North America - Agricultural land

Agricultural land (sq. km)

The value for Agricultural land (sq. km) in North America was 4,640,097 as of 2018. As the graph below shows, over the past 57 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 5,093,524 in 1961 and a minimum value of 4,608,524 in 2012.

Definition: Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.

See also:

Year Value
1961 5,093,524
1962 5,062,713
1963 5,041,603
1964 5,021,664
1965 4,994,644
1966 4,992,514
1967 4,988,734
1968 4,992,263
1969 4,987,433
1970 4,975,613
1971 4,963,233
1972 4,953,503
1973 4,942,773
1974 4,932,623
1975 4,932,893
1976 4,933,173
1977 4,931,163
1978 4,905,733
1979 4,901,983
1980 4,898,233
1981 4,894,533
1982 4,926,113
1983 4,925,333
1984 4,924,553
1985 4,923,773
1986 4,922,982
1987 4,879,733
1988 4,880,993
1989 4,882,253
1990 4,883,513
1991 4,884,816
1992 4,868,943
1993 4,843,453
1994 4,824,683
1995 4,814,004
1996 4,774,984
1997 4,761,004
1998 4,758,274
1999 4,751,504
2000 4,756,864
2001 4,762,526
2002 4,751,554
2003 4,749,687
2004 4,747,823
2005 4,745,960
2006 4,734,832
2007 4,728,660
2008 4,703,346
2009 4,678,033
2010 4,652,720
2011 4,627,364
2012 4,608,524
2013 4,614,693
2014 4,620,862
2015 4,627,040
2016 4,633,149
2017 4,638,347
2018 4,640,097

Agricultural land (% of land area)

Agricultural land (% of land area) in North America was 25.62 as of 2018. Its highest value over the past 57 years was 28.10 in 1961, while its lowest value was 25.44 in 2012.

Definition: Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.

See also:

Year Value
1961 28.10
1962 27.93
1963 27.82
1964 27.71
1965 27.56
1966 27.55
1967 27.52
1968 27.54
1969 27.52
1970 27.45
1971 27.38
1972 27.33
1973 27.27
1974 27.22
1975 27.22
1976 27.22
1977 27.21
1978 27.07
1979 27.05
1980 27.03
1981 27.00
1982 27.18
1983 27.17
1984 27.17
1985 27.17
1986 27.16
1987 26.92
1988 26.93
1989 26.94
1990 26.94
1991 26.95
1992 26.86
1993 26.72
1994 26.62
1995 26.56
1996 26.35
1997 26.27
1998 26.25
1999 26.22
2000 26.24
2001 26.27
2002 26.21
2003 26.20
2004 26.19
2005 26.18
2006 26.12
2007 26.09
2008 25.97
2009 25.83
2010 25.69
2011 25.55
2012 25.44
2013 25.48
2014 25.51
2015 25.55
2016 25.58
2017 25.61
2018 25.62

Classification

Topic: Environment Indicators

Sub-Topic: Land use