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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Social Movements, Institutions and Governance
Volume 8 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1427270
This article is part of the Research Topic Food System Transformation and the Realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals View all 28 articles

Ranking Food Security Indicators and Metrics in Hawaiʻi: A Delphi Approach

Provisionally accepted
Jason Shon Jason Shon 1*Albie F. Miles Albie F. Miles 2
  • 1 School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • 2 University of Hawaii–West Oahu, Kapolei, Hawaii, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    A comprehensive set of regionally relevant indicators and metrics is crucial for tracking progress in transforming food systems to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Household food security, foundational to sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems, aligns with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Policymakers require accurate data to guide decisions, yet a major challenge is developing scientifically sound, participatory, and reproducible approaches for sub-national food system indicators and metrics. This study addresses this need by using the Delphi research method to create a multi-indicator system of both stand-alone and complementary food security metrics specific to Hawaiʻi. Engaging 24 food security experts in Hawaiʻi, with a 58% response rate in the second round, consensus was achieved on 55 of 71 metrics (78%). The U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) received the highest rating among stand-alone metrics (3.5, SD = 0.8). Complementary metrics were organized within a framework encompassing the four dimensions of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. Access metrics received top ratings, including the 'rate of households below the ALICE threshold' (4.4, SD = 0.7). ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed, and refers to households that earn enough to be ineligible for many public assistance programs but not enough to afford basic necessities. The present study advances quantitative assessment of food security in Hawaiʻi, supporting SDG 2. Results highlight the need to clarify terminology, address food (in)security misconceptions, develop new metrics for data gaps, and prioritize initiatives like SNAP that address Hawaiʻi's high living costs and enhance food access. The participatory, multidimensional metrics model presented here is adaptable to other regions, extending its impact beyond Hawaiʻi.

    Keywords: Food security, Indicators and metrics, Delphi method, Hawaiʻi, food system transformation, SDG 2 (Zero Hunger

    Received: 03 May 2024; Accepted: 11 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shon and Miles. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jason Shon, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9YL, Scotland, United Kingdom

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.