GreenWheel Food Hub and Kanu Hawaii are working together to scale up pop up farmers markets already proven to be effective at bringing local, fresh food options to communities with limited access to fresh food. The systems designed by the partnership include pioneering innovations to be the first 100% EBT compatible farmers market on Oahu (all items can be purchased with EBT) and offer 100% locally-grown produce. Benefits are significant for community health and the local agriculture industry.

Please describe your innovation?

Our innovation is scaling three concepts we have pioneered in Hawaii: One, we are popping up farmers markets directly in low-income neighborhoods. We’ve identified communities that are food deserts with little access to nearby local and healthy foods. We can target these food deserts with a low impact, flexible market that can be temporarily popped up in parking lots and other common areas. Two, we developed systems to empower residents to purchase food at our markets using Electronic Benefits Transactions. About 154,000 people in Hawaii receive $33.5 million of food purchasing power through EBT, the program formally known as food stamps. Our popup pilot in Mililani was the first to be both 100% EBT compatible and offer 100% locally-grown produce. Three, we are tailoring locally produced offerings and offering community education. We have systems in place to poll residents and tailor farmers’ offerings and live cooking demonstrations to suit the tastes and cultures of the community.

What is the problem or situation that your innovation seeks to address?

First, communities located in food deserts not only lack fresh food options, but may have mobility issues due to age, transportation issues, and children, which make shopping elsewhere difficult. Second, chronic lack of access to healthful foods has created diet-related health problems such as diabetes and obesity not just in adults but also young children. These food deserts are also shaping food preferences in negative ways for generations. We are rebuilding local and fresh options to restart and change food preference. Third, Hawaii’s farming community benefits little from the $33.5 million in EBT subsidies. Studies have shown that upwards of a third of EBT benefits are spent at convenience stories on products that don’t benefit the local economy and destroy community health. By reconnecting farmers and communities, we can direct a growing share of EBT benefits towards the vibrance of our small agriculture industry helping to shore up the nation’s most food insecure state.

What effort have you made to test out your new idea?

The needs addressed by our innovation were highlighted as critical in the 2010 Kaiser Permanente Community Health Needs Assessment. Kaiser funded us to pilot the pop up farmer’s market concept. Whole Foods also dedicated 5% of one day’s sales to fund the pilot work. During the first quarter of 2012, we created the systems necessary to launch pop-up markets in food deserts with EBT accepted on site. Creating the first farmers market on Oahu to be both 100% EBT compatible and offer strictly locally-grown produce was a result of this prep work. We also created systems to poll communities to optimally match farm offerings with communities. On April 15, 2012, we popped up our first market at Kalani Gardens, a 116 unit affordable housing development managed by EAH. The survey system was tested and drove farmer selection and cooking demos. Over 125 residents attended the market and participated in interactive cooking demos including cooking for kids and a $5 with market ingredients.

What is particularly noteworthy or novel about your innovation?

Farmers markets were founded in low income communities but soon became mainstays only in more affluent areas. We are taking farmers markets back to their community roots in underserved communities. Our innovative approach not only meets communities where they are at, but also accepts payments using EBT, a brand new payment option pioneered here by our group. The other noteworthy part of our innovation is the pop-up nature. We can locate almost anywhere without a fixed set of vendors thus creating culturally appropriate food options as well as relevant demos to start shifting food preferences. A 3 min Hawaii News Now interview about the Pop-Up Farmers Market innovation with Kanu Hawaii is available here: http://youtu.be/YMSGNMqVBuc

What impact do you expect your innovation will have on the problem or situation described in the previous question?

Our goal is to provide local fresh food options and reverse alarming health trends due to poor diets. We would like to create healthy habits for families that buy local and eat local for portions of their EBT budgets. Our goal for farmers is to shift $1 out of every $100 of EBT spending to farmers markets. This would equal about $335,000 each month of funds that stay in our local economy, impacts other industries due to the economic multiplier effect, and helps prop up small agriculture that is helping to move Hawaii towards a more food safe future. With only a couple of weeks of food supply in Hawaii at any given time, investment in our food security is of paramount concern for all.

What other community partners will you need if your innovation is to scale beyond your organization?

We will partner with many organizations. One, affordable housing managers like EAH. These managers provide key connections to communities. Two, with farmers. We will develop diversity in options to best meet localized needs. Three, with other funders. Our pilot funded by Kaiser and Whole Foods showed demand from the cause and profit sectors to support food desert outreach work. Four, educational partners. These partners are needed to match up relevant cooking and health demonstrations and information to supplement the market. An interview with EAH Housing and GreenWheel Food Hub on the Pop-Up Farmers Market partnership on KHON can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/TA-5q-WRBKE

Why are your organization, partners, and key personnel suited to take on this project?

The lead organization is GreenWheel Food Hub. The co-founders Lisa Asagi and Gida Snyder have extensive experience in building local food system related projects, working closely with local farmers and chefs. GreenWheel also has direct experience designing and managing farmers markets here in Hawaii. Co-founder Lisa Asagi has been a farmers market manager for the Hawaii Farm Bureau’s Oahu farmers markets (including KCC Farmers Market, named one of the top ten farmers markets in the U.S. by Sunset Magazine) for the past 3 years. The secondary partner is Kanu Hawaii. Kanu has engaged over 15,000 individuals in direct social change including people from every zip code in Hawaii. Kanu members have publicly made over 60,000 commitments and participated in campaigns including the Eat Local Challenge, which has engaged thousands of people over the past 3 years to commit to supporting the local food system in Hawaii.