Key findings

Since the last census in 2008, the number of agricultural holdings grew by 41% — from 10,234 to 14,409.

But the agricultural land they manage shrank by about 22% — from 63,989 to 49,898 hectares.

The average holding fell from 6.3 to 3.5 hectares. More holdings on less land: fragmentation and intensification.

And nearly all of these are civil person holdings: 99% of holdings are run by group and individual persons, not companies.

First, the land itself: 43% of all agricultural land lies in one district — Nickerie — while the vast interior accounts for only a small share.

Nickerie holds 10% of agricultural holdings, but 43% of the agricultural land — almost all of it irrigated rice.

Sipaliwini shows a clear contrast: 30% of agricultural holdings, less than 7% of the agricultural land — nearly one in three holdings, but little of the land.

Together with Brokopondo, the interior marks that divide: many holdings, little land. The coast is commercial and mechanized. One country, two agricultures — a pattern that runs through every finding that follows.

Agricultural land tells the opposite story: the 2% of individual holdings above 20 hectares control over 55% of individually managed land.

Corporate holdings average 99.5 hectares of utilized agricultural area — 45 times the 2.2 ha of civil person holdings.

Purpose splits the sector too: 24% of holdings produce only for their own consumption, 32% primarily for sale — the rest mix both.

Subsistence agricultural activities are clearly concentrated: Sipaliwini alone holds 40% of all predominantly subsistence-oriented holdings, while Nickerie and Marowijne lead in commercial orientation.

In Paramaribo the average age of the holder is 56.5 years; interior districts skew far younger. Succession risk sits exactly where commercial output is produced.

of university-educated holders are in coastal districts

Women's role is growing: female headship rose from 35% in 2008 to nearly 40% in 2025.

The rise has a clear geography: in Brokopondo, 77% of holdings are headed by women — with the interior districts topping the list.

But the distribution of holding size changes everything: women manage nearly half of the smallest holdings and only 2% of holdings over 20 hectares. Near-parity at micro scale, near-exclusion at commercial scale.

Suriname's farming geography follows its cultural geography: Maroon and Indigenous holders dominate the interior; Hindustani and Javanese holders dominate the coastal commercial districts.

The annual crops: cassava (sweet and bitter) leads annual crops with 10,332 holdings, followed by rice with 3,871 — cassava anchors interior food security.

Rice is also where the hectares are: Nickerie alone plants almost 16,792 hectares entirely under annual crops – primarily rice — averaging over 15 ha per holding, against under 0.7 ha in the interior.

Among (semi-)permanent crops, plantains dominate with 4,555 holdings — three times any other species — ahead of mango and coconut.

A tradition that deserves more attention: 42% of holdings manage at least one plot under shifting cultivation. Traditional rotational farming remains a structurally important part of food production, particularly in Sipaliwini, Brokopondo, and Marowijne.

Beneath it all, tenure: more than 57% of parcels are held under secure long-term arrangements (rented from the government, plus privately owned land) — the foundation for long-term investment.

Commercial production is highly concentrated: 80% of all broilers sit in just two districts — Wanica and Saramacca. Cattle shows the same pattern: Wanica and Commewijne together keep 63% of the national herd.

The most extreme case: 6 holdings in Saramacca keep 76% of all pigs in Suriname. Concentration on this scale creates significant sectorial vulnerabilities — and a structural risk for national food supply.