The SSO carried out an Agricultural Census in 2007 (AC 2007), for the first time after 40 years which was base for establishing a Statistical Farm Register and Farm Typology. In 2010, 2013 and 2016 SSO carried out FSS as a sample survey. From 10 to 30 June 2016, a sample based FSS was carried out in the field, covering individual agricultural holdings and agricultural enterprises with full coverage.

The family farms in urban areas and business entities were informed with the basic information on the FSS by letters while for rural areas, informative leaflets were prepared in order to inform the farmers about the purpose of the FSS and when the FSS will be carried out. All large individual agricultural holdings were surveyed full scale. In rural areas, every 4th statistical district was selected. In the frame of the selected statistical districts in rural areas, all households were surveyed door-to-door and changes were registered. In urban areas, every 4th statistical district was selected as well, where specifically selected addresses of farms were surveyed.

Data on individual agricultural holdings were collected with authorised interviewers, while the data on agricultural enterprises were collected by post. Some agricultural enterprises that did not respect the deadline were interviewed by phone.

An application for data entry was developed and tested. For the process of data entry, special logic-numeric control for micro data was prepared. Also, all validation rules given by Eurostat were checked before data transmittion.

Five-Year Statistical Programme, 2013-2017http://www.stat.gov.mk/ZaNas_en.aspx?id=8

Also, the holdings with land maintained in good agricultural and environmental conditions, even if they do not have other agricultural activity are included in the survey.

Several questions were defined with a reference period (01 June 2015 - 31 May 2016); while for others reference day was used (31 May 2013).

- for land characteristics - reference year - 01 June 2015 - 31 May 2016

- for livestock characteristic - reference day - 31 May 2016

- for labour force characteristics - reference year - 01 June 2015 - 31 May 2016

                                 - Publication - Structure of agricultural holdings and Farm Typology - December 2017

                                 - Main indicators delivery to Eurostat - May 2017

                                 - Data delivery to Eurostat - November 2017

Data for organic farming are not collected with the FSS sample survey. They are collected on regular annual base from administrative data sources but the problem is linking data from administrative and statistical data sources.

The full list of agricultural farms covered in the survey was created from the Statistical Business Register and the Statistical Farm Register. The list frame is used in the survey. The Farm Register is developed after the First Agricultural Census 2007. It can be updated exhaustively when an agricultural census is carried out. Between the agricultural census 2007 and 2016 the farm register was updated partially based on the information of  FSSs (2010, 2013) and regular annual sample surveys.

The sample of individual agricultural holdings is designed as one-stage stratified cluster sampling in rural areas and two-stage stratified sampling in urban areas.  

In both rural and urban areas in the Republic of North Macedonia, primary sampling units are statistical districts.  Statistical districts with less than 10 agricultural holdings are excluded from the sample frame.  The statistical districts was sorted by the number of agricultural holdings and each fourth statistical district in every stratum is selected systematically.

In rural areas, in the frame of the selected statistical districts all households are surveyed, i.e. the method of survey is door-to-door, while in the urban areas specifically determined households with agricultural activity (data from the Farm Register) are surveyed.

Exhaustive strata are:

- all big agricultural  holdings from the Statistical Farm Register

- all agricultural enterprises

FSS 2010 was conducted on the sample of 5000 agricultural holdings. After the analyses, it was decided that for the next FSS 2013 the sample has to be much bigger. According the financial analysis, the sample of 30000 farms was decided. In FSS 2016, according to the financial frame, 20000 farms were included in the sample survey. 512 statistical districts were selected with stratified systematic random sample, equal allocation. The sample size was decided regarding the precision table as set down in Annex IV of the Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 and on the basis of Statistical farm register data. We used optimal allocation on the NUTS3 level. The sample size was 21299 agricultural holdings.

Data on agricultural enterprises were collected by postal method (self-completed paper questionnaire).

Number of holdings in the survey frame plus possible (new) holdings added afterwards

In case of a census 1=3+4+5

Number of holdings in the gross sample plus possible (new) holdings added to the sample

Only for sample survey, in which case 2=3+4+5

Number of ineligible holdings with ceased activities

This item is a subset of 3.

Number of holdings with unknown eligibility status

4>4.1+4.2

Number of eligible holdings

5=5.1+5.2

Number of eligible non-responding holdings

5.1>=5.1.1+5.1.2

Number of the records in the dataset 

6=5.2+5.1.2+4.2

The phase of quality control of the data produced is essential given the complexity of this type of survey. Usually there are three different levels of control. The first is the level of interviewers, the second level is controllers in the Regional Offices and the third level is at the subject-matter department after data entry. The major part of checking and correction work is done at central level.

In the process of data entering, microdata were analysed for possible corrections. In the part of the questionnaire on the labour force there were several cross-checks. Before corrections were accepted and entered, the field supervisors or farmers had been contacted by telephone if necessary or administrative sources for comparison were used. Also, maximum values for each characteristic were checked. Data were validated in the process of data entering with incorporated logical and mathematical controls in the data editing software.

In the next phase, data were validated on the totals through comparisons with FSS 2013 data.

Before sending data to Eurostat, the Validation Rules were performed in the SSO.

• The usage of agricultural products for the needs of EAA
• Identification number in administrative farm register (if exists)

For individual agricultural holdings the interviewers had a list of holders (in the territory for which they were engaged). This list contained main contact data for the holder. As they interviewed door-to-door, they checked the contact data on the list, and recorded the changes (if any).

For legal entities, the contact data were checked with other sources in SSO and if it was needed they were additionally contacted by phone or e-mail. 

Many sources, which occurred in the period of data collection, had influence on measurement errors:

      1. questionnaire,

      2. interviewers,

      3. respondents,

      4. data collection.

The data in the survey were collected with 2 types of questionnaires designed on the basis of the EC Regulation 1166/2008.

2. Interviewers

Having well-prepared interviewers is an essential part of collecting complete and reliable data. For this survey, the SSO engaged interviewers to carry out the FSS. These interviewers were trained and made familiar with the survey to ensure that the data are collected correctly.

The training was done by persons responsible for methodology from the SSO, for all responsible persons (supervisors) for the survey from each of the 8 regional statistical offices. After that, the responsible persons from the regional statistical offices trained the interviewers.

The training programme included methodology, questionnaires, classifications, method of interview.

3.  Respondents

Target group of the survey are agricultural holdings on the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia. Proxy interviews are also used in agricultural households because most of the household members during the season periods are working in the fields and they are not at their homes.

4. Data collection

The mode of data collection in FSS is via the PAPI method.

For individual agricultural holdings, the interviewers were trained to give their maximum to obtain unit response. If it was not possible, the special set of reasons for unit non-response were given in the questionnaire. The main reasons for non-response were the following: holders consider themselves as “non-agricultural holdings” and general refusal because they didn't like to participate in the survey. They were adequately treated in weighting procedure. Weighting factors were calculated with the formula (responses+nonresponses)/responses - on the level of strata.

Legal entities with unit non-response were additionally contacted by phone.

For individual agricultural holdings, the item non-response was negligible as during the face-to-face interviews the appropriate tables of the questionnaires have been completed by the enumerator.

For legal entities for some important item non-responses, the legal entities were additionally interviewed by phone.

If the non-response rate is considered as the share of the non-respondents among all eligible agricultural farms then the unit non-response rate is 17.2%.

Data processing was carried out in two phases:

1/ Data-entry phase

A large number of edit checks between questions in questionnaires were implemented for ensuring data correctness and consistency. During the data entry phase, data entry operators were prevented from entering some outliers and some impossible modality answers without on-line warnings.

2/ Data processing phase

Not available. Item non-response was corrected during the data entering phase by the supervisors and their knowledge. In this case it was not possible to count them.

The definitions of characteristics for the FSS 2016 were in accordance with the EU requirements and in compliance with the Handbook FSS 2016.

The number of hours per year for a full-time employee used to calculate the Annual Work Unit is 1800.

Information not available.

First data containing the main variables on territorial level of the whole country were published through a News release as first results.  The data are available simultaneously to all interested parties on the day of release by issuing a news release (Farm Structure Survey, 2016). The news release is published on the website of the State Statistical Office.

Publication "Structure and Typology of Agricultural Holdings, 2016" contains definitive data. The definitive data became available for the users at the same time.

The publication dates are included in the Dissemination Plan of the SSO prepared annually.

• Preliminary data publishing  – News Release   (main variables) - January 2017;
• Data publishing - final results - December 2017.

http://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziSoopstenie_en.aspx?rbrtxt=109

http://www.stat.gov.mk/PrikaziPoslednaPublikacija_en.aspx?id=79

Eurofarm database containing microdata has been prepared and sent to Eurostat for further validation and calculation of the Farm Typology, but microdata are not disseminated.

The SSO, in its premises and in accordance with the rules and procedures for using anonymised data, allow users secure access to more detailed data from different areas for scientific and research purposes according to the microdata access policy.

Estevao, V., Hidiroglou, M. A. and Särndal, C. E. (1995) Methodological principles for a generalized estimation system at Statistics Canada. J. Off. Stat. 11 181-204