Across Europe, family-owned farms still dominate farmland ownership. But the trend is clear – there is a gradual shift toward ownership by legal entities such as corporations, cooperatives and investment funds. This shift can affect food security and the resilience of local communities, research shows.
Who owns farmland also influences who controls decisions about production, distribution, and land use. Concentration of ownership or foreign investment may pose risks to food security and sovereignty, particularly in times of crisis. This is where ownership of land is becoming part of a wider debate about security, sustainability and governance, says Elin Slätmo, researcher at Nordregio.
Elin continues:
Not all ownership change is automatically harmful. Larger owners can bring investments and infrastructure that improve productivity. But when ownership becomes more concentrated, decisions may be shaped by priorities that are less tied to local communities. In times of crisis, that raises wider questions about food security and who ultimately controls a resource with public importance.
One of the primary motivations for monitoring farmland ownership is its role in ensuring food security regionally, nationally and globally. Closely linked to food security is the concept of food sovereignty, which emphasises control over food production systems and the resources required to sustain them. Changes in land ownership can affect who controls production decisions, potentially undermining local and national autonomy.
When decisions become more distant from local conditions, they risk reducing accountability, limit access to land, weaken food sovereignty and make regions more vulnerable in times of crisis. That can effect local resilience in a negative way, says Elin Slätmo.
Ownership in Europe
Family-owned farms remain the dominant model of ownership in Europe, accounting for about two-thirds of agricultural land. These farms are often tied to local communities and play a central role in maintaining local food systems and rural economies. In Austria, Italy, Norway, Netherlands and Slovenia the ownership of farmland reflects a preference for family-owned farms.
There is, however, a growing trend toward ownership by legal entities, such as corporations, cooperatives, and investment funds. This trend is particularly evident in countries such as Slovakia and Czechia. Group ownership models involving partnerships or cooperative arrangements have also emerged, especially in France and Germany, reflecting new forms of collaboration in agriculture.
The way farmland ownership is changing in Europe shows that this is not only an agricultural issue. Focusing on the Nordic countries, it is evident that Denmark, Finland and Sweden experienced small increases in legal entities owning farmland 2016-2020, while there was an increase in family landholdings in Norway.
It is a matter of wider societal importance. We need to think long-term about how land is used, ensure fair access to land and strengthen governance so that local decision-making is balanced with the need to protect farmland as a strategic resource. Farmland also needs to be part of broader strategies for sustainability and resilience, says Elin Slätmo.
