Hawaiʻi imports almost 90% of its food, meaning that this isolated Pacific island archipelago has low food self-sufficiency. To address this vulnerability and support the local economy, Hawaiʻi’s government has committed to doubling local food production by 2030. While an increase in local agricultural output coupled with a reduction of imports may benefit Hawaiʻi’s economy and communities, it will also affect the environment via pollution and use of scarce land and water. Because Hawaiʻi residents depend on the local environment for both sustenance and tourism, such negative impacts are important to consider in initiatives designed to boost local food production. Tanya Torres, a former graduate student at the University of Hawaiʻi, studied the likely effects of increasing local food supply on environmental services. The three page summary and full master’s thesis will tell you more about what she found!