COM 0872.002 2022-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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3. PRIORITY INVESTMENTS The identification of priority investments was guided by input from the stakeholder interviews and surveys,as well as by coordination with UH coalition members.Early in the outreach process,interviews were conducted with individual UH coalition members to gather baseline information on existing programs,plans,and priorities.A workshop was held with the UH coalition members to share the results of the needs and gaps assessment and identify short-,mid-,and long- term investment opportunities for inclusion in the BBBRC grant application. The priority investments that resulted from the workshop and subsequent coordination amongst UH coalition members reflected a combination of stakeholder input,grant application criteria,and individual program priorities.Unfortunately, the BBBRC grant was ultimately not awarded to the coalition.To ensure the effort invested in the grant application would be put to productive use,the County of Hawai'i undertook additional outreach to each of the UH coalition members in 2023 to re-confirm the priority investments and update them as needed to support future funding requests. The priority investments identified in this report are designed to leverage the institutional capacity of the UH system to support the agricultural cluster on Hawaii island with the capacity to sustainably generate new jobs and income suited to the Island's unique resources and diverse communities.The investments reflect three overarching strategies that answer to the needs and gaps identified by industry stakeholders: 1) Build vital extension and outreach services to address the current landscape and industry needs; 2) Engage in place-based research to support indigenous and diversified crops and value added agricultural production;and 3) Expand and innovate the spectrum of workforce pathways from UH institutions into the agricultural cluster to meet critical and emerging industry needs. The priority investments are presented on the following pages,categorized into short term(1-2 years),mid term(2-3 years),and long term(3 years and beyond)timelines.Icons are used to show how each investment addresses key needs and gaps identified by the agricultural stakeholders on Hawai`i Island. These priority investments are intended to provide a roadmap for strategic investments in the UH system that will lead to measurable improvements in UH's support of the agricultural cluster on Hawai'i Island. 10