Farm structure survey - Census of Agriculture 2023.

Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia 

Група за структурна истраживања у пољопривреди и регистар пољопривредних газдинстава

Gordana Veljković

Head of the Group for Farm Structure Surveys and Statistical Farm Register 

5 Milana Rakica st.

1150 Belgrade

Republic of Serbia

gordana.veljkovic@stat.gov.rs 

+381 11 2412 922 ext. 245

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The data describe the structure of agricultural holdings providing the general characteristics of farms.

The main features of agricultural holdings: holding’s identification data, total area of agricultural holding and agricultural land categories of use, data on labour force and data on number of livestock are collected by the complete coverage of observation units. The data on organic farming are taken over from the administrative source – the records of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. The data on other features (irrigation of land under crops, types of keeping animals, soil management practices, use of fertilizers, agricultural buildings, machinery and equipment) are sample collected.

The data are used by public, researchers, farmers and policy-makers to better understand the state of the farming sector and the impact of agriculture on the environment. The data follow up the changes in the agricultural sector and provide a basis for decision-making in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other European Union policies.

The applied instruments, coverage, features and the standardization of concepts and definitions are all in compliance with  Regulation [EC] No 2018/1091 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18. July 2018, on integrated farm statistics) and Eurostat methodology

Data are arranged in tables using many classifications. Please find below information on most classifications.

The classifications of variables are available in Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 and in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2286.

The farm typology means a uniform classification of the holdings based on their type of farming and their economic size. Both are determined on the basis of the standard gross margin (SGM) (until 2007) or standard output (SO) (from 2010 onward) which is calculated for each crop and animal. The farm type is determined by the relative contribution of the different productions to the total standard gross margin or the standard output of the holding.

The territorial classification uses the NUTS classification to break down the regional data. The regional data is available at NUTS level 2.

The census covers:

Family agricultural holdings that:

cultivate – use 50 or more ares of agricultural land on which they carry out agricultural production, regardless of whether that production is intended for the market or not, or

cultivate – use less than 50 ares of agricultural land, but carry out intensive field, fruit, viticulture, vegetable and flower production (including production under greenhouses and hothouses), mushroom production and livestock production, i.e. carry out agricultural production intended for the market, or

raise at least:
   –  two heads of cattle, or
   –  one head of cattle and two heads of small livestock (pigs, goats, sheep – together), or
   –  five heads of sheep or five heads of goats, or
   – three pigs, or
   – four small livestock (pigs, goats, sheep – together), or
   – 50 poultry, or
   – 20 bee colonies
Agricultural holdings of legal entities - companies, agricultural cooperatives, other forms of organization with the status of a legal entity and entrepreneurs registered with the Business Registers Agency as primarily carrying out agricultural production activities, or are registered in another activity but have organizational parts in which agricultural production activities are carried out.

The list of core variables is set in Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2018/1091.

The descriptions of the core variables as well as the lists and descriptions of the variables for the modules collected in 2023 are set in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2286.

The agricultural holding is a single unit, both technically and economically, that has a single management and that undertakes economic activities in agriculture satisfy physical treshold given under point 3.3

- A.01.1: Growing of non-perennial crops

- A.01.2: Growing of perennial crops

- A.01.3: Plant propagation

- A.01.4: Animal production

- A.01.5: Mixed farming or

- The “maintenance of agricultural land in good agricultural and environmental condition” of group A.01.6 within the economic territory of the Union, either as its primary or secondary activity.

Regarding activities of class A.01.49, only the activities “Raising and breeding of semi-domesticated or other live animals” (with the exception of raising of insects) and “Bee-keeping and production of honey and beeswax” are included.

The observation units are all agricultural holdings on the territory of the Republic of Serbia that meet the criteria given in points 3.3 and 3.5.

The entire territory of the country.

Starting from 1999 the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia has not at disposal and may not provide available certain data relative to Kosovo and Metohia and therefore these data are not included in the coverage for the Republic of Serbia (total).

Farm structure statistics in our country cover the period from 2012 onwards. 

TData on the value of standard output and production typology for 2023 were processed based on the SO2020 coefficients (calculated as a five-year average for the period 2018-2022).

The following units of measurement were used:

1. land area in hectares,
2. livestock in (1000) heads or Livestock Units  (UG) - a standard unit of calculation by which the number of heads of different species and categories is reduced to a comparable value. The calculation of conditional head is prescribed by the Census methodology,
3. labor force in persons or Annual Working Units (AWU) - a unit of calculation for reducing working time to an eight-hour working day of 225 days a year, the value of standard output in euros

The reference period is agricultural year from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023.

The reference day is 30. September 2023.

Law on 2023 Census of Agriculture (Official gazette RS, no. 76/21) 

Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 of the European Parlament and of the Council  of 18 July 2018 on integrated farm statistics and repealing Regulations (EC) No 1166/2008 and (EU) No 1337/2011

According to the signed Cooperation Agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management, the Ministry is obliged to regularly submit available data from its sources to the Statistical Office.

Data confidentiality is defined in Articles 23 and 24 of the 2023 Agricultural Census Law.

Micro-data are not disseminated.

The micro-data are available according to special conditions for research purposes in compliance with the system of rules and procedures related to the dissemination of statistically protected micro-dataaccordance contained by Law on Official statistics. In this case, written request by research body must include purpose for which data will be used and can obtain micro data without persnal indentification. 

Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia publishes the publishing calendar on its official website.

The census was conducted within the IPA 2018 project. Considering its postponement due to COVID 19, from 2021 to 2023, the plan of all activities was postponed and the publication of special studies during the duration of the project was uncertain.

Subsequently, the project was extended and the publication of special publications will still take place in 2025 until the end of the project. Due to frequent changes in the schedule and dissemination deadlines, only the Brochure announcing AC results was announced in this calendar. 

The first results were published on 30. January 2024.

The database with final results is available as of June 2024.

https://www.stat.gov.rs/sr-Cyrl/calendar

The publication of the results is usually published on the RZS website.

In the case of the first and final results of the AC 2023, the main stakeholders are invited to a press conference.

Data on structure of agricultural holdings are disseminated after 5 years.

Available on the 2023 Agricultural Census website  AC 2023 results

Published on Agriculture Census 2023 site, available via link: AC 2023 results

Dissemination database

https://data.stat.gov.rs/Home/Result/1300020106?languageCode=en-US

Microdata is not published.

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Methodological guidelines, SORS, 2023

https://popispoljoprivrede.stat.gov.rs/en-US/metodologija

SORS quality policy is available on link: http://www.stat.gov.rs/media/2334/quality-policy.pdf

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Use of best practices
Quality guidelines
Peer review

Census data will be used for statistical analyses that will enable respective decision taking required to support agricultural production and development.

Main stakeholder Ministry of Agriculture, watermanagement and Forestry is using them for development of Agriculture Strategy 2025-2034 

National needs are discussed with main stakoheldors, mainly representatives from Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Watermanagement..

Data were collected on all relevant characteristics of agricultural holdings.

Core data were collected on the Census population.

The precision requirement levels given in Annex V in the Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 are provided for all variables collected on the samples.

The over-coverage rate is unweighted
The over-coverage rate is calculated as the share of ineligible holdings to the holdings designated for the core data collection. 

First results for AC 2023 (AC core data) were published 24.01.2024 (6,5 months after the reference day).

AC 2023 final results - 30. June 2024 

The actual publication date was as determined by target date for data publication

The data are territorially comparable with previous data from structural surveys in agriculture.

The data are comparable with previous data from structural surveys in agriculture

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The data are internally consistent. This is ensured by the application of a wide range of validation rules.

All agricultural statistics are produced in the same department and optimal coordination of surveys exists in order to avoid situation that some farms have to answer multiple questionnaires with the same kind of questions so the annual surveys in December on crop and livestock production in 2023 haven't been conducted.

Other than that due to the fact that organic production was taken from administrative sources, respondents didn't have to fill that set of questions.

Data revision is not planned so far. General revision policy is available on link: http://www.stat.gov.rs/en-US/o-nama/dokumenti/politike/politike

Not applicable

The Statistical Register of Agricultural Holdings was used as a framework for conducting the survey.

The periodicity of the Agricultural Census is ten years.

The periodicity of the Farm Structure Survey is three years.

Data for family holdings and entrepreneurs were collected by enumerators Face-to-face interview with data entered in electronic questionnaire
Holdings legal entities entered data by themselves into web questionnaire

Completeness checks
Relational checks
Comparisons with previous rounds of the data collection

Data processing was carried out using the IСТ platform for data collection, processing and dissemination developed at the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.

For variables collected on the samples, Sample frame was stratified and from each strata simple random sample of agricultural holdings was selected.

According to the response obtained from the field, weights were calibrated.

See under point 18.5