Todd Kellerman, Samuel Feibel, Matthew M. Smith, Gary Bentrup, Mark Batcheler & Katherine MacFarland
Abstract
Agroforestry offers producers climate mitigation and adaptation benefits and the opportunity to diversify income and enhance ecosystem services. Though these benefits are well-researched, few studies document agroforestry implementation through time in the United States using consistent national data sources. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated changes in the number of farm operations with agroforestry across the United States using data from the 2017 and 2022 United States Census of Agriculture. Through this analysis, we showed that the number of farm operations with agroforestry increased by 6% nationally between 2017 (30,853) and 2022 (32,717). States with the highest percent of total farms reporting at least one type of agroforestry were Vermont (7.8%), Maine (6.0%), and New Hampshire (5.6%), while states with the lowest percent were Arizona (0.3%), Utah (0.4%), and North Dakota (0.4%). States on the eastern half of the country tended to see increases in the number of farm operations with agroforestry between census years, while states on the western half of the country saw the largest decreases. Reasons for these changes are complex and require additional analysis. Additionally, we identified potential factors that may decrease the accuracy of agroforestry census data, along with recommendations on how to improve overall data quality going forward. We outlined how national agroforestry census data can inform decision-making related to farm policies, funding, programs, research, and extension delivery. With an online supplement, we also provided detailed maps of the extent of agroforestry in all 50 states.