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Census of Agriculture – Agroforestry Data

For the first time, data are available on agroforestry implementation across the United States that allow for comparison across time. These data come from a single question in the Census of Agriculture (COA), which is administered every five years by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

The Yes/No question asks, “At any time in [COA year], did this operation practice alley cropping, silvopasture, or forest farming, or have riparian forest buffers or windbreaks?” Because this question combines multiple agroforestry practices together, it doesn’t provide information about specific agroforestry practices.

This agroforestry question first appeared in the COA in 2017, and again in 2022. These data cannot be compared with an earlier 2012 COA agroforestry question, which only asked about silvopasture and alley cropping. Having data from consecutive census years enables analysis of the change in agroforestry implementation across the United States. From 2017 to 2022, some key agroforestry trend statistics include:

  • Between census years, agroforestry implementation increased by 6%, with 32,717 farm operations reporting at least one agroforestry practice in 2022 compared to 30,853 in 2017.
  • 1.7% of all farm operations in the United States reported at least one agroforestry practice in the 2022 COA, compared to 1.5% in 2017.
  • Of the 3,078 counties in the United States with at least one farm, 1,367 (44%) had an increase of farm operations reporting agroforestry between 2017 and 2022, 1,280 (42%) counties reported a decrease, 159 (5%) stayed the same, and 273 had no reports of agroforestry in either census year (9%).

More detailed information and analysis comparing the information provided by the 2022 and 2017 Census of Agriculture question are provided in Agroforestry across the United States: Results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture.

When sharing this information, please cite: Kellerman, T., Feibel, S., Smith, M.M. et al. Agroforestry across the United States: Results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Agroforest Syst 99, 34 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-024-01096-2

To explore the data and download national and county-level maps, see the Census of Agriculture Agroforestry Map Viewer Census of Agriculture Agroforestry Map Viewer.