Pandemic or not, there is a lot growing in Hawaii, a positive kind of growth. One is food: Hawaii’s farmers have local crops ready for distribution to open markets, but the concern about the coronavirus spread has shut many of them down.

Also growing seems to be an appreciation for the importance of locally-produced food to Hawaii’s sustainability, during the present crisis, of course, and beyond.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s administration and the Hawaii Farm Bureau have started a “farm to car” service to allow drive-through pickup of pre-ordered local produce, with the first delivery event to launch Wednesday alongside the Neal Blaisdell Center on Ward Avenue. And it’s not the only one to be popping up in recent days to fill a vital need.

Statewide, farmers are worried that the social-distancing edicts of state and county authorities will deter customers from congregating at open markets — although numerous markets are continuing, with adjustments in spacing and merchandise selection to fit within current restrictions.

The city is enabling the farm bureau’s operation as a pilot program: an online store where fresh local produce and meats can be ordered for pickup. It’s already showing promise for expansion: Orders have reached their limit for the next two weeks, 200 on Wednesday, 250 on April 8, so the store is closed.

Market manager Megan Kono said the bureau is working on adjusting to meet the demand; meanwhile, accounts still can be set up (hfbf.org/farm-to-car, click the “shop the online farmers market” button).

This is an encouraging adoption of new strategies that are developing nationally, and deserve business and community sponsorship. Alexander & Baldwin, for example, has underwritten the farm-to-car project, as well as other outreach efforts.

Nationally there is best-practice guidance provided by the Farmers Market Coalition (farmersmarketcoalition.org), a nonprofit advocacy group for the farm-to-market industry. These recommendations, which should be embraced locally, include standard sanitation efforts in place at supermarkets — gloves, added hand-washing facilities, limited entry using ropes or other perimeter boundaries and posted reminders to socially distance.

Those principles are enabling some markets that had been closed to reopen. One is the privately run Farm Lovers Markets (farmloversmarkets.com), which had its Kailua market shut down March 22. Owner Pamela Boyer said the layout has been changed, the merchandise limited to essential produce and grab-and-go prepared foods and 6-foot spacing chalked on the pavement.

Preserving the traditional open market, with sensible limitations, is a positive step, because this can be easier for some who rely on public transportation or who live nearby.

Additionally, there are delivery businesses, modeled after supermarket services that also have taken off. One is sponsored by Oahu Fresh (oahufresh.com), which packages a set weekly assortment of produce, along with any specific add-ons the customer orders. In the last week, it has launched a home-delivery service as well.

Farm-to-car and other innovative approaches are helpful tools, which the marketplace is likely to need for some time. Even when the acute phase of the infections has abated, experts believe the virus will remain a hazard that will need a cautious approach for an extended time. These distancing strategies should become part of the long-term landscape.

Hawaii, which still depends on imports for about 90% of its food, needs these strategies to succeed. Efforts to boost the islands’ agriculture over recent decades can easily backslide, which would be one more disaster this virus has brought.