost Albrecht said. “One of the biggest lessons from the pandemic is that we need to have consistent food supply on our island. We have the agricultural land to serve the entire state.”
The state imports about 90% of its food, equating to $3 billion leaving the state each year. At this time, only a small fraction of locally grown agricultural products are sold in mainstream retailers, according to Hawaii County.
“We want to make sure agricultural businesses are viable. They need a boost,” Frost Albrecht said. “They need the ability to turn products into something else and do things at a higher volume to make us food secure.”
The proposed four-component innovation park will allow The Food Basket to expand its ongoing efforts to promote the purchase and consumption of locally grown foods from a strategic location on a collaborative campus.
The first component will be a community food center and food bank that will be used for emergency food warehousing, agricultural distribution, drive-thru food access and offices.
The second component is an agricultural innovation center, which will provide space, assistance and equipment for food manufacturing, processing and co-packing.
The second component also will include agricultural land for row crops and incubator crops, as well as a shade house, to support programs of The Food Basket and the community.
The third component is an agricultural support office for The Food Basket network members, growers, producers and members of the community.
The fourth component will be a community center that would bridge the gap between agricultural providers and the community they serve. Spaces will weave education, cultural and culinary experiences together.
A farmer’s market pavilion also will be added to the fourth component and will accommodate up to 50 farmer stalls with support spaces, like storage and kitchens.
The total cost is estimated at $74.3 million; however, a federal grant could fund nearly half of the project.
The Food Basket is one entity included in the Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant, which is being pursued by Hawaii County.
The county developed the Hawaii Island Coalition to propose projects that will benefit the whole of the agriculture industry on the island.
Those in the coalition include, The Food Basket, The Hamakua Institute, The Kohala Center, Ma‘ona Community Garden, Big Island Resource Conservation and Development Council, East Hawaii Community Development Corporation, and the University of Hawaii.
The county is one of 60 finalists in the first phase of the Build Back Better Challenge.
Each finalist was awarded about $500,000 to further develop their proposed projects before submitting applications for phase two.
If the county is awarded phase two of the grant, they will receive up to $100 million to fund three to eight projects that support the agriculture industry.
If the county is not awarded the grant, Frost Albrecht said she is confident that The Food Basket can raise enough money through other grants and campaigns to start developing the innovation center.
Additionally, The Food Basket is establishing strong relationships with lenders and potential investors who support the vision of this project to ensure sufficient access to capital and eliminate barriers that could arise due to unexpected development costs.
If the current timeline can be followed, construction could begin as early as June 2023.
“We’re very excited, but it is scary to take it all on,” Frost Albrecht said. “All the work will be worth it when it’s completed. The park could really make a difference for food and agriculture here.”
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com