Types of Land in Agriculture: 6 Types With Land Values

The six main types of land in agriculture are arable land, permanent cropland, pasture and rangeland, fallow land, farm woodland used for agroforestry, and wetland adapted for farming. Pasture is the largest group: the FAO counted 3.18 billion hectares of permanent meadows and pastures in 2020, against 1.56 billion hectares of cropland, out of 4.74 billion hectares of agricultural land.

This guide explains how to recognize each type, what it is used for, what it costs and earns in the United States, and how to care for it. It also has a table you can scan, charts built from official data, and a calculator that compares renting out land with farming it yourself. If you want the formal grading systems in more depth, see our guide to agricultural land use and classification.

The six types of land in agriculture at a glance

Use this table to place a field quickly. Official statistics do not count all six separately, so the last column says how each one is recorded. Fallow sits inside arable land, for example, and farm woodland sits outside agricultural land in FAO totals.

The same field can change type. A grass ley sown for three years is arable land under the FAO definition. Left in grass for five years or more, it becomes permanent pasture. Keep this in mind when you compare numbers from two sources.

How much agricultural land is each type?

The FAO defines agricultural land as cropland plus permanent meadows and pastures, and it reported 4.74 billion hectares in 2020, down 3% from 2000, in its Statistical Yearbook (2022). About two-thirds was meadow and pasture. About one-third was cropland. Over those twenty years pasture shrank by 6% and cropland grew by 5%.

Chart

World agricultural land by use, 2020

Billion hectares

Farm-level counts look different because they measure land inside farms, including woods and buildings. The 2022 US Census of Agriculture counted 880.1 million acres of land in farms, which is 39% of all US land and 20.1 million acres fewer than in 2017. Permanent pasture made up 45%, cropland 43%, woodland 8%, and farmsteads and other land 4%.

In the European Union, farms managed 156.2 million hectares of utilised agricultural area in 2023, equal to 38.1% of the EU’s land area, plus another 31.2 million hectares of unused farmland, woods and other areas on farms, according to Eurostat farm statistics. The mix varies widely by country. Arable land covered 56.2% of Denmark’s land area, permanent grassland covered 54.0% of Ireland’s, and permanent crops covered 9.9% of Portugal’s and 9.1% of Spain’s.

Chart

How US land in farms was used, 2022

Share of 880.1 million acres

1. Arable land: fields sown for short-lived crops

The FAO definition of arable land covers temporary crops, temporary meadows and pastures, and temporary fallow. It leaves out land that could be cultivated but normally is not. So “arable” describes how the land is used, not just whether it could be ploughed.

Arable fields tend to be fairly level, with soil deep enough for roots and drainage good enough for machinery. They grow cereals, oilseeds, pulses, vegetables and fodder crops. In the 2022 US census, 382 million acres were cropland, a wider group than arable land because it can include orchards, and 301 million of those acres were harvested. For real farm examples, see our list of arable land examples.

Best for

Arable land suits growers who want to change crops with the market and use field machinery. Cropland costs far more per acre than pasture on US averages, so the crop has to pay for it.

How to look after arable land

• Rotate crops. A different crop each year helps break pest and disease cycles.
• Keep the ground covered. Cover crops and crop residue reduce erosion between cash crops.
• Reduce tillage where it fits. Fewer passes protect soil structure, though results depend on soil and climate.
• Test before you feed. Soil tests show which nutrients the field needs. Our guide to soil fertility covers this in more detail.

Fertilizer and pesticide decisions should follow the product label, local rules and advice from a qualified agronomist.

2. Permanent cropland: orchards, vineyards and plantations

Permanent cropland holds long-term crops that do not need replanting for several years. The FAO names cocoa and coffee as examples and also counts flowering trees and shrubs and nurseries, but not forest-tree nurseries. Orchards, vineyards, olive groves, nut groves and citrus all belong here.

This type is a long commitment. Young trees or vines can take years to bear a full crop, so a poor site choice is expensive to correct. Check frost risk, drainage, rooting depth and water supply before you plant. In the EU, Eurostat found that about one in five farms (21.6%) specialised in permanent crops in 2023.

Best for

Permanent cropland suits growers with patient capital, access to seasonal labor and a market for a specific crop. Block-level records help you track costs, treatments and yields for each planting.

How to look after permanent cropland

• Keep living or mulched ground cover between rows to limit erosion.
• Avoid driving on wet soil, because compaction is hard to fix once trees are in place.
• Plant on the contour where slopes are steep.
• Prune to keep light and air moving through the canopy.

▶ The difference between a plantation and a farm: size, crops, monoculture risk and who does the work. · 4:29

3. Pasture and rangeland: land for grazing

The FAO counts land as permanent meadow or pasture when it grows herbaceous forage for five years or more, whether sown or wild. Trees and shrubs may be present, as long as forage is the main use.

US land surveys split this group in two. Pastureland is managed forage, often seeded. Rangeland carries mainly native grasses and shrubs. The USDA 2022 National Resources Inventory found 399.7 million acres of rangeland on non-federal rural land, compared with 364.3 million acres of cropland and 421.5 million acres of forest.

Best for

Pasture suits land too steep, stony, dry or wet for regular cultivation. It costs far less per acre than cropland, and it also rents for far less, as the costs section below shows.

How to look after pasture

• Match stocking rate to the forage you actually grow, and adjust it in dry years.
• Move animals so plants can recover. A North Carolina State Extension literature review reports one author’s conclusion that rotational grazing and removing livestock in wet weather are important for limiting compaction.
• Keep good ground cover, since bare soil loses more sediment in storms, as the same review describes.
• Test soil, then correct pH and nutrients only where the test shows a need.
• Fence off streams and offer shade away from the water.

4. Fallow land: resting a field on purpose

Fallow land is arable land left out of crop production for a period. It might be bare, covered in weeds or volunteer plants, or sown to a green manure. The FAO treats temporary fallow as arable land, so it does not appear as its own type in its headline totals.

Purpose matters here. On the dry Canadian Prairies, summerfallow stored moisture for the next crop. Statistics Canada’s 2011 census analysis reported 5.2 million acres of summerfallow, down 40.5% from 2006, and 3.2% of total farm area. It tied that fall to economic conditions and changing technology.

Land can also rest under a contract. The US Conservation Reserve Program pays landowners to take sensitive land out of production and plant cover for a period of years. A Congressional Research Service comparison of the 2026 farm bills gives the program’s enrollment limit as 27 million acres. Details and sign-ups change, so check with your local Farm Service Agency office.

Best for

Fallow suits dry regions where stored water can decide the next crop, and fields that need a break from a stubborn weed or disease problem. Bare fallow leaves soil open to wind and water erosion, so weigh that risk. A cover crop often makes a better rest where rainfall allows it.

Questions to ask before fallowing

• Will the stored water or pest break be worth more than a lost crop year?
• How will you control weeds while the field rests?
• Does your lease, crop insurance or farm program have rules about idle land?
• Would a green manure give the same benefit and also protect the soil?

▶ Seven simple ways to protect soil and water, explained with humor. · 4:34

5. Farm woodland and agroforestry

Woodland made up 72 million acres of US land in farms in 2022. Some of it is simply a woodlot. Some of it is agroforestry, where trees are managed together with crops or animals. A USDA Forest Service team reviewing agroforestry in the 2022 Census of Agriculture found 32,717 farm operations using it, up 6% from 30,853 in 2017. The states with the highest share of farms reporting it were Vermont (7.8%), Maine (6.0%) and New Hampshire (5.6%).

The census tracks five practices:

• Alley cropping: crops grown between rows of trees.
• Silvopasture: trees, forage and livestock on the same site. University of Wisconsin Extension notes that shade and shelter for animals are among its main benefits, and that it needs careful management.
• Forest farming: shade-tolerant crops such as mushrooms or herbs grown under a canopy.
• Riparian forest buffers: trees along streams.
• Windbreaks: tree rows that shelter fields, stock or buildings.

Best for

Agroforestry suits owners who can wait for timber or tree crops and want more than one income stream from a block of land. Simply turning cattle into unmanaged woods is not silvopasture, and it can damage both trees and soil.

6. Wetland adapted for farming

This group covers land that is flooded or waterlogged for part of the year and is managed for crops or grazing. Rice is the best-known example. The USDA Economic Research Service says all US rice grows in irrigated fields, and that economic rice production typically needs a smooth land surface for even flooding and a subsoil hard-pan that limits downward water movement. Cranberry beds and grazing marshes are other examples.

This is the type where rules matter most before you act. In the United States, the “Swampbuster” wetland conservation provisions tie farm program benefits to not converting wetlands, as a Congressional Research Service brief (2026) explains. Other countries have their own limits. Before you drain, fill or re-level wet ground, ask your local conservation office and get legal advice if the status is unclear.

Best for

Adapted wetland suits crops that tolerate or need standing water, on sites with controlled water supply and drainage. It is a poor fit for general field crops, since few of them tolerate long flooding.

What each land type costs and earns

Land type has a direct effect on price. The USDA’s Land Values 2026 Summary put average US cropland at $6,020 per acre and pasture at $2,000 per acre, with all farm real estate at $4,500. These are survey averages for the whole country, not sale prices for a given farm.

Chart

US average land value, 2025 to 2026

US$ per acre, national survey averages

Rents show a similar gap. The American Farm Bureau’s review of USDA data reports 2026 average cash rents of $244 per acre for irrigated cropland, $146 for non-irrigated cropland and $16.50 for pasture. California led cropland rent at $331 per acre. Rents and values vary a lot within a state, so use local figures for any real decision, and speak to a farm finance adviser before a purchase or a lease.

Chart

US land in farms, 2002 to 2022

Million acres, Census of Agriculture years

Rent it out or farm it yourself?

A landowner’s first money question is often whether a parcel earns more when rented or farmed. The calculator below compares the two for cropland and pasture. Enter your own acres, local rents and your own estimate of net margin after all costs.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

How to tell which type of land you have

You can sort most fields in four steps.

1. Look at the past five years. Sown and harvested in a rotation points to arable. Grass throughout points to pasture. Trees or vines points to permanent crops or woodland.
2. Check the soil survey. In the US, the NRCS Web Soil Survey shows soil types and limits for your parcel.
3. Find the capability grade. See the section below for the system in your country.
4. Check legal status. Wetland status, conservation contracts, zoning and leases can limit what you may do, even on good soil.

What about types of plots in agriculture?

People also search for “types of plots”, and the word has two common meanings. On a working farm, a plot is a managed unit of land: an arable field, a grazing paddock, an orchard block, a vegetable bed or a woodlot. Each one usually maps to one of the six land types above. In crop research, a plot is a marked test area: small replicated plots at a research station, or long strips across a farmer’s field that compare treatments. Mapping each unit separately lets you keep records, costs and yields for it, whichever meaning you have in mind.

How land is graded and mapped

Land type says how land is used. Land grade says how good it is for that use. Several countries have their own systems:

• United States: the NRCS land capability classes run from 1 to 8 (also written I to VIII), with limitations rising as the number goes up.
• Canada: the Canada Land Inventory uses classes 1 to 7, based on soil limits for field crops.
• England and Wales: the Agricultural Land Classification uses grades 1 to 5. Natural England’s technical note (2012) explains that grades 1, 2 and 3a count as best and most versatile land under planning policy.

Mapping has moved from paper to satellite data. Satellite images help you see where crop growth differs inside a field and how land use changes between seasons. They show vegetation change, not its cause, so a field visit still has to confirm what is going on. A broader explanation is in our guide to land use classification types and methods. Farmonaut is one tool that shows this kind of field-level satellite view for crops and pasture.

▶ An explainer on land cover classification and farm land types. · 8:53

FAQ

What are the main types of land in agriculture?

The six used here are arable land, permanent cropland, pasture and rangeland, fallow land, farm woodland and adapted wetland. The FAO’s own statistics use three groups: arable land, permanent crops, and permanent meadows and pastures.

What is the difference between arable land and cropland?

In FAO statistics, cropland is arable land plus permanent crops. So an orchard is cropland but not arable land, and a wheat field is both.

What are examples of agricultural land?

Examples include a corn field, a vineyard, a cattle pasture, a sheep range, a flooded rice field and a fallow wheat field. A farm woodlot is farmland in the US census but counts as forestry in FAO data.

Which type of agricultural land is the largest?

Permanent meadows and pastures, at 3.18 billion hectares worldwide in 2020, about two-thirds of the FAO’s agricultural land total. In the US census, permanent pasture was also the largest category of land in farms in 2022, at 45%.

Why is pasture cheaper than cropland?

Pasture usually earns less per acre: average 2026 cash rent was $16.50, against $146 for non-irrigated cropland. USDA averages for 2026 put pasture at $2,000 per acre and cropland at $6,020. Pasture also often sits on land with more limits for cultivation. Local prices can differ a lot from these averages.

Can I change one land type to another?

Often yes, but check first. Pasture can be ploughed and arable land can be sown to grass. Land conversion may affect erosion, farm program eligibility and legal status, especially on wetlands, native sod or highly erodible land. Ask your local conservation office before you start.

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