By the Community for the Community: Maui Nui Food Alliance Launches Food System Leader Training Program to Lead Food Access Planning Work

The Maui Nui Food Alliance (MNFA)’s Food System Leader Program cohort gathered for the first time on Tuesday, September 19, for a virtual Facilitation Training.

The Food System Leader Training Program is a 6-month program where local Maui County leaders will be trained in facilitation and food systems change strategies to lead community listening sessions and develop the Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan. This plan will guide Maui County to improve nutrition security, climate and emergency resilience, and opportunities for local food producers, with targets identified over the next 5, 10, and 20 years.

Twelve individuals from Maui and Molokai were chosen to serve as MNFA Food System Leaders, with backgrounds ranging from farming to journalism.

The plan’s specific goals will reflect work already happening in the County and lessons learned from COVID and the August 8 fires, and all existing food system leaders and partners will be jointly responsible for the success and implementation of the plan.

From October through February, MNFA and the Food System Leaders cohort will host Community Listening Sessions across Maui County to gather community insight to inform the Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan so that the plan is developed by the community, for the community. In addition to facilitating these community discussions, the MNFA Food System Leaders will share post-event summaries on mauinuifoodalliance.org for the community to comment on if they are unable to attend.

For more information, including the time and location of each Community Listening Session, please subscribe to the MNFA newsletter: mauinuifoodalliance.org/newsletter.

If you have any questions, please contact mauinuifoodalliance@gmail.com.