Know where your food comes from. That’s the mantra of sustainability.

But how do you gain access to that body of knowledge? If you want locally grown strawberries, can you get them? How do you figure out where to go?

The Hawaii Food Map will likely provide the answer. The new online resource lists information of "what’s growing, who’s growing it and how to access it," said Lisa Asagi, who conceptualized the map as part of her work with She Grows Food. The organization, which she founded with fellow agriculture advocate Dan Naka­sone, is dedicated to supporting Hawaii’s food system.

The map comprises information on 100 fruits, vegetables and spices grown by farms statewide. It also offers a listing of Hawaii farms.

"It’s a cross-reference. If you put into the search engine ‘kabocha,’ for example, you’ll get information on where to get it, how to select and store it and general tips on how to use it," she said. "Later, we hope to include recipes as well."

The map was funded by She Grows Food and a grant from the state Department of Agriculture. For now, the database doesn’t list dairy or livestock items, as the grant does not include funding for those products.

Connecting people and restaurants with sources of local produce prevents food waste — and that helps farmers with their bottom line. According to a 2011 study for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, some 40 percent of food is wasted in the U.S. at the retail and consumer levels.

"Forty percent food loss equates to 40 percent fertilizer, herbicides, labor and water loss as well," said Naka­sone. "Farmers would do better, food would cost less and our environment would be cleaner if we reduce this waste. Food prices will continue to go up unless we change this."

The food map is intended to address waste in a couple of ways. Oneis helping to move surplus product.

"When you have surpluses, it’s hard to deal with because it comes at short notice, the products are perishable and most of the restaurants have already made commitments" through their orders to distributors, said Shin Ho, who runs her family’s Ho Farms.

Last year the farm had a surplus of 1,100 pounds of Roma tomatoes. With the assistance of Asagi and Naka­sone, Ho was able to move it all in three days. The map would alleviate the need for such emergency measures. Ho already has some ideas.

"The food map could show folks where items are available and at what price, and connect them with the producers. The farmers market could serve as a pickup point," she said.

Chef Lindsey Ozawa, co-owner of Prima restaurant, was one of those who purchased Ho’s surplus Romas. He says the map could help him patronize more farmers.

"It’s helpful to have a resource like that that says this person has this, that person has that," he said. "On a day-to-day basis, I get into the restaurant at 9:30 a.m. and don’t leave until 11:30 p.m. I know there are a lot of farmers out there producing interesting things, but realistically, I have no time to track them down."

Then there are off-grade products, which account for a substantial amount of waste.

Grading of produce is based on appearance, meaning if a cucumber or eggplant grows curved rather than straight, it is considered unsuitable to sell at market price. Often these products aren’t sold at all.

"Why should one cucumber cost less than another when it was grown the same way for the same cost with the same care?" Asagi asks.

Ho says customers often compliment her farm’s pristine tomatoes, but what they’re seeing for sale isn’t reflective of her entire crop.

"The product looks nice because we throw away a lot of other product that isn’t perfect," she said. "When we initially started working at the farmers market, we wanted to pre­sent a cohesive product, but then the issue becomes not having enough product."

Ho says she understands that straight cucumbers might be necessary for processing if slicers or other machinery require the vegetable to be a certain shape.

"But every day, we as a nation waste enough food to fill the largest football stadium in the U.S.," she said.

Ho says she is able to sell some off-grade product. "Change comes really slow. Now some small restaurants will accept off-grade from us if that’s all we have."

A bright spot: Her farmers market customers don’t bat an eyelash. "Yes, people are open to it. They shop for what’s convenient," she said.

The map will help replicate Ho’s success.

"It’s about seeing through and reaching through all the different systems put into place that makes us not able to buy a crooked eggplant," Asagi said.

Asagi also hopes that the map will help establish a new way of gathering and sharing information.

"One of my goals is to crowd-source information. There’s so much knowledge out there," she said.

Asagi envisions the site sharing information in the cas­ual way that people do.

"Every week, I’d be working at the farmers market hearing people exchange information: How do you know how to select something? How do you grow something, cook something? Which parts can you use? People are curious," she said.

Crowd-sourcing means the map will evolve continually as information arrives. Asagi herself is still searching out the countless small farms that populate the state. She hopes that after about a year the map will be "reflective of what’s actually out there."

"I want to emphasize that this is a living project. That’s why it’s called a map. Little by little it will get filled up," she said. "At the end we’ll have a fantastic reflection of collective knowledge."

For Hawaii Food Map, visit http://www.shegrowsfood.com