Important Agricultural Lands

"Important agricultural lands" are those lands that:

• Are capable of producing sustained high agricultural yields when treated and managed according to accepted farming methods and technology;
• Contribute to the State's economic base and produce agricultural commodities for export or local consumption;
• Are needed to promote the expansion of agricultural activities and income for the future, even if currently not in production.

The identification and designation of Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) was first proposed at the 1978 Constitutional Convention and subsequently approved by voters in the same year. Enacted as Article XI, Section 3, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, the State is required to conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self-sufficiency and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands.