DDI_LVA_2007_FSS_v01_M_WB Development Economics Data Group 2013-10-10 NADA Version 01 (October 2013) Farm Structure Survey 2007 FSS 2007 LVA_2007_FSS_v01_M Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia Market and Public Opinion Research Centre Eurostat NADA Anita Raubena/Departamenta Direktora Vietnieks Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia Microdata Library Agricultural Survey [ag/oth] The first Farm Structure Survey in accordance to the requirements of EP Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 was carried out in 2001 in the form of census. The list of indicators included in the survey was formed in accordance to the EU requirements and needs of national users. Before that Agricultural Census was carried out in 1939, but results of this census were not completely compiled due to the war. Information acquired in the Agricultural Census of 2001 was essential for national needs. In this Census basic information on the number of agricultural farms, their size, structure and economic activities was obtained. This information served as base for the creation of farm concept in the Statistical Farm Register, which was built up at household level in 1999. After Agricultural Census, Farm Structure Surveys are carried out every second year. The main target of the Farm Structure Surveys is to obtain information on structure and types of agricultural farms and their agricultural activities in Latvia in accordance with the EU and national requirements. The information obtained in the FSS survey is very important also for the local users, for analysis of the situation in agriculture of Latvia, and to draw up its development trends. In 2003 and 2005 Latvia organized FSS surveys similar to other EU Member States. All individual data files and methodological descriptions of FSS were sent to Eurostat. FSS 2007 was the last survey before Agricultural Census in 2010. 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. Latvia National Farms 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. Sample survey data [ssd] The scope of the FSS 2007 includes the following: · 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 Market and Public Opinion Research Centre Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia 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. Face-to-face [f2f] 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 The reference date for FSS 2007 was June 1, 2007. The crop area was recorded as area sown with winter crops last autumn and as area sown with summer crops in current summer. In FSS 2007 the reference period for indicator number of persons employed in agricultural holdings was June 1, 2006 - May 31, 2007. In the FSS 2007 two data collection methods were used: · Face-to-face interviews for 50.0 thousand farms; · Telephone interviews for 8.0 thousand farms. Face-to-face interviews were conducted between 2 June and 15 July.Data collection was organised by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) in cooperation with the employees of the Market and Public Opinion Research Centre (MPORC). Telephone interviews were made alongside with the face-to-face interviews in the time period between June 14, 2007 and September 28. They were held in the CSB CATI Centre in PreiGi. Users of land were informed by several information channels: on the website of the CSB, in national agricultural magazines and in local and republican newspapers, via public television and radio channels. During the survey interviewers gave informative brochure on FSS to each respondent. Brochure included telephone numbers, calling to which during the survey the respondent was able to find out additional information. A pilot survey was not carried out. In the Farm Structure Survey 2007 26 persons were employed as supervisors in districts and 604 persons as interviewers. The training of supervisors of FSS 2007 took place on from May 16 to 17, and the training of interviewers took place in the Regional Information centres of districts from May 21 to 25. 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) Details on non-response are available in section 3.4.5 of the Methodological Report available as external resources. Please see section 3.5.2 of the Methodological Report (available as external resources) for a detailed explanation procedure used to estimate sampling errors. 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. Confidentiality of the information provided by respondents is protected by Section 18 of the Official Statistics Law stipulating rights and obligations of the Central Statistical Bureau and other state authorities producing official statistics.Section 19 of the Official Statistics Law determines confidentiality exceptions. Central Statistical Bureau Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include: - the Identification of the Primary Investigator - the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation) - the survey reference number - the source and date of download The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.