DEFINITIONS

Agricultural area – area utilised in the reference year by agricultural holdings for agricultural production or maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition (incl. arable land, permanent grassland, fruit and berry plantations, nurseries and kitchen gardens).

Area not utilised for agricultural production but only maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition is included from 2007.

Agricultural area is divided by type of ownership into:

- land in ownership – agricultural area in the ownership of the holder,

- leased land – agricultural area leased by the holder,

- other tenure – other tenure of agricultural area (incl. land, which the holding works free of any charge).

Agricultural holding – a single unit both technically and economically, which has single management and which produces agricultural products or maintains its land which is no longer used for production purposes in good agricultural and environmental condition, where:

- there is at least one hectare of utilised agricultural land or

- there is less than one hectare of utilised agricultural land but agricultural products are produced mainly for sale.

Units where agricultural products are not produced but only land is maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition are included from 2007.

Until 2007 the definition of agricultural holding included also the reference to standard gross margin (at least 1 ESU, if the area of agricultural land was less than 1 hectare). From 2010 this reference has been replaced by provision that agricultural products are produced mainly for sale. The change does not have an effect to the comparability of the data.

Agricultural products – cereals, legumes, potatoes, fodder roots, linseed, flax fibre, plants used for seasoning and herbs, vegetables, vegetable plants, flowers, ornamental plants, fruits, berries, young plants of trees and bushes, (excl. young plants of forest trees grown on wooded land for own consumption), livestock and poultry, meat, milk, eggs, wool, honey and wax.

Agricultural training of the manager –

- only practical experience – the manager of the holding does not have agricultural education but only experience in working in agricultural holding;

- basic agricultural training – the manager of the holding has agricultural vocational education or has participated in training courses at general agricultural college;

- full agricultural training – the manager of the holding has secondary professional education (technical school, college), vocational higher and/or higher education in agriculture.

Economic size of the holding – until 2007 the economic size of the holding was measured as standard gross margin per holding. From 2010 economic size of the holding is measured as standard output of the holding. Still it is possible to calculate standard output also for 2007. Economic sizes measured as standard gross margin and standard output are not comparable with each other.

European Size Unit (ESU) – unit of economic size of the holding and standard gross margin used until 2007, enabled the comparison of the data with the other countries. 1 ESU was equal to 1,200 EURO (18,768 kroons). From 2010 the standard output is used to measure economic size.

Holder of the holding – person who is legally and economically responsible for the holding. Holders are divided into natural or legal persons.

Holdings with organic farm production – holdings with sustainable production of agricultural produce, which maintains basic equilibrium and which is carried out in compliance with the Organic Farming Act and with other relevant legislation. Holdings with organic farm production have the approval of Agricultural Board (either fully compliant with the principles of organic production or still in a conversion period).

Land tenure – the land in the possession of holding, i.e. the land in the ownership (except the land leased out), leased or other land tenure.

Land tenure is divided into: utilised agricultural area (hereinafter agricultural area), wooded area, unutilised agricultural area, other land.

Livestock unit (LSU) – a standard measurement unit that allows the aggregation of various kinds of livestock and poultry. Livestock units are defined on the basis of the feed requirements of individual animal categories. A dairy cow corresponds to one livestock unit, the coefficients of other animals are smaller (e.g. bovine animal – 0.8; fattening pig – 0.3; broiler – 0.007). The coefficients of livestock units are stated with EU Commission regulation No 1200/2009.

Location of the holding – location of the centre (if the centre is missing, the major part of the land) of the holding. The centre of the holding is the permanent place of residence of the holder or the place of main buildings within holding. All land and animals of the holding are showed in the location of the holding, which may differ from the location of land or animals.

Manager of the holding – a person responsible for the normal daily financial and production routines of running the holding concerned. Manager of the holding is generally, but not always, the same person as the holder who is a natural person.

Other land – land under buildings, pleasure gardens, roads, quarries and inland waters, infertile land (marshland, heaths).

Standard gross margin – unit of economic size of the holding used until 2007. Standard gross margin was the difference of the holding’s output and the value of specific costs. In crop production, the cost of seeds, fertilisers, plant protection products, drying and other variable costs were deducted from the value of total output. In livestock production, the cost of feed and other variable costs were deducted from the value of total output. Also, subsidies provided for the relevant type of product were included in value of output.

Standard output – unit of economic size of the holding used from 2010 (possible to calculate also for 2007). Standard output is the monetary value of gross agricultural production at farm-gate price corresponding to the average situation in a given region which is calculated on the basis of crop area, number of livestock and Standard output coefficients. Standard output does not include VAT, other taxes on products and direct payments.

Type of farming of the holding – determined until 2007 on the basis of contributions of different types of products to the total standard gross margin of the holding. From 2010 the type of farming is determined on the basis of contributions of different types of products to the total standard output (possible to calculate also for 2007). Types of farming determined on the basis of standard gross margin and standard output are not directly comparable with each other.

Unutilised agricultural area – area, which is temporarily no longer farmed (agricultural products are not produced and land is not maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition).

Wooded area – area covered with trees or forest shrubs and bare forestland.

METHODOLOGY

The Farm Structure Survey (hereinafter FSS) provides information of the structure of agriculture and its changes. Different from other agricultural statistics surveys, FSS provides data for the whole agricultural holding, besides the structure of holdings it provides also information about type of ownership of agricultural land, crop production and livestock farming, main indicators of organic farming, agricultural training of managers of holdings, types of farming in holdings and other gainful activities of holdings, tractors and machinery and labour force. Agricultural production methods were surveyed in the Agricultural Census 2010 as a separate module.

Since 1966 the series of farm structure surveys are carried out on a Community basis at least every ten years in a form of a census and between the censuses usually in a form of a sample survey.

Statistics Estonia conducted the first Agricultural Census in July 2001. To determine the agricultural production potential for Estonia, the Agricultural Census covered agricultural holdings with the lower threshold than required in the methodology developed by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) as well as agricultural small units. Besides the needs of the Estonian users, the requirements established to the European Union FSS were taken into account. The FSS 2003, 2005 and 2007 were conducted as sample surveys and 2010 survey in the form of a census. The new threshold of the agricultural holding has been used and agricultural small units have not been included. In order to ensure the comparability of their data with the results of the 2001 Agricultural Census, the latter have been recalculated and adjusted on the basis of the new definition of a holding. In case the relevant data were not collected in the 2001 Agricultural Census or their definitions differ significantly from those used in the following FSSs, the comparison is not presented.

In sample based FSSs the sample frame has been the updated statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings, which was composed on the basis of 2001 Agricultural Census data. A simple random sample stratified by the county where the holding is located, economic size and type of farming has been used. All the data presented are estimates of actual parameters.

The list of the 2010 Agricultural Census has been composed on the basis of statistical Farm Register, Administrative Registers and Information Board, Organic Farming Register and other administrative sources.

CALCULATION OF STANDARD OUTPUT

From 2010 the standard output is used to measure economic size of the holding and determine type of farming of the holding (possible to calculate also for 2007).

Standard output is calculated on the basis of crop area, number of livestock and standard output coefficients. Standard output coefficients are calculated by different lines of production per unit – per hectare in crop production and per animal unit in livestock production. Coefficients are calculated by Rural Economy Research Centre on the basis of the data from Farm Accountancy Data Network, statistical data and expert opinions at regular intervals and correspond to five-year average.

Total standard output of the holding is found by multiplying the number of animals and hectares by corresponding standard output coefficients per unit and summing standard output obtained for all types of farming. Standard output of the holding does not include the kitchen garden and permanent grassland not used for production purposes but maintained in good agricultural and environmental conditions.

MORE DATA

Pυllumajanduslikud majapidamised. 2005. Agricultural holdings

OTHER INFORMATION

The survey has received funding from the European Community.

The Commission of the European Communities is not responsible for the results of the survey or any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

CONTACT PERSON

Andres Klaus

Agricultural Statistics Department

Tel +372 625 9390

andres.klaus@stat.ee

Updated: 15.12.2011