Updated on 16 July 2026: find the most recent data on our Land Price Observatory (DVF data 2020-2025), with average prices, median prices and transaction ranges for your region and each department.
Yes, you can buy agricultural land without being a farmer. The law does not require any professional status to become an owner of agricultural land. This practice is even common in France. It meets a variety of needs: wealth investment, leisure projects, equestrian activities or supporting local agriculture by renting to a farmer.
However, two administrative constraints govern the purchase of agricultural land: the SAFER's pre-emption right and the control of farm structures. This guide explains who can buy, how the transaction works, at what price (an average of €6,038/ha in 2024) and how to make the most of your land afterwards, notably through a rural lease. Preparing a larger project? Also see our guide to buying a farm.
Contents
1. The conditions for buying agricultural land
1.1 Who can buy agricultural land?
1.2 Farmer status: definition and how to acquire it
1.3 The specific features of equine activities
1.4 The development of energy activities
2. The administrative constraints of buying land
2.1 The SAFER's pre-emption right
2.2 The control of farm structures
2.3 Other pre-emption rights
3. How to buy agricultural land: the 6 steps
4. Price and financing of agricultural land
4.1 The price of agricultural land in France
4.2 Financing solutions
4.3 Available financial aid
5. Renting out agricultural land without being a farmer
6. Investing in agricultural land
7. Support solutions
8. FAQ: your questions about buying agricultural land
9. Conclusion
10. Find out more
Contrary to popular belief, the purchase of agricultural land is not reserved for farmers. Any individual, company or investor can acquire agricultural land. You simply need to comply with the administrative constraints detailed below. This openness makes it possible to:
Owning land for personal use is permitted by law. You can therefore use the plot as non-buildable leisure land, keep recreational horses on it or plant trees on it, in compliance with the applicable regulations.
A farmer is a person who carries out an agricultural activity, defined by the French Rural Code as "the control and exploitation of a plant or animal biological cycle". No diploma is required to become a farmer. The status is acquired through the actual exercise of the activity, which involves:
This status can be exercised as a main or secondary occupation. A person who is not a farmer can therefore buy an agricultural plot and then become a farmer on a secondary basis. Our White Paper on setting up a farm details these concepts, as does our article on the definition of agricultural activity.
Since a 2003 law, equestrian activities have been considered agricultural activities. Article L311-1 of the French Rural Code provides that activities "of preparing and training domestic equidae with a view to their exploitation, excluding entertainment activities" are agricultural by nature.
Case law has nevertheless set limits. Keeping equidae for pleasure or leisure is not an agricultural activity. Nor is simply providing livery services (unless combined with a breeding activity). Horse trading (buying and reselling) is also excluded.
A recent phenomenon deserves attention: agrivoltaics, i.e. the installation of photovoltaic panels on agricultural land. Its development is highly regulated. Agricultural activity must remain predominant on the plots concerned. This type of project is therefore reserved for working farmers, who already make use of many farm buildings with solar panels.
The SAFER (Société d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Établissement Rural) is a private organisation entrusted with a public service mission: regulating the agricultural land market. Its pre-emption right, provided for by Article L143-1 of the French Rural Code, is the main constraint when buying agricultural land. The SAFER can:
In practice, the notaire is required to notify every sale to the SAFER. The SAFER then has 2 months to exercise its pre-emption right. Once it has given notice of its intention to pre-empt, it is no longer possible to cancel the sale. The only exception: a pre-emption with a downward price revision, which allows the seller to withdraw the property.
The SAFER must give reasons for its decision. It follows an order of priority that favours the establishment of young farmers, organic farming projects and the consolidation of small farms.
The risk of pre-emption depends on your project and the local context. In a dynamic agricultural region, it will be high if you have no genuine agricultural project. If you are buying to rent to a farmer, it is your future tenant's project that will be decisive. When that tenant holds a farming authorisation, the risk of pre-emption becomes much lower.
The control of farm structures is a regulation that makes the farming of agricultural land (and not its mere ownership) subject to a farming authorisation above certain thresholds. These thresholds, set by regional schemes, generally vary between 40 and 85 hectares. Applications are made to the administration, as detailed on the Ministry of Agriculture website. This regulation aims to:
Farming without authorisation exposes you to financial penalties, which can reach several hundred euros per hectare per year. Our dedicated article helps you understand the control of farm structures.
Beyond the SAFER, other bodies may exercise a pre-emption right:
Here, step by step, is how to buy agricultural land without being a farmer. The process resembles a standard property purchase, with two specific features: the SAFER notification and, where applicable, the farming authorisation.
The agricultural land market remains broadly stable. According to our land price observatory (DVF data), 14,395 transactions were recorded in 2024, at an average price of €6,038/ha. The increase is moderate (+3.1% since 2020), representing a slight erosion in real terms given inflation.
Prices vary widely within the same region, and even within the same department. Several factors come into play: local land pressure, agronomic quality, plot characteristics or the presence of a lease. Our Land Valuation Study service provides you with local price benchmarks to inform your wealth decisions.
The acquisition of agricultural land can be financed in several ways:
To find out more, see our article on alternative financing tools.
Several forms of aid can support projects, mainly when a farming operation is set up:
You can perfectly well buy land and then rent it to a farmer. The rural lease is then the reference legal framework. It is a contract that is highly protective of the tenant, with the following characteristics:
Farm rents vary between €80 and €300/ha/year depending on soil quality and region. Our article on the link between farming and the rural lease details this regime.
Note an important nuance: the rural lease statute only applies if the tenant carries out an agricultural activity. Renting land simply for keeping recreational horses does not fall under it. You are then free to define the terms of the contract together: duration, price, termination conditions.
Investing in agricultural land offers several advantages:
This investment nevertheless involves risks:
The agricultural sector faces major challenges: generational renewal (half of all farmers will retire by 2030), the agroecological transition, food sovereignty and adaptation to climate change. These challenges strengthen the attractiveness of rural land and justify the growing role of private investors alongside farmers.
Several organisations support project holders:
Depending on your project, a few formalities complete the acquisition: applying for a farming authorisation if necessary, declaring the activity, MSA affiliation in the case of farming, specific insurance and compliance with environmental regulations.
The process involves 6 steps: define your project, search for land, check the zoning and the property, negotiate the price, sign the preliminary agreement (with notification to the SAFER, which has 2 months), then sign the deed of sale. Allow 4 to 6 months between the preliminary agreement and the final deed.
No, you cannot bypass the SAFER: the notaire must notify it of every sale of agricultural land. However, the SAFER only pre-empts a minority of transactions. A well-prepared file (a coherent project, a tenant holding a farming authorisation) greatly reduces the risk.
Farming agricultural land is precisely what makes you a farmer, at least on a secondary basis. Above the thresholds set by the control of farm structures (40 to 85 ha depending on the region), a farming authorisation is compulsory. For simple leisure use without production, no status is required.
Yes, sales between private individuals are possible and common. They must go through a notaire, who notifies the transaction to the SAFER. The pre-emption right therefore applies in the same way as with an agency or the SAFER itself.
The average recorded price stands at €6,038/ha (14,395 transactions analysed in 2024, DVF data). Differences are significant depending on the region, soil quality and the presence of a lease. Consult our Land Price Observatory for the benchmarks in your department.
If you find a plot of agricultural land for sale, you can therefore buy it without being a farmer yourself. However, the project may face two main obstacles: the SAFER's pre-emption right and the control of farm structures. A well-prepared project, backed by the right advice (notaire, SAFER, Chamber of Agriculture), overcomes them in the vast majority of cases.
About the author
Bernard Charlotin is the founder of ma-propriete.fr, a rural property listings portal. An accountant by training, he worked for more than 20 years advising farmers (economic, tax and wealth matters) before co-founding an estate agency specialising in the sale of farms and wine estates.
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Articles
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Farm prices
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Access to land
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Rural lease
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Financing
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Training
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Legal
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Tax / Social
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The procedures
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Diversification
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Planning
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