SUSTAINABILITY OF PRIVATE FARMS IN THE LIGHT OF SELECTED CRITERIA
Map 6. Subsistence farms
against the background of individual farms – basic characteristics from regional perspective (%)
FADN macro-regions: Characteristics (%):
5. Basic characteristics of individual farms in selected groups
Our analysis of selected farm groups will be limited to the most basic characteristics on soil, labor input, livestock, economic potential and sources of income. We will use the simplest measure for determining the value of the characteristics, namely the arithmetic mean for selected farm groups and certain average ratios between characteristics.
I − Pomorze i Mazury
III – Mazowsze i Podlasie IV – Małopolska i Pogórze II – Wielkopolska i Śląsk
7,4
Share of agricultural areas
Share of labor input Share of livestock
Share of economic strength
Share of farms with predominant income from farming activity
Table 5. Basic characteristics of selected groups of individual farms (average per 1 farm)
Individual farm Item
total sustainable Norfolk
non-inventory subsistence
Agricultural area (ha) 5,5 12,7 7,6 3,1 2,2
Labor input (JPZ) 0,91 1,47 1,42 0,38 0,63
Livestock (SD) 2,92 3,86 5,39 - 1,01
Economic potential
(ESU) 3,3 6,7 4,3 1,4 1,1
Agricultural farms
(% in group) 27 43 35 14 11
The sustainable farms stand out against the background of the whole of individual farms. It is due to the fact that they use 2,3 times larger area UR, use 1,6 times more labor input and hold 1,3 times more of livestock. In total their economic potential is 2 times bigger. The agricultural farm is the main source of income for 43% of subsistence farms, i.e. 1,6 times more often as compared to the whole of farms. As regards the sustainable farms, the most similar are Norfolk farms, the least similar non-inventory and subsistence farms. Smallest area of the agricultural land characterizes subsistence and non-inventory farms.
These are mainly disappearing farms – which either stop or limit their agricultural activity. The difference in average area of arable lands for subsistence and sustainable farming is of the order 5.7 times while for non-inventory farming of the order 4.7 times. In these groups of farms also the percentage of area of agricultural land, arable land and sowings is lower. As the result of aggregation effect, the ratio of sowing area to area of agricultural land is as little as 59% for subsistence farms, 64% for non-inventory farms, 75% for Norfolk farms and 86% for sustainable farms (for the whole of farms it amounts to 73%).
In terms of human factor, the differentiation of sustainable farms refers not only to labor input expressed in contractual full employment units (JPZ) but also in share of labor input of family in total labor input, number of individuals in the family engaged in activities within the farm, relation of the number of household members to labor input (i.e. individuals to JPZ), users 65 years old or older, users with agricultural education.
Fig. 5 Ratios of agricultural areas in selected groups of individual farms (%)
ogółem – in total
zrównoważone – sustainable norfolskie – Norfolk
bezinwentarzowe – non-inventory samozaopatrzeniowe – subsistence
użytki rolne/powierzchnia ogólne – agricultural land/total area grunty orne/użytki rolne – arable area/agricultural land zasiewy/grunty orne – sowings/arable land
Table 6. Selected characteristics of labor factor in selected groups of individual farms (average per 1 farm)
Individual farms Item
total sustainable Norfolk
non-inventory subsistence
Family work as % of labor input 95,6 93,9 98,6 89,5 98,4 Household members engaged in
farm activities 2,04 2,59 2,53 1,59 1,92
Individuals/JPZ (family) 2,35 1,75 1,81 4,69 3,10
Users 65 years old or older 17,1 10,8 16,5 18,9 23,8 Users with agricultural education 38,5 58,5 48,0 26,9 28,1 Sustainable farms employ slightly more of contract workers as compared to the average for the whole of individual farms, however they are behind the non-inventory farms (horticultural farms to large extent). Similarly as the
87
93
85 86
81 76
97
76 74
68 95
89
98
87 87
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
ogółem zrównoważone norfolskie bezinwenta-
rzowe samozaopa-trzeniowe użytki rolne/powierzchnia ogólna grunty orne/użytki rolne zasiewy/grunty orne
Norfolk farms, the subsistence farms substantially do not use contract work. As regards the sustainable farms, the labor input equal to 1 JPZ consist of 1,75 of individuals (household members) – ¼ less as compared to the average individual farm. As regards the subsistence farms, the same 1 JPZ consists of as much as 3,10 of individual and non-inventory farms may even need 4,69 persons in this regard. In the last group of farms the household members work partly, not full time. It is supported by the fact that for only 14% of farms in this group the farming activity is the main source of income. In the whole population this percentage amounts to as much as 27%. Moreover, the non-inventory farms are economically weaker (1,4 ESU), less effective and worse organized. 50% of farms in this group have less than 1 ha of area (average is 30% for the whole of farms). Larger resources of own work characterize small farms. However, this work is used only part-time.
The sustainable farms are clearly different to the whole of farms, the more to subsistence and non-inventory farms, in terms of agricultural education and age of users. The percentage of users with agricultural education in sustainable farms is 20 p.p. higher as compared to the whole of population, ca. 30 p.p.
higher as compared to subsistence farms and 10 p.p. higher as compared to Norfolk farms. Additionally, the percentage of users with higher education in sustainable farms is lower as compared to the whole of farms, however higher is the share of users with higher agricultural education. In principle, agricultural farm is not interesting for individuals with higher education. Only every 20th user of agricultural farm (5,5%) has higher education, in case of users with higher agricultural education, it is a marginal value (1,2%). The same percentages for sustainable farms amount to, respectively 4,6 and 1,9%, for Norfolk farms 2,9 and 0,5% and for subsistence farms 4,4 and 0,6%. In the group of non-inventory farms, almost every 10th (9,7%) user has the higher education, however only 1,8% has the higher agricultural education.
The sustainable farms are characterized by smaller percentage of users at post-working age. This advantage refers to the labor input of the whole of household members.
Fig. 6. Structure of working household members by age in selected groups of farms
ogółem – in total
zrównoważone – sustainable norfolskie – Norfolk
bezinwentarzowe – non-inventory samozaopatrzeniowe – subsistence
pracujący w wieku do 44 lat – working persons up to 44 years old pracujący w wieku 45-64 lat – working persons 45-64 years old
pracujący w wieku 65 i więcej lat – working persons 65 years and older
The sustainable farms hold larger livestock as compared to the whole of farms. In this regard, they are behind the Norfolk farms. However the livestock is at least twice lower in case of sustainable farms (53 SD/100 ha UR in the total of farms and 29 sustainable). The largest livestock (71 SD) is in the Norfolk farms, the smallest in subsistence farms (46 SD). It can be clarified by the fact that farms cultivating plants according to the Norfolk crop rotation limit the cereals in the structure of sowing and increase the share of structure forming plants, including fodder plants, i.e. edible pulses (peas, beans, broad beans), feed pulses (field peas, vetch, field beans, sweet lupine), feed pulses for green fodder products, feed papilionaceous (including: anchovy, other fine grain papilionaceous) for green fodder products, field grasses for green fodder products and other fodder plants on arable area for green fodder products.
Fodder plants o arable areas are mainly cultivated in farms which hold animals, mainly ruminous. Feed pulses are important in terms of structure forming;
however they are also used as fodders for animals. These are very valuable
43,6 51,0 49,4
38,4 37,5
41,7 37,2 36,0
45,9 42,7
14,7 11,5 14,2 15,7 19,8
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
ogółem zrównoważone norfolskie bezinwenta-rzowe
samozaopa-trzeniowe
Pracujący w wieku do 44 lat Pracujący w wieku 45-64 lata Pracujący w wieku 65 i więcej lat
fodders which contain large amount of proteins. Therefore, when isolating the group of Norfolk farms, the farms with more environmental friendly sowing structure which hold the ruminants, were also selected. This supposition is confirmed by the livestock structure, where the cattle accounts for 84% as compared to 55% for the whole of individual farms. It translates into reverse relations as regards the pigs (31% for the whole of individual farms and respectively 8% for Norfolk farms). Therefore the Norfolk farms relatively more frequently specialize in breeding and rearing of cattle.
The sustainable farms, as matching all 5 environmental and production criteria, significantly differ at regional level. This differentiation concerns all basic characteristics. The smallest differentiation was observed for labor input which seems to result from natural fluctuation range of this characteristic.
Map 7. Basic characteristics of the sustainable farms