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Is a Hawaiian Famine Possible? America’s Most Famine-Prone State

shutterstock 1053409016
shutterstock 1053409016

Is a Hawaiian famine possible? 

Is the far-flung U.S. State the most famine-prone place in America?

Hawaii, America’s slice of unspoiled tropical paradise, has a massive food security problem. The state has slowly but surely grown “dangerously dependent” on food imports from the U.S. Mainland.

How much food does Hawaii have?

Shockingly, it is claimed that Hawaii only has four to five days of food on hand in its supply chain at any given moment. However, other studies claim that the state might have as many as eleven days of food on hand. Their food supply chain is weak and easily disrupted, and a Hawaii famine is not as far-fetched as many would think. 

The island was once food independent, but it slowly outsourced nearly its entire agricultural sector to the mainland and abroad because of surging costs. Every day, the postcard-perfect place is one disaster away from a total breakdown of its food supply and a subsequent Hawaii famine. 

During a natural disaster or global catastrophe, it is estimated that islands would have less than seven days to survive before devastating food shortages and a Hawaii famine set in. 

Can we get more food on Hawaii?

Today, it’s estimated that a tiny fraction (about 10 percent) of food is locally grown, meaning that up to 90 percent of food eaten by Hawaiian residents is brought by cargo ships. 

Few people realize how isolated the Aloha State is, lying more than 2,500 miles off the coast of California — and all of that food has to travel that insane distance on cargo ships. 

Even worse, the vast majority of imported food from the mainland is transported through one facility in Hawaii. While extremely short-sighted, the government only built one port capable of handling modern cargo ships transporting food and other essential items. 

That means the entry point for 90 percent of food is the Port of Honolulu, located on the most populated island, Oahu. Sadly, the area is prone to natural disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes that could easily disrupt food shipments. 

But if disaster strikes…

Unfortunately, if a hurricane, flood, or other natural disaster shut down the Port of Honolulu, it could take up to 19 days to get the port back online. This potential supply chain bottleneck means outer islands would see famine conditions much sooner than Oahu during a natural or man-made disaster. 

Additionally, food gets shipped over 2,500 miles from California to Oahu faster than it gets distributed to the other islands of Kauai, Maui, the Big Island, and the smaller islands. 

That means lesser populated islands outside of Oahu, home to some of the most luxurious resorts on the planet, face a constant threat of seeing their entire food supply chain collapse if anything happens to disturb the daily operations of the Port of Honolulu.

What they do in case of emergency

Unsurprisingly, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency recommends all residents keep a 14-day emergency food supply to survive any unforeseen interruption in food imports from the United States mainland or the global supply chain. 

Hawaii’s oil supply was recently in the news because of the war in Ukraine. Since the war broke out, Hawaii has seen its gas prices soar after suspending Russian oil imports. Unlike the rest of America, Hawaii imports millions of barrels of oil from Russia yearly. As a result, Hawaiians have been dealing with ever-increasing gas prices, with residents complaining that even Costco gas is growing out of reach. 

But isn’t Hawaii part of the U.S.?

As part of America, Hawaii is very plugged into globalization and the American economy. But, Hawaii was once an independent kingdom until a group of American plantation owners overthrew the Queen and declared themselves an independent republic. The islands were then annexed to the United States in 1898 and became America’s last state in 1959.

Hawaii’s last famine occurred in the early 1800s when Maui experienced severe drought conditions. Hopefully, Hawaii can begin to diversify its food sources and work toward becoming food independent once more, just like it was before the chain of islands became part of America. 

Back on the mainland, shortages of toilet paper, cars, and, more recently, baby formula have unnerved millions of Americans. Moreover, many are concerned that shortages and supply chain issues will continue this summer, alongside very elevated inflation or rising prices. 

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