Like unplanted soil washed away by heavy rain, the amount of land farmed in Hawaii has eroded significantly with the decline in plantation agriculture over the past several decades. That trend, however, was halted for the first time in at least 30 years, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture farm census.

The census, published every five years, showed that Hawaii farmers put 8,000 more acres into production between 2007 and 2012, increasing total land used to grow food and other products to 1,129,000 acres from about 1,121,000 acres.

While the gain was relatively small, it is significant given that 180,000 acres was lost during the prior five-year period. Since 1982, farming had ceased on roughly 800,000 acres statewide.

The new growth occurred largely on Oahu, where about 8,700 additional acres were farmed. There also were increases on Maui and Hawaii island, which each gained about 3,000 acres of farmed land. Kauai suffered a loss of 7,400 acres.

Ranching appeared to be the primary factor behind the overall gain, although not on Oahu. The amount of pasture and range land rose by about 30,000 acres, largely offset by a decline in land that has farm-related buildings, roads and other facilities but no crops.

The amount of land farmed in crops decreased by about 3,000 acres.

Mark Hudson, statistician for the state Department of Agriculture, said the decline in cropland wasn’t bad.

"Cropland is pretty stable,"he said.

Hudson said the census shows that farming in Hawaii was healthy over the five-year period, which included the recession, rising production costs and pressure from urban growth.

"Farmers are very innovative,"he said. "They are under tremendous pressure."

Souk Hoang of Pit Farm in Mililani echoed that sentiment Sunday while he was out selling his produce at the Mililani Farmers’ Market.

Hoang, a former Panda Travel accountant who has been farming on about 5 acres for the past decade or so, said rain can actually be bad for growing because wet conditions breed fungus and bacteria, and can make the leaves of his vegetables unsightly.

He said that in the past year he has started experimenting with raised planting beds to keep his plants looking fresh — an expensive but possibly worthwhile endeavor.

"I kind of invent new stuff," said Hoang, 47.

Ken Milner of the North Shore Produce Value Wagon understands.

"A big part of the challenge of farming for me has always been trying new ways to grow," Milner said near his booth at the Mililani Farmers’ Market.

"Hawaii is very challenging. … It’s really hard to grow in Hawaii because of the bugs."

Milner, who worked as a commercial diver when he first got into farming as a hobby 20 years ago, said he sympathizes with small farmers because it’s hard to make a living. Passion, he said, is what has kept him going.

"I haven’t made any money farming … haven’t saved any money," he said. "I think that farming’s a commitment you make. It starts off when you grow your plants, so you’re committed to growing the plants through the cycle … and so it’s an ongoing relationship you have, being responsible for what you started."

According to the census, farmers on average were older and generated more income in 2012 compared with 2007. The number of farms, however, decreased.

The average age of principal farm operators in Hawaii was 60.4 in 2012. That was up from 58.6 in 2007 and continued a well-established graying trend in the industry where the average age in 1982 was 52.7.

"There’s going to be a real shortage of farmers in the next few years, so there’s a lot of emphasis on what we’re going to do as a country," said Milner, 67.

Revenue from Hawaii farm products sold in 2012 totaled $661 million, up from $514 million in 2007. The number of farms in Hawaii, however, declined to 7,000 from 7,521 over the five years. But the total is still significantly higher than the roughly 5,000 farms that were in existence over the prior two decades.

"I think the customers are curious about it," Milner said. "I think the customers are what keep it going. The customers are the ones that are the most loyal participants of the whole thing."

Hoang said he tries to keep his customers loyal by fulfilling special requests for produce.

"If I can get the seed, I’ll grow for them. That’s one thing they like," he said — "just for them, for the customer."

Hudson said the number of farms can be prone to significant changes because most farms are small operations run by individuals or families that can more easily start up or shut down compared with big company farms.

About half the farms in the state are not the primary occupation of the principal operator, the census said.

Waimea-based Wow Farm, on homestead land in Hawaii County, is one such farm. Risse Ala, 35, said the family operation started with her dad growing tomatoes in one greenhouse to relieve years of stress accumulated from his job as a vice detective and has now grown to about 48 greenhouses.

"We all have regular jobs, and this is just like a family business," said Ala, who lives on Oahu and has the tomatoes shipped to her to sell. "I’m an accountant, which you need in any business that you run, and then my husband’s a contractor, and then we do farming just because we love to farm. We grew to love it. We didn’t know how rewarding it would be."

Of the 7,000 Hawaii farms in 2012, about 4,000 were less than 10 acres, according to the census. Another roughly 1,700 farms were between 10 and 50 acres. There were 79 farms covering more than 2,000 acres, represented largely by cattle ranching.

By revenue about 3,000 farms generated less than $5,000 in sales in 2012. Nearly half of those earned less than $1,000. There were 585 farms that earned more than $100,000, including 21 that earned more than $5 million.

"Just to grow and produce something and somebody can eat it, that was the rewarding part about it," Ala said. She added with a joyful laugh, "The money’s a byproduct, I guess."