Agriculture in both the Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) dates back centuries, rooted in the practices of the indigenous Chamorro people who cultivated food crops such as taro, breadfruit, bananas, and yams long before European contact. Traditional methods emphasized subsistence farming, where families produced their own food, and shared within communities. Under Spanish colonial rule and later during the German and Japanese periods in the early 20th century, plantation agriculture — especially copra and small fruit production — was introduced, reshaping local systems toward commercial output, and export.
In the Northern Marianas, Japanese-era sugar cane plantations left behind ruins that still stand today, marking an era when larger-scale farming was attempted. However, global conflicts and changes in political sovereignty — from Imperial Japan to U.S. administration after World War II — shifted local priorities away from agriculture and toward industrial development, and tourism. Over time, both Guam and the CNMI saw local farming decline relative to other economic sectors, and a growing reliance on imported food became the norm.
Agriculture in Guam
In Guam today, agriculture remains small but shows signs of renewed interest. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2023 Census of Agriculture, Guam had 583 farms, up significantly from 264 in 2018, with total land in farms amounting to 2,848 acres, and an average farm size of 4.9 acres. This reflects both an increase in small-scale, and commercial production. The total value of agricultural sales was approximately $6.2 million, with vegetables and melons representing the largest category of production, and generating over a third of all sales. These figures reveal a diversified mix of crops, including okra, long beans, cherry tomatoes, and watermelons, sold through farmers markets, community supported agriculture initiatives, and to local supermarkets.
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Despite this growth in local production, Guam remains extremely dependent on outside sources for its food supply, with estimates consistently indicating that roughly 90 percent of all food consumed on the island is imported. This import dependency underscores the small scale of the island’s agricultural sector relative to its overall food needs.
Agriculture in the Northern Mariana Islands
Similar to Guam, agriculture in the Northern Mariana Islands remains modest in scale, though it continues to draw on longstanding traditions of household, and community-based food production. Data from the 2023 Census of Agriculture show that the CNMI recorded 316 farms, an increase of roughly one quarter compared to 2018. Farmers reported 2,833 acres in production, with the typical operation spanning about nine acres. Overall farm sales reached $2.8 million in 2023, and crop production was led by vegetables and melons, which generated approximately $1.3 million in revenue, and represented the commonwealth’s most significant agricultural category.
Crop diversity in the CNMI is notable, with recent census data showing significant production of cucumbers, watermelons, eggplant, tomatoes, beans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, taro, bananas, pineapples, lemons, and papayas. Livestock also contributes to the agricultural picture, with cattle herds, hogs, goats, and poultry present on farms across the islands.
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Despite these positive trends in local production, the CNMI’s economy reflects a similar pattern of high dependency on food imports, with various reports indicating that over 90 percent of food consumed in the islands is imported from off-island sources. This reliance makes local agriculture — even as it grows in scale — only a fraction of the food consumed across Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
Agricultural operations in Guam and the CNMI are overwhelmingly family-owned and individually operated, rather than dominated by large agribusiness corporations. United States of Department of Agriculture (USDA) data consistently show that most farms in both regions are small in acreage and organized as sole proprietorships, reflecting household or multigenerational family enterprises. Corporate ownership exists, but represents a small share of total farms, and farmland. In practice, agriculture across the Marianas remains characterized by local growers, many of whom combine commercial sales with subsistence production, reinforcing the sector’s community-based structure rather than a corporate farming model.
Imports and Food-Security Challenges
The heavy dependency on imported food in both Guam and the CNMI is driven by limited arable land, the high cost of production, and competing economic priorities. In Guam, the geography and limited farmland — around 2 percent of total land mass — means that local production can only meet a small fraction of the overall food demand. Similarly, in the CNMI, a relatively small proportion of land supports farming, and traditional food systems have given way to an economy where supermarkets rely largely on imported products.
The massive volume of imported food carries risks. Disruptions in global supply chains, fluctuations in shipping costs, and extreme weather events can all contribute to price volatility, and shortages. This vulnerability has fueled discussions and strategic planning around food security, local production, and resilience.
Recent Policy Changes and Industry Developments
In recent years, both Guam and the CNMI have undertaken policy initiatives aimed at supporting local agriculture, bolstering food security, and increasing farm productivity.
In Guam, the Guam Department of Agriculture released a comprehensive Agriculture Master Plan that outlines goals for expanding local food production, reducing reliance on imports, and supporting farmers with technical assistance, infrastructure improvements, and market development. These strategies reflect a government-level recognition of agriculture’s role in food security, and economic diversification.
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At the federal level, the USDA’s Census of Agriculture data itself plays a key role in shaping policy, and resource allocation. The 2023 data provides updated information that helps guide both local and federal support programs, including disaster preparedness, extension services, and funding for equipment, and supply infrastructure.
In both territories, there has been an emphasis on community engagement, education, and capacity building. The Northern Guam Soil and Water Conservation District, in collaboration with other partners, hosted the First Annual Agricultural Symposium in 2024 designed to help subsistence and commercial farmers improve techniques and prepare for natural disasters, and market challenges. Similarly, the Marianas Producers Association and related organizations in the CNMI have been advancing training, resources, and programs to help growers scale up production, and improve sustainability and self-reliance.
Not every policy shift has benefited the region’s agricultural sector. In 2025, a $30 million USDA grant initiative designed to strengthen food production in U.S. territories, including Guam, the CNMI, and American Samoa was cancelled before funds could be fully deployed, removing a significant source of planned investment for local farm development. Additional USDA grant agreements were also terminated during this period. However, some of those cancellations were later reversed after affected organizations filed suit and a federal court found that the agency’s actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act, ordering certain grants to be reinstated. Despite these partial reversals, continuing litigation and administrative uncertainty have complicated long-term planning for farmers and agricultural organizations that had expected stable funding to support infrastructure improvements, training programs, and market expansion efforts.
Federal Funding in both Territories
Although citizens of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are U.S. citizens and receive many federal benefits similar to residents of the fifty states, their economies rely more heavily on federal financial assistance than most states. Federal aid to these territories supports a broad range of public services including health care, education, infrastructure, disaster relief, and social welfare programs, and often represents a significant proportion of territorial government revenue. According to government accounting data, federal grants and financial assistance were a major revenue source for the CNMI, accounting for roughly three-quarters of the territory’s primary government revenue in recent years, which helps cover essential services and operational costs.
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In Guam, over $4 billion in federal funds were made available in 2024 for projects and programs affecting the island, ranging from infrastructure investment to community services. This scale of federal obligation underscores the significant role that national government support plays in financing public initiatives and development goals in Guam, even in the face of public scrutiny over such expenditures.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs administers hundreds of millions of dollars annually in discretionary and mandatory funding to the territories, including ongoing appropriations of well over $700 million per year across all insular areas. While territorial residents do pay some federal taxes, the combination of direct federal spending and targeted aid makes long-term fiscal support from the U.S. government a defining feature of public finance in both Guam and the CNMI, although this support is not a direct “subsidy” to individual citizens in the sense of universal income, but rather funding that underwrites public services, and infrastructure.
Looking Ahead
Farming in Guam and the Northern Marianas remains a small, but dynamic sector with the potential to grow in response to both local demand and broader concerns about food security, and resilience. While the geography of these islands limits large-scale agriculture, recent growth in the number of farms and strategic efforts by government and community organizations signal a renewed commitment to strengthening local food systems.
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Key challenges persist: limited land resources, high production costs, heavy import dependency, and vulnerability to natural disasters. Yet the increasing focus on sustainable practices, educational outreach, enhanced data collection, and supportive policy frameworks offers a pathway toward more robust local agriculture. By integrating traditional knowledge with modern farming techniques and policy support, Guam and the Northern Marianas can continue to expand their agricultural base and reduce their reliance on imported food and federal aid, while preserving cultural heritage and building resilience in the face of global uncertainties.
Sources
- Earthjustice. (2025, August 14). Federal Court Orders Terminated USDA Farmer and Community Grants to be Reinstated – Earthjustice. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/federal-court-orders-terminated-usda-farmer-and-community-grants-to-be-reinstated
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- Lyte, B. (2025, July 18). USDA cancels $30 million grant intended to boost Hawaiʻi food production. Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved March 20, 2026, from https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/07/usda-cancels-30-million-to-boost-hawaii-food-production/
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