DDI_LTU_2007_FSS_v01_M_WB Development Economics Data Group 2013-09-13 NADA Version 01 (September 2013) Farm Structure Survey 2007 FSS 2007 LTU_2007_FSS_v01_M Statistics Lithuania NADA Agriculture and Environment Statistics Division Microdata Library Agricultural Survey [ag/oth] The FSS 2007 was the second farm structure survey in Lithuania and the third one after the Agricultural Census 2003. Survey results are to be used not only by Statistics Lithuania but also by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Institute of Agrarian Economics, the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture and other agricultural institutions. Agriculture is a traditional, important and complex sector of the Lithuanian economy. In 2006, the share of employees engaged in agriculture constituted 12.3 % of the total number of employees. In 2006, the agricultural gross value added share in gross value added constituted 5.1 %. The purpose of the FSS was to obtain statistical data on the structure of agricultural holdings and the employment of the population in them; to obtain aggregated data on agricultural condition of administrative units; to obtain data for the establishment of samples for statistical surveys. Land use, crop area, livestock, the number of family members working in the agricultural sector, the number of hired employees and their working hours were the key questions asked. The definition of units of enumeration determined in the FSS was in harmony with the definition of agricultural holding provided in the Council Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 of 29 February 1988 and the list of Characteristics of Commission Regulation (EC) No 204/2006 of 6 February 2006. Lithuania National · Farmers' and family farms · Agricultural companies and enterprises. The object of the FSS 2007 was an agricultural holding (farm) that is 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. In the holding, there is at least 1 ha of utilised agricultural land or less than 1 ha of utilised agricultural land but income is more than LTL 5,000 per year. Also, the holding can be engaged in ancillary economic activities or can render services. A farm is comprised of all cultivated or supervised land areas, whole farm inventory including animals as well as of employees of the farm. Sample survey data [ssd] The information about land use, arable and other agricultural land, livestock, labour force and other activities was collected according to the Commission Regulation (EC) No 204/2006 of 6 February 2006. Also, some data for national interests were collected. Statistics Lithuania The sampling frame of the Survey was the database of the Agricultural Census 2003 which was updated with data from other statistical surveys. The FSS 2007 sample size was 60,888. The number of surveyed farms was 61,263 (375 new farms were found). Altogether data were provided by 56,798 farms. During the Survey, it was found out that 2,202 farms had less than 1 ha of utilised agricultural land and their income was less than 5,000 LTL per year. These farms did not comply with the definition of an agricultural holding. These farms are small units and they were not included in the FSS 2007 estimations. The definition of an agricultural holding satisfied 54,596 farms, of which: 54,039 farmers' and family farms and 557 agricultural companies and enterprises. Face-to-face [f2f] There was only one type of questionnaire form for the whole Survey. The Lithuanian version of the Farm Structure Survey questionnaire included 12 pages. The questionnaire had four annexes: annex 1 – Small units questionnaire, annex 2 – Orchards for market 2007, annex 3 – Information about the Farm Structure Survey, annex 4 – Manual for interviewers. The questionnaire was in paper format. The questionnaire was completed by agricultural holdings with the area more than 1 ha of utilised agricultural land or holdings with less than 1 ha of utilised agricultural land but with income more than 5,000 LTL per year. Preparation for the FSS 2007 was started in November 2006. A working plan of this survey was approved by the Director General of Statistics Lithuania. A Methodological Task Force was made up to work out methodological principles. The reference time for the FSS 2007 was 1 June 2007 and the reference period lasted 12 months before 1 June (for labour force).The FSS 2007 was carried out by interviewers. Interviewers questioned farmers’ and family farms. They visited every holding from the Survey sample and filled in questionnaires. Agricultural companies and enterprises had to fill in the questionnaire themselves and to send it directly to regional statistical office for further processing. 758 interviewers worked during the survey. Each interviewer questioned about 80 respondents. In Statistics Lithuania, the following persons were assigned to carry out the job related to the survey: project manager, coordinator, 2 specialists, one programmer, formatting specialist and statistician. Depending on the number of the selected farms, each regional statistical office had several specialists responsible for the survey and each district municipality had one or two specialists responsible for the survey. Data input operators were employed at the regional statistical offices too. Training of specialists and interviewers was performed in two stages: in April–May 2007. Specialists from the regional statistical offices and municipalities were trained in April in Vilnius (training lasted for two days, three groups were made). The interviewers were trained at district municipalities in May. Training lasted for one day.A big promotion campaign was conducted. During the survey, the interviewers visited each holding from the sample, interviewed the farmer and filled in questionnaires. The interviewers had to submit the filled in questionnaires to the district municipality statistician. Here, the questionnaires were checked, mistakes were corrected and unclear items were cleared out by a repetitive question to the farmer (by telephone or visiting him/her). The checked questionnaires were sent to the five regional statistical offices where the data were manually entered by special software. Correct data were directed to Statistics Lithuania for further processing. The unit non-response was 1,728 (2.8 per cent of the sample). Agriculture and Environment Statistics Division 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.