"Diversified ag" rhetoric doesn't match reality

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

We hear a lot about the need to diversify Hawaii’s economy, especially when it comes to agriculture. But often the rhetoric doesn’t align with reality.

Local farmers and ranchers are constantly fighting against regulations that make it hard for them to earn a living. Many feel there is no end to the burdensome permits, taxes and regulations they must deal with on a daily basis. Even zoning and land-use rules can effectively close off economic opportunities for those who work in agriculture.

But I do have a bit of good news. Maui County is leading the way to reforming some of these burdensome rules. Two bills that would relax some of these regulations passed out of a Maui County Council committee just this week.

Bill 75 (2025) would legalize agricultural-tourism activities and Bill 76 (2025) would allow farmers and ranchers to sell their produce from food trucks on their properties. Both would offer Maui’s agriculture sector new opportunities to expand and diversify. Both offer a model for Hawaii’s other counties to follow.

Right now, a Maui County farmer or rancher who wants to host visitors for a lei-making class or a coffee-roasting demonstration must obtain a special-use permit from one of the county’s three planning commissions. This can cost thousands of dollars and take years for a decision, and even then there is no guarantee the commission will vote to approve the permit.

Legalizing these activities would remove that cost and uncertainty while providing new economic opportunities for Maui farmers.

As for the food trucks, Bill 75 would simply return their status to where they were just a few years ago, before the Maui Planning Department changed its interpretation of the county code. This change was devastating for many Maui farmers who depended on food trucks to help make their businesses profitable.

Farmer Gail Ashby of Hana testified that the loss of her food truck resulted in “the loss of over 75% of our farm income.” Farmer John Varel of Waihee echoed these sentiments. His food truck, he said, “turned out to be a perfect complement for our farm-to-table concept. … Now that $120,000 investment is just sitting along the highway rusting away.”

There’s a lesson here for all Hawaii lawmakers: Regulations have real effects on residents, and imposing additional restrictions often means individuals and businesses lose out on opportunities or have to close up shop.

I am glad Maui’s Council members have introduced these bills, and I urge Hawaii’s other county lawmakers to look to them as examples of how to help agricultural entrepreneurs thrive.

E hana kākou! (Let's work together!)