Hawaii Farmers Struggle to Recover After Kona Low Storms

Relief efforts underway to help farmers replant, repair, and restart operations

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:40pm

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A vast, atmospheric landscape painting depicting a flooded Hawaiian farm field under a dramatic, stormy sky, with damaged farm structures and equipment dwarfed by the turbulent weather, conveying the overwhelming scale and power of the natural disaster.The devastating Kona low storms have left many of Hawaii's small, independent farms struggling to recover from widespread crop loss and infrastructure damage.Honolulu Today

Back-to-back Kona low storms have devastated many farmers across Hawaii, destroying crops, flooding fields, and disrupting operations just weeks before harvest. The Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and Hawaii Agricultural Foundation have launched a disaster relief fund to help farmers with replanting costs, infrastructure repairs, and restarting their businesses.

Why it matters

Hawaii's local farmers play a vital role in feeding communities across the islands, supplying produce to farmers markets, local stores, and restaurants. The severe weather and flooding have wiped out entire harvests for many of these small, independent farms, threatening their livelihoods and the state's food security.

The details

The Kona low storms caused widespread damage, with flooded fields, crop loss, and in some cases, entire harvests being wiped out. Farmers who were just weeks away from harvesting are now starting over, facing significant challenges to replant, repair infrastructure, and get their operations back up and running.

  • The back-to-back Kona low storms hit Hawaii in late February and early March 2026.
  • Many farmers were just weeks away from their spring harvests when the storms struck.

The players

Brian Miyamoto

Executive Director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation.

Denise Yamaguchi

Executive Director of the Hawaii Agricultural Foundation.

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What they’re saying

“The farmers who were just weeks away from harvesting, are now starting over.”

— Brian Miyamoto, Executive Director, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation

“Farmers need quick relief to recover for things like replanting costs, repairing infrastructure, and just getting operations back up and running.”

— Denise Yamaguchi, Executive Director, Hawaii Agricultural Foundation

What’s next

The Hawaii Farmers Disaster Relief Fund has been established to provide direct financial assistance to affected farmers. Organizers are working to distribute funds as quickly as possible to help farmers replant, repair, and restart their operations.

The takeaway

The devastating impact of the Kona low storms on Hawaii's local farming community underscores the vulnerability of the state's food system to extreme weather events. Rebuilding efforts will require coordinated support from both public and private organizations to ensure these small, independent farms can recover and continue supplying fresh, local produce to communities across the islands.