2026 Farmland Rent Index: A 3.23% Increase to Apply to Your Rural Leases

The national farmland rent index stands at 127.04 for 2026, up 3.23 % compared with 2025. This figure was established by the ministerial order of 11 August 2026, published in the Official Journal on 13 August 2026. In practical terms, all farm rents covering bare land and farm buildings must be increased by 3.23 % for payment dates falling between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027.

After a virtually flat 2025 (+0.42 %), this increase marks a return to substantial revaluations for landlords. It reflects the rebound in farm income recorded in 2025, which accounts for 60 % of the index calculation. Both landlords and tenants therefore have good reason to check the exact amount of the next payment: in this article, we detail the calculation method, a worked example and the components of farm rent that do not follow this index.

A 2026 index up 3.23 %

Since the agricultural modernisation law of 27 July 2010, the farmland rent index has been national and unique. It replaces the former departmental indices and applies across the whole country, whatever the type of production. It is established each year by order of the minister responsible for agriculture, after review by the Commission des comptes de l'agriculture de la Nation (which met on 7 July 2026 for this year's figure).

The table below traces the evolution of the index over the last seven years. The cumulative increase since 2021 exceeds 19 %, a figure that any investor in leased farmland should factor into their yield projections.

Evolution of the national farmland rent index, base 100 in 2009 (source : ministerial orders, Légifrance)

How is this index calculated?

The composition of the index is set by article L. 411-11 of the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code. It combines two components, each with a base of 100 in 2009 :

• 60 % of the change in national gross farm business income (RBEA) per hectare, measured over the last five years. It stands at 126.85 for 2026 ;
• 40 % of the change in the gross domestic product price level, which measures general inflation across the economy. It stands at 127.32 for 2026.

The calculation can be verified : 60 % of 126.85 plus 40 % of 127.32 does indeed give 127.04. The sharp rise in 2026 is mainly explained by the rebound in farm income after a poor 2024, this rebound feeding into the RBEA component, which carries a 60 % weight in the formula. The mechanism nonetheless smooths out fluctuations thanks to the five-year average of the RBEA, which spares tenants from abrupt year-on-year swings.

How to update your farm rent in practice

Two methods lead to the same result, to within a few cents. The first consists of multiplying last year's rent by the ratio between the new index and the old one. The second applies the rate of change directly.

Example : for a farm rent of €10,000 paid in 2025 :

• Method 1 : €10,000 × 127.04 / 123.06 = €10,323 ;
• Method 2 : €10,000 × 1.0323 = €10,323.

Take care to always start from the previous year's updated contractual rent, and not from the amount actually received (which may include property tax reimbursements or adjustments). An error in the calculation base then carries over from year to year.

What the index does not revalue

The national farmland rent index applies only to the rent for bare land and farm buildings. Three components follow other rules, and confusing them is a recurring source of errors :

• Residential buildings included in the rural lease : their rent is indexed to the rent reference index (IRL) published by INSEE, under conditions set by prefectoral order ;
• The share of property tax charged to the tenant : it follows the actual amount of tax shown on the property tax notice, not the farmland rent index ;
• Leases denominated in commodities, common in viticulture : the rent is converted according to the commodity prices set each year by prefectoral order.

Application period and best practices

The 2026 index applies to farm rent payment dates falling between 1 October 2026 and 30 September 2027. For a payment due at Michaelmas (29 September 2026), it is therefore still the 2025 index that applies ; for a payment due on 1 November 2026, the 2026 index.

On the landlord's side, the revaluation is not automatic : it is up to you to issue the updated rent demand. A landlord who has failed to apply the indices can claim the shortfall over the last five years (five-year limitation period under article 2224 of the French Civil Code), but a rigorous annual update is far preferable to a catch-up claim that can create tension with the tenant. On the tenant's side, check the calculation base and that the correct index has been applied before paying.

Conclusion

With an increase of 3.23 %, the 2026 index breathes new life into the rental profitability of agricultural land, after a sluggish 2025. For a landlord, this cumulative increase of more than 19 % since 2021 confirms the appeal of leased land as a long-term asset, provided the revaluations are applied rigorously. Investors considering the purchase of leased agricultural land can factor this index-linked return into their analysis, while bearing in mind that the French tenant farming statute also places strong constraints on the landlord's rights.

Find out more

• Farm rent : definition, calculation and annual revision
• The tenant farmer's pre-emption right
• Can you sell leased land ?
• Farm rent calculation and rent receipt tool