Farm Structure Survey (2010, 2013 and 2016)

Farm Structure Survey is conducted with an aim to acquire general information on agricultural holding, its owner and manager, land use, number of livestock, organic farming systems, machinery available on the holding, labour force in agriculture and agricultural production methods. 

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Farm Structure Survey included economically active agricultural holdings producing agricultural goods or maintaining soil at good agricultural and environmental condition, the utilised agricultural area in which exceeded 1 ha or Standard Output (SO) of which exceeded EUR 70 regardless the agricultural area.

Data are acquired and calculated in compliance with the criteria set by European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1166/2008 (19 November 2008).

Requirements of the EU legislation stipulate that Agricultural Census in Member States shall be conducted every 10 years, while during the period between Censuses (from 2010 to 2019) a Farm Structure Survey shall be conducted once in every three years. In 2010, Latvia conducted Agricultural Census within which all economically active farms were surveyed, while Farm Structure Survey was conducted in 2013 and 2016.

Statistical database

Eurostat publishes data on agriculture in EU-27 in section: Agriculture.

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Data source for the Farm Structure Survey is Census in 2010 and sample survey in 2013 and 2016. Agricultural holdings are selected from the Statistical Farm Register. Data are collected according to report developed by the CSB "Farm Structure Survey".

Data sources of Farm Structure Survey 2016:

• CSB report form LSSA – 2016 "Farm Structure Survey 2016"
• Information from following administrative data sources:
  • Agricultural Data Centre (ADC) helped to acquire the information on the number of cattle, sheep, goats, horses, rabbits and bee colonies in holdings and information on livestock bred using organic production methods,
  • ADC Organic Farming Database helped to acquire information on the Organic farms,
  • Information on rural development support payments to holdings was obtained from the Rural Support Service Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS).

Data sources of Farm Structure Survey 2013:

• CSB report form LSSA – 2013 "Farm Structure Survey 2013";
• Administrative data:
  • Agricultural Data Centre (ADC) helped to acquire the information on the number of cattle, sheep, goats and horses in holdings and information on livestock bred using organic production methods,
  • ADC Organic Farming Database helped to acquire information on the Organic farms,
  • Information on rural development support payments to holdings was obtained from the Rural Support Service Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS).

Data sources of Agricultural Census 2010:

• CSB statistical report form No. LS – 2010 “AGRICULTURAL CENSUS 2010” and annex No. LS - 2010 "Survey on agricultural production methods 2010";
• Information from the following administrative data sources:
  • Agricultural Data Centre (ADC) Register of herds and animals – information on the number of cattle, sheep, goats and horses in holdings;
  • Rural Support Service Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) – information on rural development support payments to holdings;
  • For data comparison additionally was also used ADC Organic farms information system and State Revenue Service (SRS) on the number of employed in agricultural enterprises.

Reference period 

Farm Structure Survey 2016:
1 July 2016 (number of livestock and agricultural machinery) or 12 months before the reference date from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 (labour force in agriculture).

Farm Structure Survey 2013:
1 July 2013 (number of livestock and agricultural machinery) or 12 months before the reference date from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013 (labour force in agriculture).

Farm Structure Survey 2010:
1 July 2010 (number of livestock and agricultural machinery) or 12 months before the reference date from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010 (labour force in agriculture).

Sample size

The sample of Farm Structure Survey 2016 has been formed as a stratified simple random sample. Holdings are stratified by their location (NUTS 3), type of farming and economic size. Total sample size of Farm Structure Survey 2016 comprised 30 001 holding.

The sample of Farm Structure Survey 2013 has been formed as a stratified simple random sample. Holdings are stratified by their location (NUTS 3), type of farming and economic size. Total sample size of Farm Structure Survey 2013 comprised 30 000 holdings.

Farm Structure Survey 2010 was carried out as census. 90 000 farms were surveyed in Agricultural Census.

Extrapolation of the data on the holdings surveyed in 2013 and 2016 to all agricultural holdings is based on the number of similar holdings represented by sampled holdings as well as actual response rate in each of the survey territories.