2021-10-27 EMC Agenda item 5-b(i) - Climate change is a big problem for farmers in Hawaii (MC)

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At the same time that the state is experiencing an overall decline in rain, the rain it gets is becoming more intense, Fletcher said. Essentially, we are experiencing longer periods of drought coupled with more intense storms — like the one that caused catastrophic flooding on Kauai in 2018. This is a global phenomenon, Fletcher said. A fundamental characteristic of a warmer atmosphere. The state is also getting warmer. Hawaii's average temperature increased about 2 degrees between 1950 and 2010, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. On Oahu, 2019 was the hottest year ever recorded. Statewide, temperature records were broken 300 times that year, Fletcher said. Changes in temperatures, wind, rain patterns and incidents of extreme weather can all wreak havoc on crops. Climate change could devastate taro production, as hotter temperatures and increased evaporation lead to higher salinity in the water and soil — not to mention issues of water access. Hotter summers on Oahu have led to a decline in the pollination of sweet corn, says Amjad Ahmad, an assistant extension agent at UH Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources who helps bridge the