ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Farmers in St. Johns County found more than 1,000 acres of crops were damaged by the high winds and huge rainfall brought on by Hurricane Matthew.
According to Bonnie Wells, doctor of plant medicine at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension in St. Johns County, farmers have reported 30-60 percent losses in their planted crops. Several farmers experienced a total loss.
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Further, at least $1.6 million was lost in Asian vegetables and snap beans alone, Wells said. Agriculture in St. Johns County has an annual economic impact of more than $180 million.
There was also structural damage to greenhouses, and the wet grounds have delayed planting much of the area’s fall crops, according to Wells. Matthew’s impact on crops was especially felt in Hastings, the county’s agricultural area.
The losses felt by St. Johns County farmers offer a small look into what happened in Haiti, where food insecurity will be a problem in the coming months.
“In terms of economic impact, agriculture is wiped away, 95 percent destroyed,” Joseph Alliance, of the aid group Action Aid, told CNN. “The livelihoods of the people right now don’t exist.”
Damage assessments in Florida are ongoing, and Matthew’s full impact on local farms is not known at this time.