Agricultural census inSlovenia Statistics Explained

Source Statistics Explained (httpeceuropaeueurostatstatisticsexplained) - 28032018 1

Data from November 2012 Most recent data Further Eurostat information Main tables and Database Dueto that the agricultural census is carried out every ten years the next update of this article will take placein December 2022

This article is part of a series of country-specific essays on the results of the European Union (EU) Farm struc-ture survey (FSS) The FSS collects information on the structural characteristics of the agricultural holdings(land use livestock and labour force) and is carried out by all European Union Member States every 10 yearsas an Agricultural census with two or three additional intermediate sample surveys carried out in-betweenThe Agricultural census 2010 was the second one to be fully harmonised with the EU regulation as well as thesecond one to be carried out in the independent Republic of Slovenia The present analysis of the farm structureincludes a comparison with the Agricultural census 2000 the first one to be carried out according to the EUrequirements in Slovenia

Table 1 Farm structure key indicators Slovenia 2000 and 2010Source Eurostat (efkvaareg)(efovkvaa) (demopjan) and FSS 2000 and 2010

Table 2 Farm structure key indicators by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010Special value

Figure 1 Number of holdings and utilised agriculture area (UAA) by UAA size classes Slovenia2010 ()Source Eurostat (efkvaareg) (efovkvaa)

Table 3 Economic size of the farm by standard output size classes Slovenia 2007 and 2010(EUR)Source Eurostat FSS 2007 and 2010

Figure 2 Number of holdings by main type of farming Slovenia 2010 ()Source Eurostat(efkvftreg)

Figure 3 Standard output by main type of farming Slovenia 2010 ()Source Eurostat(efkvftreg)

Agricultural census in Slovenia 2

Figure 4 Utilised agricultural area by land use Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat(efluovcropaa) (efoluaareg)

Table 4 Utilised agricultural area by land use Slovenia 2000 and 2010Special value

Figure 5 Livestock by main types Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat FSS 2000 and2010

Agricultural census in Slovenia 3

Table 5 Number of holdings with livestock by LSU size class Slovenia 2000 and 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2000 and 2010

Table 6 Agricultural labour force Slovenia 2000 and 2010Special values

Figure 6 Sole holders by gender Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat FSS 2000 and2010

Table 7 Utilised agricultural area by type of tenure by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat (efmptenure)

Agricultural census in Slovenia 4

Table 8 Number of holdings with cattle and places by type of animal housing Slovenia2010Source Source Eurostat (efpmhouscatlaa)

Table 9 Number of holdings by other gainful activities by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2010

Table 10 Organic farming number of holdings and utilised agricultural area Slovenia2010Source Eurostat FSS 2005 2007 and 2010

Main statistical findingsKey indicatorsAccording to the FSS 2010 there were 74 650 agricultural holdings in Slovenia (see Table 1) Compared to theAgricultural census 2000 this corresponds to a 137 decrease and places Slovenia among the countries withthe smallest number of farms within the EU-27 In absolute terms about 12 000 farms ceased their activitieswithin the inter-census decade

On the contrary the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in Slovenia remained stable over the 2000-2010 time-frame posting a value of 482 650 ha in 2010 a figure which corresponded to 24 of the whole territory of thecountry In absolute terms the agricultural area decreased by only about 3 200 hectares (-07 ) within theperiod under analysis suggesting that the bigger holdings took over the agricultural land of the small ones thatclosed down This tendency also observed in many Member States throughout the EU led to an increase ofthe average area per holding which grew by 151 from 56 hectares per farm in 2000 to 65 ha per holding in2010 Nonetheless Slovenia was among the EU Member States with the lowest average area per farm in 2010When analysing these figures it must be kept in mind that common land was not included in the 2000 dataset Common land in Slovenia consists exclusively of rough grazing areas and covered an area of 22 790 ha in2000 For further information please consult Data sources and availability

Within the inter-census period the number of persons regularly working in agriculture dropped by 196 In absolute terms 259 420 persons were regularly working on Slovenian farms in 2000 whereas only 208 490were left in 2010 Nonetheless in 2010 the agricultural labour force still represented 200 of the Slovenianactive population1 one of the highest shares within the EU-27

1A value calculated over the active population in the 4th quarter 2010 of the EU Labour force survey (LFS) Population activityand inactivity - quarterly data

Agricultural census in Slovenia 5

Figure 4 Utilised agricultural area by land use Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat(efluovcropaa) (efoluaareg)

Table 4 Utilised agricultural area by land use Slovenia 2000 and 2010Special value

Figure 5 Livestock by main types Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat FSS 2000 and2010

Agricultural census in Slovenia 3

Table 5 Number of holdings with livestock by LSU size class Slovenia 2000 and 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2000 and 2010

Table 6 Agricultural labour force Slovenia 2000 and 2010Special values

Figure 6 Sole holders by gender Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat FSS 2000 and2010

Table 7 Utilised agricultural area by type of tenure by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat (efmptenure)

Agricultural census in Slovenia 4

Table 8 Number of holdings with cattle and places by type of animal housing Slovenia2010Source Source Eurostat (efpmhouscatlaa)

Table 9 Number of holdings by other gainful activities by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2010

Table 10 Organic farming number of holdings and utilised agricultural area Slovenia2010Source Eurostat FSS 2005 2007 and 2010

Main statistical findingsKey indicatorsAccording to the FSS 2010 there were 74 650 agricultural holdings in Slovenia (see Table 1) Compared to theAgricultural census 2000 this corresponds to a 137 decrease and places Slovenia among the countries withthe smallest number of farms within the EU-27 In absolute terms about 12 000 farms ceased their activitieswithin the inter-census decade

On the contrary the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in Slovenia remained stable over the 2000-2010 time-frame posting a value of 482 650 ha in 2010 a figure which corresponded to 24 of the whole territory of thecountry In absolute terms the agricultural area decreased by only about 3 200 hectares (-07 ) within theperiod under analysis suggesting that the bigger holdings took over the agricultural land of the small ones thatclosed down This tendency also observed in many Member States throughout the EU led to an increase ofthe average area per holding which grew by 151 from 56 hectares per farm in 2000 to 65 ha per holding in2010 Nonetheless Slovenia was among the EU Member States with the lowest average area per farm in 2010When analysing these figures it must be kept in mind that common land was not included in the 2000 dataset Common land in Slovenia consists exclusively of rough grazing areas and covered an area of 22 790 ha in2000 For further information please consult Data sources and availability

Within the inter-census period the number of persons regularly working in agriculture dropped by 196 In absolute terms 259 420 persons were regularly working on Slovenian farms in 2000 whereas only 208 490were left in 2010 Nonetheless in 2010 the agricultural labour force still represented 200 of the Slovenianactive population1 one of the highest shares within the EU-27

1A value calculated over the active population in the 4th quarter 2010 of the EU Labour force survey (LFS) Population activityand inactivity - quarterly data

Agricultural census in Slovenia 5

Table 5 Number of holdings with livestock by LSU size class Slovenia 2000 and 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2000 and 2010

Table 6 Agricultural labour force Slovenia 2000 and 2010Special values

Figure 6 Sole holders by gender Slovenia 2000 and 2010 ()Source Eurostat FSS 2000 and2010

Table 7 Utilised agricultural area by type of tenure by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat (efmptenure)

Agricultural census in Slovenia 4

Table 8 Number of holdings with cattle and places by type of animal housing Slovenia2010Source Source Eurostat (efpmhouscatlaa)

Table 9 Number of holdings by other gainful activities by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2010

Table 10 Organic farming number of holdings and utilised agricultural area Slovenia2010Source Eurostat FSS 2005 2007 and 2010

Main statistical findingsKey indicatorsAccording to the FSS 2010 there were 74 650 agricultural holdings in Slovenia (see Table 1) Compared to theAgricultural census 2000 this corresponds to a 137 decrease and places Slovenia among the countries withthe smallest number of farms within the EU-27 In absolute terms about 12 000 farms ceased their activitieswithin the inter-census decade

On the contrary the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in Slovenia remained stable over the 2000-2010 time-frame posting a value of 482 650 ha in 2010 a figure which corresponded to 24 of the whole territory of thecountry In absolute terms the agricultural area decreased by only about 3 200 hectares (-07 ) within theperiod under analysis suggesting that the bigger holdings took over the agricultural land of the small ones thatclosed down This tendency also observed in many Member States throughout the EU led to an increase ofthe average area per holding which grew by 151 from 56 hectares per farm in 2000 to 65 ha per holding in2010 Nonetheless Slovenia was among the EU Member States with the lowest average area per farm in 2010When analysing these figures it must be kept in mind that common land was not included in the 2000 dataset Common land in Slovenia consists exclusively of rough grazing areas and covered an area of 22 790 ha in2000 For further information please consult Data sources and availability

Within the inter-census period the number of persons regularly working in agriculture dropped by 196 In absolute terms 259 420 persons were regularly working on Slovenian farms in 2000 whereas only 208 490were left in 2010 Nonetheless in 2010 the agricultural labour force still represented 200 of the Slovenianactive population1 one of the highest shares within the EU-27

1A value calculated over the active population in the 4th quarter 2010 of the EU Labour force survey (LFS) Population activityand inactivity - quarterly data

Agricultural census in Slovenia 5

Table 8 Number of holdings with cattle and places by type of animal housing Slovenia2010Source Source Eurostat (efpmhouscatlaa)

Table 9 Number of holdings by other gainful activities by NUTS 2 regions Slovenia 2010SourceEurostat FSS 2010

Table 10 Organic farming number of holdings and utilised agricultural area Slovenia2010Source Eurostat FSS 2005 2007 and 2010

Main statistical findingsKey indicatorsAccording to the FSS 2010 there were 74 650 agricultural holdings in Slovenia (see Table 1) Compared to theAgricultural census 2000 this corresponds to a 137 decrease and places Slovenia among the countries withthe smallest number of farms within the EU-27 In absolute terms about 12 000 farms ceased their activitieswithin the inter-census decade

On the contrary the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in Slovenia remained stable over the 2000-2010 time-frame posting a value of 482 650 ha in 2010 a figure which corresponded to 24 of the whole territory of thecountry In absolute terms the agricultural area decreased by only about 3 200 hectares (-07 ) within theperiod under analysis suggesting that the bigger holdings took over the agricultural land of the small ones thatclosed down This tendency also observed in many Member States throughout the EU led to an increase ofthe average area per holding which grew by 151 from 56 hectares per farm in 2000 to 65 ha per holding in2010 Nonetheless Slovenia was among the EU Member States with the lowest average area per farm in 2010When analysing these figures it must be kept in mind that common land was not included in the 2000 dataset Common land in Slovenia consists exclusively of rough grazing areas and covered an area of 22 790 ha in2000 For further information please consult Data sources and availability

Within the inter-census period the number of persons regularly working in agriculture dropped by 196 In absolute terms 259 420 persons were regularly working on Slovenian farms in 2000 whereas only 208 490were left in 2010 Nonetheless in 2010 the agricultural labour force still represented 200 of the Slovenianactive population1 one of the highest shares within the EU-27

1A value calculated over the active population in the 4th quarter 2010 of the EU Labour force survey (LFS) Population activityand inactivity - quarterly data

Agricultural census in Slovenia 5

When looking at the livestock population ndash expressed in livestock units (LSU) ndash a decrease was observedin Slovenia Within the decade under analysis values dropped by 152 from 611 100 LSU to 518 480 LSUor 025 LSU per person hence in 2010 Slovenia exhibited one of the smallest livestock populations in absoluteterms among the EU Member States

Regional key indicatorsThe analysis of regional data (exhibited in Table 2) provides further insight into the structure of Slovenianagriculture and highlights the leading role played by the territory of rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo Indeed for each ofthe key indicators studied (number of holdings total UAA livestock population and number of persons workingon the farms) the eastern territory of rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo accounted for about 70 of the value of the wholecountry while the western region of rsquoZahodna Slovenijarsquo was found to contribute the remaining 30

According to the Agricultural census 2010 52 650 farms were recorded within the border of rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquoa value which accounted for 71 of the total population of agricultural holdings The remaining 29 of theSlovenian population of farms (22 000) was found to belong to the region of rsquoZahodna Slovenijarsquo

Data on agricultural area further confirm the skewed structure of the Slovenian agricultural sector as 70 ofthe UAA of the whole country was found to be located in rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo (339 090 ha) Consequently only30 of the Slovenian agricultural land (143 570 ha) was recorded within the territory of rsquoZahodna Slovenijarsquo

Percentages look very similar if the LSU and the number of persons working in agriculture are taken intoaccount 72 of the livestock population was surveyed within the eastern territory of rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo (374290 LSU) in 2010 while only 144 190 LSU were recorded in the west of Slovenia ndash a value which correspondedto the remaining 28 Furthermore within the eastern territory of Slovenia 146 560 persons worked regularlyin the agricultural sector (70 ) whereas the regular labour force recorded in rsquoZahodna Slovenijarsquo only reached61 930 units corresponding to 30 of the whole regular agricultural labour force of Slovenia

Agricultural holdingsIn contrast with what was observed in most of the EU Member States the majority of Slovenian farms provedto be rather small in 2010 (see Figure 1) According to the FSS 2010 84 of them (62 640) recorded less than10 hectares of agricultural land and accounted for 47 of the UAA of the entire country The number of agri-cultural holdings with 10 to 199 hectares of UAA was also found to be remarkable (8 350) this class of holdingsaccounted for 11 of the whole population of farms and was found to cover 23 of the Slovenian agriculturalland in 2010 On the contrary farms with 20 hectares or more of UAA (3 470) recorded a marginal share (5) over the total population of agricultural holdings but nevertheless accounted for 30 of the countryrsquos UAA

In terms of the number of holdings the biggest classes of farms recorded the largest growths whereas farmswith less than 10 hectares of UAA decreased confirming that small holdings were taken up by bigger oneswithin the decade under analysis In particular the number of farms with 20 to 299 hectares of UAA grew by60 ndash from 1 260 in 2000 to 2 020 in 2010 ndash while farms with 30 to 499 hectares more than doubled theirnumber reaching the value of 970 in 2010

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2010

Economic size of the farm

In 2010 the economic size of all the Slovenian agricultural holdings was EUR 913 million (see Table 3) Thisfigure which was calculated by summing up the standard output (SO) per hectare of crop and per head oflivestock of the farms was found to be among the smallest recorded within the EU-27 and ranked the countryright below the EUR 1 000 million threshold Compared to the FSS 2007 value (EUR 885 million) it representsan increase of 32 mainly attributable to two classes of holdings farms with an average monetary value ofEUR 100 000 to EUR 249 999 which increased by 614 and those with an economic size of EUR 50 000 toEUR 99 999 (+ 346 )

Agricultural census in Slovenia 6

Small and medium sized farms proved to play an important role in the Slovenian agricultural structure 42 of the economic value of the countryrsquos population of farms was the outcome of holdings with an averagemonetary value of less than EUR 25 000

The skewed nature of the Slovenian agriculture structure is further confirmed by the economic analysis ofthe farms population In 2010 72 of the countryrsquos agricultural standard output (EUR 654 million) was foundto be produced within the eastern territory of rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo whereas the western region of rsquoZahodnaSlovenijarsquo accounted for EUR 259 million corresponding to 28

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2010 and 2007

Agricultural holding by main type of farming

According to the Agricultural census 2010 farms specialised in cattle-rearing and fattening were the mostcommon in Slovenia as they represented 19 of the total population of holdings (see Figure 2) In terms ofthe main type of farming the second most common type of farms were those specialised in various crops andlivestock combined and the ones dedicated to general field cropping as both accounted for 14 Agriculturalholdings specialised in dairying recorded the only other relevant double digit share (10 ) whereas those dedi-cated to sheep goats and other grazing livestock (9 ) fell just below the 10 threshold

The ranking appears different and suggests the existence of one main type of production if the economicsize of the holdings is taken into account agricultural holdings dedicated to dairying represented 31 of theSO of all the Slovenian farms Holdings dedicated to cattle-rearing and fattening recorded the second highestshare accounting for 12 of the whole countryrsquos standard output while farms specialised in various crops andlivestock combined accounted for the only other remarkable double digit percentage (11 )

Holdings specialised in poultry show a particularly remarkable distribution While they only represent a shareof 03 of all Slovenian holdings they account for 63 of the countryrsquos total standard output

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2010

Land useThe utilised agricultural area (UAA) is the total area ndash taken up by arable land permanent grassland andmeadow permanent crops and kitchen gardens ndash used by the holding regardless of the type of tenure orwhether it is used as a part of common land

In Slovenia arable land and permanent grassland and meadow are the main components of the UAA andtheir shares did not change much over the years (see Table 4)

According to the FSS 2010 permanent grassland and meadow covered 592 of the Slovenian UAA whereasarable land accounted for 35 permanent crops shared a marginal 56 Thus the two main componentstogether accounted for 942 of the whole UAA a value slightly higher than the one they recorded in 2000(935 )

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2010

Arable land

In 2010 arable land was essentially taken up by cereals and fodder crops In particular cereals covered thewidest portion ndash 93 940 hectares corresponding to 195 of the entire UAA ndash while 54 370 hectares of arableland were found to be dedicated to the production of fodder crops a value which accounted for 113 of theSlovenian UAA In addition industrial crops recorded a minor 28 share over the total UAA covering 13 320hectares of arable land It is remarkable that the production of sugar beets ceded completely plummeting from8 090 ha in 2000 This is a result of Slovenia giving up its quota for sugar beet production

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2010

Permanent grassland and meadow

Agricultural census in Slovenia 7

Permanent grassland and meadow was found to be the main component of the Slovenian agricultural areaand it accounted for about 60 of the countryrsquos UAA throughout the decade under analysis in absolute termsit only moved from 285 410 ha in 2000 to 285 710 ha in 2010 Its composition did not change over the years thusthe land dedicated to pasture and meadow maintained its prominence indicating the value of 235 820 hectaresin 2010 a figure which corresponded to 489 of the Slovenian UAA

On the other hand the area of rough grazing slightly decreased within the time frame under analysis from a109 share of the whole UAA (52 930 ha) to 103 (49 900 ha)

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2010

LivestockStatistics on livestock use two different units of measurement the number of heads (number of animals) andthe livestock units (LSU) with the latter allowing comparison between different types

As exhibited in Table 5 about half a million (518 480) LSU were recorded in Slovenia in 2010 ndash one of thesmallest values surveyed among the EU Member States This figure which represents a 15 drop comparedto 2000 was found to include mainly cattle pigs and poultry together they accounted for 93 of the wholeSlovenian livestock In particular cattle accounted for 64 of the countryrsquos farm animals pigs contributed toanother 18 whereas poultry corresponded to 11 of the Slovenian livestock in 2010

Within the timeframe under analysis pigs were the livestock that recorded the highest decrease (-37 ) inabsolute terms their number dropped from 146 050 LSU in 2000 to 92 340 LSU in 2010 Poultry numbers fellby one fourth and reached 58 690 LSU while those of cattle dropped by only 8 leading to a value of 331 700LSU in 2010

Between 2000 and 2010 the Slovenian population increased by 3 while the livestock decreased by about15 As a result the number of livestock per inhabitant dropped from 031 in 2000 to 025 in 2010 Alsothe number of holdings with livestock fell (-24 ) 77 480 farms with livestock were surveyed in 2000 whereasonly 59 220 were left in 2010 Furthermore the share of holdings with livestock among the population of farmsdropped ndash from 90 in 2000 to 79 in 2010 ndash although it still represented one of the highest shares withinthe EU-27 In particular remarkable drops were recorded for farms with 5 to 9 LSU (-33 ) while a relevantgrowth was recorded for holdings with 50 to 99 livestock units (53 )

Most of the holdings with LSU (72 ) were found within the eastern territory of Slovenia while rsquoZahodnaSlovenijarsquo accounted for a minor 28 in 2010 Percentages look the same if the total number of livestock istaken into account 72 of Slovenian farm animals (374 290 LSU) were recorded in rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo while28 of them were surveyed within the western territory of Slovenia (144 190 LSU)

See detailed data at Nuts 2 level for 2010 and 2000

Labour forceAs in most of the EU Member States also in Slovenia the agricultural labour force dropped over the inter-censusdecade (-196 ) in particular 259 420 persons were working in agricultural holdings in 2000 while only 208490 were left in 2010 (see Table 6) which still is more than 10 of the Slovenian population a value amongthe highest within the EU-27 If the direct labour force is taken into account in annual work units (AWU) the drop looks even sharper (-287 ) as the figure decreased from 107 530 AWU in 2000 to 76 650 AWU in 2010

Also in terms of AWU rsquoVzhodna Slovenijarsquo proved to be the most important production territory for theSlovenian agriculture as 71 of the total agricultural labour force directly employed in the holding workedwithin its borders in 2010 ndash Western Slovenia accounted for a minor 29

As for the sole holders the gender distinction was substantial as about 3 out of 4 sole holders were foundto be male in 2010 This distribution looked stable as figures did not change over the period under analysis

Agricultural census in Slovenia 8

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level on holdersrsquo age and gender for 2010 and 2000

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level on type of labour force for 2010 and 2000

Management practicesType of tenure

In 2010 most of the Slovenian agricultural land (715 ) was found to belong to the farmers who actuallyworked on that land (see Table 7) On the other hand about one fourth of the countryrsquos UAA (129 170 ha)was farmed by tenants while common land was marginal (17 ) and accounted for only 8 220 hectares

Animal housing

Table 8 lists the number of places for cattle by type of housing More than half of the places (558 ) arein stanchion tied stables with solid dung and manure while 308 of the places allow the animals to movefreely

In Slovenia the total number of places (478 630) slightly exceeded the number of heads of cattle suggest-ing the hosting capacity of the country was not fully met in 2010 and explaining why that percentage was morethan 100 Furthermore it must be noted that holdings could record more than one type of animal housing

Other gainful activities

In 2010 there were 12 520 holdings in Slovenia with activities other than farm work directly related to theholding and having an economic impact on the farm These holdings represented 17 of the Slovenian farmpopulation ndash one of the highest percentages recorded among the EU Member States

Information on other gainful activities was collected by eleven category types depending on their character-istics and each holding could register more than one activity

In Slovenia forestry work was by far the most common other gainful activity since 9 080 farms recordedit as a source of extra income (see Table 9) Another important source of income was the processing of farmproducts an activity which was performed by 2 390 holdings

See detailed data at NUTS 2 level for 2000

Organic farming

Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiver-sity biological cycles and soil biological activity It is based on the minimal use of off-farm inputs and on themanagement practices that restore maintain or enhance ecological harmony

Both the number of holdings and the UAA under organic farming increased steadily over the last decade(see Table 10) On the reference day there were 1 860 holdings practising organic farming in Slovenia on a totalarea of 25 040 ha or 52 of the total Slovenian UAA

See detailed data at Nuts 2 level for 2010 2007 2005

Data sources and availabilityMethodological notesThe Agricultural Census 2010 was the second one fully harmonised with the European legislation to be carriedout in Slovenia In 1997 Slovenia conducted the first FSS as a pilot survey for the Agricultural Census 2000

Agricultural census in Slovenia 9

hence a definition of agricultural holding in line with the one presented in the EU legislation along with acomparable threshold was set up Since then Slovenia followed the EC programme for Farm Structure Surveysboth in terms of the list of characteristics and the timetable conducting sample surveys in 2003 2005 and 2007The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia was the responsible body for conducting the Agriculturalcensus 2010 although an external contractor was appointed to carry out the data collection

Survey on agricultural production methods (SAPM)

In 2010 a unique survey was carried out together with the Agricultural census the Survey on agricultural pro-ductions methods (SAPM) This survey collected data at regional level needed to establish agri-environmentalindicators as indicated in COM final 5082006 and to evaluate the greening of the Common agricultural policy

Data were collected according to specifications listed in Annex V of regulation 11662008 namely data ontillage methods soil conservation landscape features animal grazing animal housing manure application ma-nure storage and treatment facilities and irrigation

In Slovenia the SAPM was conducted as a sample survey together with the Agricultural census A strati-fied sampling method and a random selection of units were employed to select 9 863 farms

Reference period

The reference date was set to the 1st of June 2010 However information on the labour force characteris-tics refers to the 12 months before this date whereas data on the rural development measures were collectedwith reference to the 31st May 2007 ndash 1st June 2010 time frame

Threshold for agricultural holdings

For both the FSS and the SAPM the target population included all the agricultural holdings with at leastone hectare of agricultural land Holdings falling under this threshold based on UAA but complying with aset of different physical thresholds related to the hectares of certain types of crops or heads of cattle werealso included in the target population of both surveys Furthermore all farms producing vegetables herbsstrawberries mushrooms flowers or ornamental plants for commercial purpose were included in the census

The thresholds were unchanged from the 2000 census

Common land

Common land is the land that does not directly belong to any agricultural holding but on which commonrights apply It can consist of pasture horticultural or other land The treatment of the common land used byan agricultural holding might differ from country to country

In Slovenia common land is an area under shared farming or other modes and consists of permanent grasslandand meadow used for rough grazing Before 2010 data on common land were collected only for national needsand they were not sent to Eurostat hence they are not included in the 2000 dataset analysed throughout thisarticle The area of common land decreased considerably over the years from 22 786 ha in 2000 to 8 220 ha in2010 Accordingly it covered 47 of the Slovenian agricultural area in 2000 while in 2010 it only accountedfor 17 of it Differences between 2010 and 2000 data on agricultural area might be slightly influenced by theexclusion of common land from the FSS 2000 dataset transmitted to Eurostat and analysed in the present article

Geo-reference of the holding

In Slovenia the statistical farm register was used to locate the agricultural holdings The register is ownedby the Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food for administrative purposes and includes data on holdersrsquoaddresses and the location of the holdings

Economic size

From FSS 2007 onward the standard output (SO) a new classification of the economic size of the holdingis used The SO has replaced the standard gross margin (SGM) used before Nonetheless for comparabilityreasons in FSS 2007 both classifications are available

Agricultural census in Slovenia 10

Other methodological issues

Regional comparability between FSS 2000 and FSS 2010

In Slovenia the NUTS 2 classification ndash a hierarchical system for dividing up the territory of the EU foreconomic and statistical purposes ndash was not yet implemented in 2000 Therefore regional data on theAgricultural census 2000 are not available in the Eurostat database and were not included in the presentarticle

ContextEuropean Commission Rural development policy aims to improve competitiveness in agriculture and forestrythe environment and the countryside as well as the quality of life in rural areas and to encourage the diversifi-cation of rural economies

As agriculture has modernised and the importance of industry and services within the economy has increasedso agriculture has become much less important as a source of jobs Consequently increasing emphasis is placedon the role farmers can play in rural development including forestry biodiversity and the diversification of therural economy in order to create alternative jobs and provide environmental protection in rural areas

The FSS continues to adapt in order to provide timely and relevant data to help analyse and follow thesedevelopments

See alsobull Agricultural census 2010

bull All articles on Slovenia

bull All farm structure articles by country (2007)

bull Farm structure statistics

Further Eurostat informationPublications

bull Agriculture fishery and forestry statistics mdash Main results ndash 2010-11 - 2012 edition

bull Farm Structure in Slovenia - 2007 - Statistics in focus 872008

bull Farm Structure in Slovenia - 2005 - Statistics in focus 112006

Main tablesbull Agriculture see

Farm structure historical data (1990-2007)(tef)

Databasebull Agriculture see

Farm structure (ef)

Agricultural census in Slovenia 11

Dedicated sectionbull Agriculture

bull Farm Structure Survey

Methodology Metadatabull Farm structure (ESMS metadata file mdash efesms)

bull [httphttpeceuropaeueurostatdocuments749240749313SINMRFSS2010pdf134625aa-acb7-43a0-92d5-f16c8913221f Methodological Report ndash FSS 2010 Slovenia]

bull Methodological Report ndash FSS 2007 Slovenia

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)bull Agricultural census in Slovenia tables and figures

Other informationbull Regulation 11662008 of 19 November 2008 on farm structure surveys and the survey on agricultural

production methods and repealing Council Regulation 57188

bull Regulation 12002009 of 30 November 2009 implementing Regulation 11662008 on farm structure surveysand the survey on agricultural production methods as regards livestock unit coefficients and definitionsof the characteristics

External linksbull Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia

Notes

Agricultural census in Slovenia 12