<p>In pre-contact Hawaiian society, rainfed agroecological systems persisted across a spectrum of landscapes throughout the archipelago, with intensity varying with soil and water availability. Previous studies have developed geospatial models to predict the extent of these ancient rainfed systems using a conceptual model of soil fertility, assuming that more intensive cultivation forms require a higher soil fertility threshold. We adapted previous geospatial models for intensive rainfed, marginal rainfed, and agroforestry agriculture in pre-contact Hawai‘i by replacing the original conceptual model with an empirical ecological soil-threshold equation to predict soil fertility, and we evaluated the outcomes. Our geospatial models expanded coverage for both intensive and marginal rainfed agriculture across the islands, particularly on older soil substrates, and reduced coverage of agroforestry. The accuracy of our models is supported by archaeological validation points, overlap with remnant agricultural infrastructure, and historical accounts. We discuss the possibility that these rainfed agroecological systems may not be entirely discrete from one another, particularly at their boundaries. We also conceptualize ancient rainfed agroecological systems as existing on a spectrum of intensification and mixed-methods cultivation, suggesting that hard spatial boundaries between agroecological systems may not accurately reflect the complexity of traditional cultivation practices in ancient Hawai‘i.</p>