OERʻs Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Program provides resources for small farmers and producers in the City and County of Honolulu and supports the local food system infrastructure.

Examples of resources include the 2023 Agriculture Grants which awarded 67 grants to small farmers across the county, supported farmers through technical assistance programs, worked across silos, and built community connections.

OER looks at the whole food system, like growing food and handling food waste, to meet Oʻahu's agricultural needs. The department is working to boost agricultural production so Oʻahu residents can enjoy more locally grown products, take better care of our environment, and have more access to value-added, unique Hawaiʻi products. OER aims to create an economically viable and sustainable food system through programs and policy change.

OER is starting to shape the city's role in a new kind of tourism that protects our environment, celebrates local culture, and provides good jobs for our people. The mission of the Regenerative Tourism Program is to work with the community and the hospitality stakeholders to enact the goals of Oʻahu’s Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP). The Oʻahu DMAP outlines a new community-focused approach to rebuild, redefine, and steer the hospitality industry in a better direction.  DMAP goals for the City are related to improving the management of Oʻahu's visitors, including enhancing and protecting Oʻahu’s special places, limiting short-term vacation rentals to resort-zoned areas, enhancing awareness of public transportation options to minimize rental cars on our roadways, and creating opportunities for residents and visitors to buy local.

Regenerative tourism supports Oʻahu’s residents, communities, environment, cultural, historical, and recreational sites, ensuring they benefit from the visitors welcomed to our shores.

OER’s O‘ahu Business Connector (OBC) is part of the City and County of Honolulu’s strategy to support small businesses.

The heart of the program is its grassroots team of Resource Connectors who personally reach out to businesses and educate them about available resources. They’ve already helped more than five thousand local businesses.

OBC is an online directory where businesses can find resources that meet their specific needs including events, seminars, and professional development services.

OER supports businesses and community growth by connecting them with resources and developing programs to create a more resilient economy. This includes helping the public access information, offering technical assistance to small businesses, providing job training and placement, and supporting the market for locally made products.

OER’s Workforce Development program aims to support diversifying Oʻahuʻs economy by creating more support services and training opportunities for good jobs. The Good Jobs O'ahu program is OER’s short-term job training program preparing Oʻahu residents for living wage in-demand job opportunities. Using pandemic relief funds, the City has partnered with the University of Hawaii to offer support services and training for careers with salaries higher than minimum wage and economic stability. Training and internships are offered in the technology, healthcare, education, skilled trades, and clean energy sectors, as well as for City careers.

OER operates on the principle that the people are our economy. Our programs and policies create good jobs that will move Oʻahu's economy into the future. OER defines a good job as one that offers financial security, benefits that improve quality of life, supports a healthy family and community, adapts to our changing world, and gives back to the community and environment more than it extracts.

OERʻs Innovation and Technology program is focused on broadband access and digital equity. OER seeks to ensure that every Oʻahu resident has access to high-speed internet to promote equal opportunities for all to participate in a digitally connected world. The internet is a fundamental utility, and OER is committed to making access safe and affordable for everyone. The program emphasizes connectivity and sharing the necessary knowledge and skills to use the internet effectively. This initiative supports the broader state Connect Kākou effort, seeking to bridge the digital divide across Hawaiʻi.

Oʻahu is the state's center for innovation and the economy, making up 75% of the statewide innovation market. OER is teaming up with community organizations to build a strong innovation and technology sector on Oʻahu. Our goals are to create a more diverse and fair economy, provide local jobs, keep talent here, and develop solutions to social and environmental problems that are culturally relevant and innovative.

OER’s Pacific Islander Community Liaison helps connect the Pacific Islander community with City services. The liaison supports programs that offer language and culturally appropriate outreach to improve the community’s economic mobility. OER works closely with the federal, state, and other city government agencies to improve understanding and interactions with our newest immigrants and maintain connections with Pacific Island nations like the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Palau.