Satellite image ©2026 Vantor
Neglected North Shore Plantation Waterways Fueled Damaging Floods
Sugar and pineapple acreage was sold off over the years, divided into hundreds of smaller plots for farming and housing. After the deluge, everyone is pointing fingers.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024
Hawaiʻi Land Board Approves Acquiring Wahiawā Reservoir As Costs Increase
A budget request from Gov. Josh Green puts the new price tag on repairs to the dam and reservoir, which rose to dangerous levels during the recent Kona low, at more than $60 million.
Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026
Hawaiʻi Is On Track To Obtain And Fix Dam That Almost Failed
Taxpayers will pay more than $20 million for repairs. Partial owner Dole might still get the water.
Thomas Heaton/Civil Beat/2026
Hawai‘i Farmers Confront $11M In Flood Damage Without A Safety Net
Crop insurance is hard to attain in Hawaiʻi, and federal programs are tailored to mainland agriculture.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2023
Fake Farms Get Tax Breaks, But Hawaiʻi Can’t Stop Them Yet
Not everyone living on agricultural land is a farmer. But state agencies have struggled to distinguish the genuine food producers from the hobby farmers looking for a tax break.
Jeremy Hay
North Shore Oʻahu Farmers Search For Answers In The Kona Storm Wreckage
Farmers spent Saturday wading through their properties, trying to pick up the pieces from crops and livestock lost during torrential rains, flooding and high winds this week.
Courtesy: Alec Sou/2025
Kaua‘i’s Robinson Family Seeks To Evict Major Hawaiʻi Farm
Gay & Robinson has filed a lawsuit demanding nearly $700,000 in unpaid rent from Aloun Farms.
Provided: Steven Lopez/2026
‘No Trespass’ Signs Thwart County Inspections Of Kona Dome House
Vacation rentals aren’t permitted on farmland under state law, but recent legal battles show some Big Island landowners want to test that.
Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2025
Push To Feed Hawaiʻi Kids More Local Food Is ‘Structural Disaster’
The DOE has not taken the effort seriously and has no real plan for how to meet a legislative mandate to spend 30% of its food budget locally by 2030, according to a state audit.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat/2025
After A Lawsuit, USDA Agrees To Share Climate Risk Data With Farmers
Now, even if the webpages come down again, the data can remain public.