HONOLULU (AP) — The number of acres under cultivation at farms in Hawaii has increased for the first time in at least three decades, new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show.

Hawaii farmers put 8,000 more acres into production between 2007 and 2012. The gain is relatively small, but it is significant given that 180,000 acres were lost during the previous five-year period, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (http://bit.ly/1g2bcHs) reported.