Characterizing Foreign Investment in U.S. Agricultural Land, 2022

Overview

This report provides a comparison of foreign-owned and foreign-leased U.S. agricultural land held in 2022 using data collected as part of the mandatory reporting requirements set forth in the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA). Foreign-held, long-term leases (i.e., 10-year-or-more) account for roughly one-third of the foreign-held U.S. agricultural land as of December 31, 2022, up from roughly 20 percent in 2017. This report also identifies important differences between foreign-owned and foreign-leased agricultural land in the United States, in terms of its use, location, size, and other characteristics. A much greater share (85 percent versus 2 percent) of foreign-leased agricultural land is associated with renewable energy development than foreign-owned land. A much smaller share of foreign leases (less than 10 percent) results in a change in the agricultural producer (operator) when compared with foreign purchases of agricultural land. The research in this report shows that foreign leases of agricultural land are more likely to result in the dual use (i.e., agriculture and renewable energy) of such lands that provide owner-operators with an additional stream of income without significantly impacting the existing agricultural situation.