Abstract

The main target of the FSS 2005 was to obtain information about structure and typology of the agricultural farms and their agricultural activities in Latvia in accordance with EU and national requirements.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Farms

Universe

All economically active farms - farms, which produce agricultural production, were involved in the target population for the FSS 2005. The definition of a holding is in line with the EU Farm Structure Survey definition. Agricultural holding is a single unit both technically and economically, which has a single management and the output of which is agricultural production. The holding may also provide other supplementary (non-agricultural) products and services.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The survey was carried out using a combination of exhaustive and sample methods. The previous fullscale agricultural census was conducted in 2001. The target population was all economically active farms which produce agricultural products; indeed some holdings may provide other supplementary (non-agricultural) products and services. These holdings are included in the regularly updated statistical farm register. The frame was stratified by activity (active, non-active and new or unobserved units), location (NUTS4 level), by economic size (4 categories of ESU for active farms, 7 categories in UAA for other ones) and by type of farming (3 groups; only for active farms). For non-active farms owned by natural person a 10 hectare agricultural land threshold was applied. In practice all holdings have an economic size of at least 2 ESU and units with specific processes in production were included, while from the other strata sample was drawn randomly. Altogether 60 thousand holdings were chosen to be surveyed.

For each activity (enterprise) on a farm (for instance wheat, dairy cow or vineyard), a standard gross margin (SGM) is estimated, based on the area (or the number of heads) and a regional coefficient. The sum of such margins in a farm is its economic size, expressed in European Size Units (ESU). 1 ESU is equal to 1200 euros. Each farm is classified in the community typology by its economic size and its type of farming, depending on the share of each enterprise in its economic size. For instance, a farm where breeding sows account for more than 2/3 of the economic size is classified as specialist pig rearing (type 5011). Depending on the level of aggregation, farms are grouped into 8 to 70 types.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Abstract

The main target of the FSS 2007 was to obtain information about structure and typology of the agricultural farms and their agricultural activities in Latvia in accordance with EU and national requirements.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Farms

Universe

All economically active farms - farms, which produce agricultural production, were involved in the target population for the FSS 2007. The definition of a holding is in line with the EU Farm Structure Survey definition. Agricultural holding is a single unit both technically and economically, which has a single management and the output of which is agricultural production. The holding may also provide other supplementary (non-agricultural) products and services.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The Latvian farm structure survey 2007 was made as combination of exhaustive enumeration and sample. All units were sampled in the part of sampling frame where exhaustive enumeration was done. Stratified simple random sampling was done in the sampling part of the frame. For more details see 3.3.2 of the Methodological Report available as external resources.. For each farm structure survey new sample is drawn. Procedure for sample selection is self-made using SPSS®. In 2007 total sample size comprised 58.0 thousand holdings.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaire form of FSS 2007 was developed in co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture and other State institutions concerned. The list of characteristics included in the survey was compliant with EU requirements concerning the Farm Structure Survey 2007 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 204/2006 of February 6, 2006 adapting Council Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 and amending Commission Decision No 2000/115/EC with a view to the organization of Community surveys on the structure of agriculture holdings in 2007).

For all types of farms (private farms, state farms and statutory companies) Latvia has only one type of questionnaire form. The questionnaire form of FSS 2007 was developed in co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture and other State institutions concerned.The questionnaire form was designed so that later it can easily be processed on scanners. The size of the questionnaire form is 8 pages. The following parts are included: · General description of the farm and holder (user) · Land use · Utilisation of arable land · Number of livestock and poultry · Stock of agricultural machines · Farm storage facilities of manure and irrigation devices · Farm labour force, permanent and temporary · Rural development

Cleaning operations

Data Control of the FSS 2007 was carried out as follows: Manual Control: The first visual control of questionnaire forms was done in regional offices. Regional supervisory stuff and other staff in regional offices carried out a preliminary verification to see if the forms were filled in correctly and completely. Verification and Logical Control: For data entering scanners were used. After scanning the verification of the logical and arithmetical control was done in the CSB in accordance with specially developed verification programme. There were approximately 200 different logical and arithmetical controls. After interviewers or farmers were contacted by phone the re-addressing of errors was done. Due to the error shown by logical control program, if necessary, land users were contacted by phone in, e.g., to find out volume of sown areas, number of livestock, etc. thus needed information was obtained, and there non-response in such cases does not exist. Comparison of the FSS with other data sources: After logical control was finished, the FSS data were compared with information from Statistical Farm Register (information on holder (user) of farm, land areas belonging to farm and other), with information from other statistical surveys (previous livestock survey), with Animal Register information (Agricultural Data Centre) on June 1, 2007, and with the list of Organic farms received from Ministry of Agriculture and Integrated Administration an Control System – IACS (Rural Support Service)

Response rate

Details on non-response are available in section 3.4.5 of the Methodological Report available as external resources.

Sampling error estimates

Please see section 3.5.2 of the Methodological Report (available as external resources) for a detailed explanation procedure used to estimate sampling errors.

Data appraisal

Comparison of the FSS with other data sources: After logical control was finished, the FSS data were compared with information from Statistical Farm Register (information on holder (user) of farm, land areas belonging to farm and other), with information from other statistical surveys (previous livestock survey), with Animal Register information (Agricultural Data Centre) on June 1, 2007, and with the list of Organic farms received from Ministry of Agriculture and Integrated Administration an Control System - IACS (Rural Support Service).

International comparability Eurostat Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on its homepage published information on agriculture on EU-27 and on each country separately. Main indicators are available in section: Main tables/ Agriculture, forestry and fisheries/ Agriculture/ Structure of agricultural holdings. More detailed Farm Structure Data: Database/ Agriculture, forestry and fisheries/ Agriculture/ Structure of agricultural holdings. Eurostat has published reports on agriculture in EU countries on its webpage: Publications/ Collections/ Statistics in focus.