Airbnb and American Farmland Trust Offer Farmers Up to $10,000 to Start Farm Stays

Airbnb is paying to grow a specific kind of rural supply, and the data it published alongside the programme shows how much of rural America it already serves on its own.

Airbnb and American Farmland Trust have announced the 'Farm to Stay' Grant Program, which will give US farmers and ranchers grants of up to $10,000 to start or expand an agritourism stay or experience.

The programme

• Grants of up to $10,000 each, open to farmers across the US.
• Money can go toward renovating or preparing a property for overnight guests, or launching experiences such as apple picking, wine tasting, farm-to-table dinners or hands-on workshops.
• Applications open in November via American Farmland Trust.
• Airbnb and the Trust will also run webinars on setting up a listing or experience and welcoming first guests.

"A 'Farm to Stay' Grant can be what helps keep a family on their land through a bad season," said Jordi Torres Mallol, Airbnb's regional director for the Americas.

Ashley Brucker, senior manager of grantmaking at American Farmland Trust, said the partnership gives agricultural communities "a critical foothold in a growing sector."

Airbnb's farm stay numbers

Airbnb published a report alongside the grants. Its main figures:

• The typical farm stay host earned close to $8,000 in 2025.
• US farms on Airbnb earned nearly $120 million in 2025.
• Host earnings from farm stays have grown nearly 400% since 2018.
• Areas with new farm stays saw roughly 15% faster growth in overall earnings.
• Farm stay guests in rural areas generated close to $125 million in tax revenue and nearly $500 million in GDP.

Airbnb cites USDA research that the typical small farm household lost money on farming in 2024, with median farm income of nearly -$2,800. It also cites Google Trends data showing US searches for "farm stay" have nearly quadrupled over the past decade.

Hotel deserts

The most striking claim for the wider lodging market is that more than 60% of US census tracts are "hotel deserts" where Airbnb is the only accommodation option.

Why it matters

The programme is small in dollar terms, but it follows Airbnb's pattern of funding supply in places hotels and other OTAs don't reach, then using the resulting data to argue its economic case with local governments. For rural property managers and agritourism operators, the grants and the demand data offer a clear view of where Airbnb wants to grow.