More farmers in agriculture census, but food insecurity a concern

Since the last Guam census of agriculture in 2018, the amount of land in farms, the value of agricultural products sold, and the number of farms increased, according to a recently released 2023 census by the US Department of Agriculture.  But there's room to grow as food security remains a concern and farmers continue to face significant market barriers. 

In 2023, Guam had 583 farms, an increase from 319 farms since 2018 and an increase of 407 acres of farmland, with vegetables and melons coming out on top, according to a recently-released census. Farm lands totaled 2,848 acres, with an average farm size of 4.9 acres. The total value of sales was about $6.2 million, with an average value of $10,570 per farm.

The census was completed on island with the support of the Guam Department of Agriculture, the University of Guam Cooperative Extension & Outreach Service, and various USDA agencies. UOG Cooperative Extension & Outreach Service interim associate director Dr. L. Robert Barber, Jr. says there’s more behind the numbers, explaining, "It appears that there’s a huge increase in farmers in Guam. Actually, that’s not really the case. It’s these subsistence producers, like myself that have been around for a long time. It’s just previous censuses really focused on the commercial."

From improving food security to policy creations, the agriculture census plays an important role for the island. Dr. Barber estimates 80-90% of Guam’s produce is imported and food prices can run up to 40% higher than the mainland.  

"I would love to see a formal study done because I believe that we have unprecedented high food insecurity rates on the island right now and I think it has to do with the cost of food and people's ability to afford it," he stated.

He adds local farmers face significant market barriers. He says it’s easier for wholesale distributors to source produce off island without the risk of sudden loss of crops from a typhoon, drought, or disease. He continued, "They aren’t willing to take the risk because the market is not demanding local produce. Right now, we have a real food insecurity problem because most of our produce, and most of our food in all forms, are being sourced off island. And yet, if we want it, and our farmers would love it, if the markets would demand more local produce."

Dr. Barber shares one policy that could benefit food security - categorizing producers between commercial, market and subsistence farmers in disaster programs or incentive grants. 

"You wouldn’t make the same award out there available for a commercial poacher producer with 500 chickens than you would with someone sitting on a quarter acre growing making ten of thousands of dollars of vegetables a year," he said. "When disaster hits, it is of critical importance to the island that commercial producers get up and running again."

Another policy to consider is providing land for the smaller farmers who want to branch outside of their backyards, allowing them to produce on a commercial level. 

"Whether it’s having a public space for agriculture in a village that you give allotments out, maybe you have three acres in a village that you give out, a tenth of an acre plot to people who want to grow, or even one twentieth of an acre plot for a garden plot someone wants to have," he said.

But at the end of the day, he says, to help the island’s concerning food insecurity, the community needs to demand more local produce, noting, "In America Samoa, they [are doing] a far better job, as is Micronesia. A far better job of people consuming the local produce."

American Samoa, a US territory that is smaller and less populated than Guam, saw a 13% increase of farms - from 828 to 7,157 farms.