The Farm Structure Survey has been launched

Participating in the Farm Structure Survey enables farmers to make a contribution to the development of agriculture and rural life in Estonia. While the latest surveys have suggested that the rapid decline in the number of agricultural holdings that took place in the previous decade has stopped, it is predicted for 2016 that there has once again been a sudden drop in the number of active holdings where there is at least one hectare of utilised agricultural area or where agricultural products are produced mainly for sale.

Farm structure surveys are conducted in order to assess changes in agriculture and the impact of financial support, but also to devise plans for the future. Data on support for rural development are used in analysing the implementation of rural development measures. Data on agricultural production methods are used in analysing the development of agri-environmental policy and in improving the quality of agri-environmental indicators. The main representatives of public interest include the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the European Commission. Approximately 40% of the European Union budget is allocated to supporting the Common Agricultural Policy, and Estonian farmers are used to getting their share of it as well.

The survey held in Estonia in 2016 is a sample survey, meaning that data are only collected from the 7,000 holdings in the sample. The sample is selected randomly, but the largest and most significant holdings are all included in the survey because without them the survey would not present a true picture of the Estonian agricultural sector.

Survey questionnaires have been pre-filled based on crop and livestock farming data available from the Agricultural Registers and Information Board (ARIB) and on data available from other administrative sources (incl. data from the Land Board and the Employment Register). Later, Agricultural Board data on organic farming and ARIB data on support for rural development are also linked to the data collected in the survey.

Holders of households included in the survey sample can submit data until 25 September, using the pre-filled questionnaire available on the website of Statistics Estonia. All those who are expected to submit their data have been notified. Statistics Estonia will conduct a phone interview with those holdings who will not submit their data online.

Farm structure surveys are held in all European Union Member States every three to four years, and that includes agricultural surveys, which are conducted every ten years. Unlike regular production statistics, farm structure surveys give a comprehensive overview of holdings, including management, crop and livestock farming, labour, production methods and other income-generating activities. Since the survey is based on a common methodology, direct comparisons between countries can be made based on the results. Considering the significance of Farm Structure Survey, data collection for the survey is financially supported by the European Commission as well.

Statistics Estonia will publish the preliminary summary of the results of the Farm Structure Survey 2016 in January 2017 and the final data over the course of 2017.