Relentless Kona Low storms this spring dumped enormous rainfall across Hawaii, leaving the state's agricultural sector badly damaged and fields saturated. Some locations recorded more than 30 inches of rain during the March event, and University of Hawaii observers logged localized totals up to 61 inches; officials estimate roughly 2 trillion gallons of water fell across the islands. The storms struck during active growing and planting windows, compounding both immediate harvest losses and longer-term production impacts.
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, described the scale of the destruction as historic and said at least one-third of producers were harmed by the storms. Data collected through the state’s farmer response platform show 500 farmers affected in self-reports, a mix of small-scale diversified operations and larger specialty growers. Many operations are facing lost revenue, unpaid labor bills and immediate cash-flow shortfalls as product is unsellable or fields remain unusable.
Damage already spans more than 4,000 acres, with estimated losses exceeding $31 million, state and congressional sources say. Oahu producers account for the largest share of the reported dollar losses, with over $20 million attributed to farms on that island alone. Those figures represent initial self-reported and state-compiled estimates and the totals are expected to change as assessments continue.
Crop and soil losses
Producers reported both immediate crop loss and altered field conditions that will require soil replacement and repair. Tokuda recounted visiting a Kona coffee operation that was about to set out 20,000 saplings when the storms hit: "They were just about to plant 20,000 saplings in their fields ... completely wiped out and gone," she said. Beyond lost plantings, flooding removed topsoil, buried beds in debris and damaged equipment critical for seasonal fieldwork.
Tokuda said many farmers urgently need topsoil, seedlings and equipment repairs to resume planting and harvest activity. "They can’t sell their crops, which means they can’t pay themselves or their employees," she said, noting replacement inputs and labor funds are immediate priorities for affected operations. Producers also face logistical challenges accessing fields that remain waterlogged or blocked by flood debris.
Long-term food concerns
Amanda Shaw of Agricultural Stewardship Hawaii, who helped build the farmer response platform, said losses are severe even in communities that avoided the worst river flooding. "A lot of our farmers lost 90% of what they had in the ground," she said, adding that leafy greens were often a total loss. Shaw identified coffee and macadamia nut growers as likely to face the deepest long-term damage, while vegetable producers lost key rotations of squash and leafy greens.
State and nonprofit relief efforts are under way. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity announced 333 Emergency Farmer Relief grants to provide immediate aid, and officials said they received more than 1,600 eligible relief applications. The grants deliver $1,500 per producer to cover short-term needs, and FEMA has approved federal assistance for recovery operations. Local groups including the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation and Hawaii Farm Bureau are collecting donations through the Hawaii Farmers’ Disaster Relief Fund, and Rep. Tokuda has published a list of assistance programs for producers on her website.
Assessments and relief distribution will continue as teams work through self-reported damage and field inspections, and the state reports more than 1,600 eligible relief applications for farmer aid.
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