Molokai Subsistence Survey

Sust’ainable Molokai News Release 

The Molokai Subsistence Survey from 1993 shows important informated about how residents get their food. Now, Sust’ainable Molokai is conducting an update to that survey. Please consider taking between five and 30 minutes to complete the 2023 Molokai Subsistence Study Update. All English-speaking Molokai residents over the age of 18 are eligible to complete the survey. The survey can be found online at sustainablemolokai.org/subsistence or can be completed in person at community events or at the Sustʻainable Molokai office. 

In 1993, the governor commissioned the Molokai Subsistence Task Force to study subsistence on Molokai. The study found that the average Molokai family got 28 percent of their food from subsistence activities like hunting, fishing, gathering from the ocean, and raising animals. For Native Hawaiian families, 38 percent of food came from subsistence. This summer, Sustʻainable Molokai is conducting a research study to update this information. 

At the end of the year, we will share the findings of the study with the community and our elected officials through a community meeting. The results of the study will be used to support community organizations in securing funding and may be utilized to inform policy. 

The study will be led by Momi Afelin, a graduate student at Harvard University who was raised on Molokai. The study team will also include other Molokai residents and will be assisted by a team of graduate students from the University of Michigan. If you have any questions or concerns about the study, please contact her at momi@sustainablemolokai.org. For more information and to take the survey, please visit our website at sustainablemolokai.org/subsistence or visit our office at 40 Ala Malama Ave Suite 211 Kaunakakai, HI 96748. 

Please share the survey with your ‘ohana and friends!