Trouble in Paradise: Rain Hits Hawaiian Farmers

Hawaii floods? No mahalo.

Maybe too many rainbows: Back in March, rain hit paradise. A lot of rain. Farms are struggling after some areas in Hawaii received more than 60 inches of rain in less than two weeks. This is locally known as a “Kona low” in Hawaii. The governor says it’s the worst flooding since 2004.

Farms fight upstream: Hawaii Farm Bureau says there’s nearly $50M in damages to 2K farms, including to crops, livestock, and machinery. Many of the farms in Hawaii are small

farms without insurance. To stem the gap, there’s some federal disaster relief, one-time $1,500 emergency grants, and a charitable fund that’s raised more than $200K.  

Taro no ‘mo: Even taro—the root vegetable grown in flooded patties, similar to rice called lo’i—has been lost because of the contaminants carried by the flood water.

Soundbite: “In some cases entire farms have been wiped out. These are farmers who were just days or weeks away from harvesting and now they have to start over.” — Brian Miyamoto, executive director of Hawaii Farm Bureau

Pūpūkāhi i holomua. – "Unite to move forward."