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(2) Market Development, which will increase the island's collective capacity to build its <br /> economic competitiveness and sustainability within the cluster; and (3)Workforce <br /> Development, Research and Innovation, which will increase agribusiness employment and <br /> technical skills, innovate through research, and combat invasive species and the impacts of <br /> climate change, culminating in the Island of Hawai`i's status as an Agricultural Knowledge <br /> Center of Excellence in the Pacific. The nature of this cluster's design is to develop closed loop <br /> systems which means that most projects touch each of these three categories. <br /> Value chain Investment Projects <br /> 1. Build Hawaii Island Agricultural Innovation Industrial Park(AIIP) and Food Systems <br /> Campus that is inclusive of The Food Basket's facilities, in collaboration with the Hawaii <br /> County Regional Coalition, and implement out shared strategic objectives to: a) increase <br /> value-added processing capacity on Hawaii Island, supporting a network of certified <br /> kitchens and food hubs, and establishing a centralized facility for aggregated production and <br /> shared high-volume processing; b) explore and support new models of aggregation, <br /> processing, and distribution, particularly from small farms, regularly utilizing online <br /> information and establishing partnerships around food standards; c) increase support and <br /> efficiency of agricultural products transportation and distribution, identifying strategic <br /> opportunities for shared for-profit and nonprofit use of equipment and facilities; d) increase <br /> incentives and mechanisms for cooperation to lower costs and increase opportunities for <br /> small farms; and e) increase collaboration among all stakeholders in the system using (HIAP) <br /> and (HIFA)platforms. <br /> 2. Improve existing"Mika Meats" industrial space to be utilized for shared use processing <br /> facilities and business services. The project will serve the immediate demand for these <br /> facilities, before the AIIP build-out is complete. <br /> 3. Implement expanded breadfruit agroforestry production and processing on Hawaii Island by <br /> upgrading an East Hawaii Island processing facility for dried and milled flour products <br /> centered around breadfruit and other high-demand agroforestry crops. <br /> 4. Expand the availability of Canoe crop varietals through nursery expansion and educational <br /> programming to increase traditional food production and preservation within public and <br /> private organizations, and with families across the island. <br /> 5. Integrate closed loop waste strategies within the cluster and catalyze job growth throughout <br /> the waste management value chain by coordinating with existing business and investing in <br /> flexible, climate-resilient green infrastructure. <br /> Market System Development <br /> 6. Implement Market Development Program teams to support the diverse set of agriculture <br /> markets within the cluster. The teams will identify high potential growth opportunities, <br /> where there is demand for shared equipment, processes, and services that stimulate <br /> production and job growth, and build sustainable demand for these support functions to <br /> continue stimulating cluster growth beyond the period of the grant. The teams will monitor <br /> the economic impacts of their interventions to grow the cluster using a Diffusion of <br /> Innovation model for identifying how introduced changes create a multiplier effect <br /> throughout the market system. <br /> 7. Develop a stronger agricultural economy by providing businesses with equitable and <br /> sufficient access to technical assistance in business development, marketing, efficiency <br /> planning, and capitalization through an assessment of and an informed investment in existing <br /> services island-wide. <br /> Hawaii County Build Back Better Regional Challenge Phase I Proposal Narrative 3 <br />