Agriculture statistics at regional level

Data extracted in March 2024.

Planned article update: September 2025.

Highlights

In 2020, the Austrian region of Salzburg had the highest share (56.9%) of its utilised agricultural area given over to organic farming; this was 6.8 times as high as the EU average (8.3%).

In 2021, 59.8% of the workforce in the eastern Romanian region of Vaslui were employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing; it was the only region in the EU where over 50.0% of the total workforce was employed in these activities.

Source: Eurostat (ef_lus_main)

Agricultural products, food, and culinary traditions play a significant role in shaping the regional and cultural identity of the European Union (EU). This is attributable, in part, to the diverse natural landscapes, climates, and farming techniques that are used across the EU, that in turn contribute to a wide variety of agricultural goods. In 2020, there were approximately 9.1 million farms in the EU. Together, they used 1.55 million km² of land, which is equivalent to 37.8% of the EU’s total land area.

Farms across the EU play a crucial role in supplying safe, affordable food. Farm managers are increasingly encouraged to manage the countryside for the public good. This shift towards sustainability – alongside a rise in health-conscious consumers – has spurred rapid growth in organic farming. The infographic above illustrates that organic farming (defined here as fully converted land and land under conversion) accounted for 8.3% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area in 2020, with a peak of 56.9% in the Austrian region of Salzburg.

The final chapter of this publication presents regional agricultural statistics. It focuses on 4 principal subjects

economic accounts for agriculture that provide information on the performance of agricultural activity
organic farming and its development between 2010 and 2020
the harvested production of cereals – a key output of the EU’s agricultural sector
the agricultural labour force, with a special focus on farm managers participating in vocational training.

Economic situation of farms

The economic accounts for agriculture provide an overall picture of the performance of agricultural activity. This matters as farming is often the cornerstone of rural economies, upon which ‘upstream’ sectors (such as animal healthcare providers and wholesalers of agricultural inputs) and ‘downstream’ sectors (such as food processing, packaging and transport businesses) may depend.

Gross value added from agriculture

Gross value added is the difference between the value of output and intermediate consumption, adjusted for taxes less subsidies on products. In 2021, the gross value added of EU farms was €191.7 billion. To put this figure into context, it was equivalent to 1.5% of added value from all activities across the EU economy.

The economic contribution of agriculture to total gross value added was highest in Thessalia (Greece) and Severozapaden (Bulgaria)

Agriculture’s contribution to total gross value added has generally been falling over a relatively lengthy period of time. That said, there were several rural regions in the EU where the economic importance of agriculture in 2021 was considerably higher than the EU average. Most of these regions were located in eastern and southern EU countries; they were often characterised by fertile plains that are suited to growing crops.

Aside from their capitals, all of the NUTS level 2 regions in Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Lithuania and Romania reported agriculture having a share of total gross value added that was in 2021 equal to or above the EU average of 1.5%; in Cyprus and Latvia, the share was also above the EU average. By contrast, agriculture’s share of total gross value added was below the EU average in every region of Sweden and in all but one of the regions in Belgium (the exception being Prov. Namur); this share was also below the EU average in Estonia, Luxembourg and Malta.

In 2021, there were 23 NUTS level 2 regions where agriculture accounted for at least 6.5% of total gross value added (as shown by the darkest shade of blue in Map 1). The relative importance of agriculture was most pronounced in the Greek region of Thessalia (where it accounted for 16.2% of gross value added) and the Bulgarian region of Severozapaden (15.0%). There were 4 other regions where agriculture had a double-digit share: Dytiki Makedonia in Greece (11.7%), Panonska Hrvatska in Croatia (11.1%), Alentejo in Portugal (11.0%) and Severen tsentralen in Bulgaria (10.7%). Champagne-Ardenne in France – which is a major producer of cereals, sugar beet, grapes and vegetables – was the only region from western or northern EU countries among this group of 23, with agriculture contributing 7.6% of its total gross value added.

The economic importance of agriculture was generally very low in capital regions, where land tends to be at a premium. At the lower end of the distribution, there were 22 NUTS level 2 regions where gross value added from agriculture accounted for less than 0.3% of economic output in 2021 (as shown by the yellow shade in Map 1). This group included the capital regions of Belgium (2020 data), Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Poland (2019 data), Slovakia, Finland and Sweden; it also included Luxembourg. Most of the remaining regions in this group were predominantly urban regions

Prov. Antwerpen and Prov. Vlaams-Brabant in northern Belgium
Bremen, Saarland, Darmstadt, Hamburg and Karlsruhe in Germany
Stredné Slovensko in Slovakia.

Map 1: Gross value added from agriculture, 2021
(% of the economy’s value added, by NUTS 2 regions)
Source: Eurostat (agr_r_accts), (nama_10r_3gva) and (aact_eaa01)

Organic farming

Farming can have a considerable environmental impact. Among other issues, it can lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion, or result in habitat and biodiversity loss, deforestation or the contamination of waters. Recent years have seen an increasing number of EU farmers embracing organic farming methods. This may reflect several different factors, including

a shift in consumer demand – heightened awareness among consumers driven by their concerns regarding health, environmental sustainability and animal welfare
policy support – the EU’s agricultural policies encourage farmers to transition to organic farming practices by providing subsidies, incentives and support schemes
environmental sustainability – whereby farmers choose to minimise their use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, promote biodiversity and conserve natural resources, thereby building long-term resilience into their agricultural practices.

More about the data: promoting EU agriculture through organic policy measures

A sustainable food system is at the heart of the European Green Deal. Under the Farm to Fork strategy, the European Commission has set a target to have ‘at least 25% of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030’.

In March 2021, the European Commission introduced an Action plan to promote organic production within the EU. It is structured according to 3 axes and focuses on: boosting consumer demand, stimulating production and processing, and enhancing environmental sustainability.

The EU’s monitoring framework for the 8th Environment Action Programme (8th EAP), unveiled in 2022, includes measures to speed-up the transition to a greener economy and safeguard the environment. This programme is aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals. Under a heading for ‘environmental and climate pressures related to EU production and consumption’, a key target to track progress is the above-mentioned European Green Deal target to have 25% of the EU’s agricultural land organically farmed by 2030.

In 2020, the EU’s organic area covered 13.1 million hectares (equivalent to 131 000 km²). To put these figures into context, the EU’s organic area accounted for 8.3% of its utilised agricultural area; this organic area encompasses both fully converted land and land currently under conversion to organic farming.

In 2020, Salzburg was the only region in the EU to report that more than 50.0% of its utilised agricultural area was under organic farming

The relative importance of organic farming shows considerable variations, both across EU countries and among NUTS level 2 regions. For instance, the share of utilised agricultural area that was under organic farming exceeded the EU average of 8.3% in every region of Austria, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden in 2020; the share was also above the EU average in Estonia and Lativa. Conversely, this share was lower than the EU average in every region of Bulgaria, Ireland, Greece, Hungary (incomplete data) and Romania; the share was also below the EU average in Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta.

Among the 240 NUTS level 2 regions for which data are available in 2020, there were 24 regions – predominantly located in Poland, Belgium and Romania – where less than 1.5% of the utilised agricultural area was given over to organic farming. By contrast, there were 11 with more than 25.0% of their utilised agricultural area under organic farming (they are shown by the darkest shade of blue in Map 2). This group comprised 4 regions from Austria, 2 regions from each of Czechia, Italy and Sweden, as well as Åland in Finland. The Austrian region of Salzburg recorded the highest regional share in 2020, with over half (56.9%) of its utilised agricultural area under organic farming. There were 3 other NUTS level 2 regions where organic farming accounted for at least 33.3% of the utilised agricultural area in 2020: Burgenland in eastern Austria (38.2%), Calabria in southern Italy (33.6%) and Severozápad in north-west Czechia (33.3%) – see Figure 1.

Map 2: Area under organic farming, 2020
(% of utilised agricultural area, by NUTS 2 regions)
Source: Eurostat (ef_lus_main)

Figure 1 shows the regions with the highest shares of the utilised agricultural area given over to organic farming and it also presents information for developments over time. Between 2010 and 2020, the area dedicated to organic farming in the EU rose from 3.8% to 8.3% of the utilised agricultural area. Salzburg recorded the largest increase among NUTS level 2 regions (in percentage point terms), as the relative importance of organic farming increased from 32.7% to 56.9% of its utilised agricultural area (up 24.2 points). The next highest increases were recorded in 2 central Italian regions: the share of utilised agricultural area under organic farming rose 21.5 points in Toscana (from 5.5% to 27.0%) and 18.2 points in Marche (from 5.5% to 23.6%), respectively.

In absolute terms and among NUTS level 2 regions, the southern Spanish region of Andalucía had, by far, the biggest area under organic farming (812 000 hectares in 2020, or 6.2% of the EU total). The area used for organic farming was also very large in the central Spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha (412 400 hectares), the south-western French region of Midi-Pyrénées (326 900 hectares) and the Italian island region of Sicilia (304 600 hectares). These values reflect, at least to some degree, differences between regions in terms of the administrative boundaries that are used to delineate each region. For instance, Andalucía was the 4th largest NUTS level 2 region in the EU (in terms of its land area), while Castilla-La Mancha was the 6th largest.

Figure 1: Area under organic farming, 2010 and 2020
(% of utilised agricultural area, by NUTS 2 regions)
Source: Eurostat (ef_lus_main)

Focus on the harvested production of cereals

Arable land is often used for the production of cereals, a key output of the EU’s agricultural sector. In 2022, EU farms cultivated 51.5 million hectares of land with cereals, resulting in a harvested production of 270.8 million tonnes. There is considerable diversity in the types of cereals grown across different EU regions, reflecting, among other factors, topography, soil type, climate, rainfall and competing land uses.

More about the data: statistics on the harvested production of cereals

Harvested production means production including losses and wastage on the agricultural holding, quantities consumed directly on the farm, and marketed quantities; it is indicated/measured in units of basic product weight.

Cereals are annual plants, generally of the graminaceous family, yielding grains. Cereals are used primarily for human consumption and animal feed, with some kept for seed. Cereals are also used to make drinks and industrial products (for example, starch). The data for cereals include buckwheat, barley, canary seed, common wheat, durum wheat, einkorn wheat, emmer wheat, grain maize, millet, oats, perennial sorghum, quinoa, rice, rye, rye and winter cereal mixtures (maslin), sorghum, spelt, spring cereal mixtures (mixed grain, other than maslin), triticale, cereal seeds, cereal grains harvested just before maturity, and cereals used for renewable energy production. The data presented for cereals exclude sweet corn cobs for human consumption, as well as maize that is harvested green for fodder or renewable energy use.

All of the regional statistics for Germany within this section on cereals concern NUTS level 1 regions.

In 2022, the harvested production of cereals peaked at 7.8 million tonnes in Centre — Val de Loire (France)

A majority of the EU’s harvested cereals production is concentrated within a band of predominantly rural regions that span across the centre of the continent; regions situated further north and south tend to exhibit lower levels of production.

In 2022, there were 9 NUTS level 2 regions in the EU where the harvested production of cereals was at least 5.0 million tonnes (as depicted by the largest circles in Map 3). This group included 3 regions from central/northern France, namely, Centre — Val de Loire, Picardie, and Champagne-Ardenne; the former had the highest level of cereals production in the EU, at 7.8 million tonnes. The remainder of this group included: Bayern and Niedersachsen (both in Germany), Castilla y León (Spain), Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas (Lithuania), Sud-Muntenia (Romania) and Wielkopolskie (Poland).

Crop production is intrinsically linked to weather conditions throughout the growing season and at harvest time, with temperature and precipitation playing a crucial role in determining yields. In the spring of 2022, many parts of the EU experienced drier than normal conditions, followed by an exceptionally hot and/or dry summer; indeed, some western EU countries had record-breaking temperatures. These drier than usual conditions – with drought in some regions – impacted the cereals harvest in the EU, as production fell 9.0% between 2021 and 2022. Among the principal cereal-growing regions of the EU, harvested production fell in Castilla y León (down 29.0%), Sud-Muntenia (down 21.7%) and Centre — Val de Loire (down 10.3%).

A majority of the NUTS level 2 regions for which data are available (128 out of 217) had a level of harvested cereals production that was less than 1.0 million tonnes.

For more detailed information on the harvested production of various cereals – see Regions in Europe (interactive publication)

Map 3: Harvested production of cereals, 2022
(million tonnes, by NUTS 2 regions)
Source: Eurostat (apro_cpshr) and (apro_cpsh1)

In 2022, the EU’s harvested production of common wheat and spelt was 126.6 million tonnes, representing nearly half (46.8%) of all cereals production. Grain maize and corn-cob mix accounted for 19.6% of the EU’s cereals production, while barley had a similar share (19.2%). There were considerably lower levels of production for other types of cereal, with triticale – the 4th most harvested cereal in the EU – contributing 4.2%.

Common wheat and spelt are primarily cultivated in lowland regions of the EU characterised by extensive plains, temperate climates and modest levels of rainfall. In 2022, there were 3 NUTS level 2 regions that reported harvested production of common wheat and spelt exceeding 4.0 million tonnes: Picardie and Centre — Val de Loire (both in France) and Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas (in Lithuania). However, several other regions revealed a higher degree of relative specialisation. For instance, 3 regions in the Netherlands reported that more than 85% of their total cereals production consisted of common wheat and spelt, with the highest share registered in Zuid-Holland (97.3%) – see Figure 2.

A significant share of the EU’s production of grain maize and corn-cob mix is used by livestock farmers as a high-energy ingredient in animal feed. Many of the regions specialised in the production of grain maize and corn-cob mix are located in southern and eastern EU countries, where the requisite sunshine and warm temperatures prevail. In 2022, the highest degrees of specialisation were recorded in Greek and Portuguese regions, while the highest levels of harvested production were registered in the Romanian region of Sud-Muntenia (2.0 million tonnes) and the French region of Aquitaine (1.9 million tonnes).

Barley was the 3rd most harvested cereal in the EU; it is generally used as animal fodder and for the manufacture of beer and whisky. In regions where climatic conditions deter farmers from cultivating wheat, barley is often grown as an alternative. This was particularly true in northerly regions of Sweden and 2 out of the 3 regions in Ireland, where barley accounted for more than 70.0% of all cereals production in 2022. The highest levels of harvested barley production were recorded in the Spanish regions of Castilla y León (2.3 million tonnes) and Castilla-La Mancha (2.0 million tonnes).

Triticale is a hybrid crop species – a man-made cross between wheat and rye. It has a variety of uses, including: feed for livestock, the manufacture of bread and pasta, or as a raw material for biofuels. In 2022, triticale accounted for approximately 33% of all cereals production in the central French region of Limousin. Otherwise, the highest degrees of specialisation were recorded in Polish regions, which also recorded the highest levels of harvested production, with a peak of 1.0 million tonnes in Wielkopolskie.

Figure 2: Harvested production of cereals, 2022
(% of all cereals, by NUTS 2 regions)
Source: Eurostat (apro_cpshr) and (apro_cpsh1)

Farm managers and the agricultural labour force

For many people, working on a farm is a part-time or seasonal activity; they provide help during peak periods of activity that are generally linked to the harvest. Despite this caveat, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector remains an important source of employment in the EU. In 2021, it provided work to approximately 9.3 million people, which was equivalent to 4.4% of the EU’s workforce. The regional distribution of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing was relatively skewed. Less than 40% of all NUTS level 3 regions – or 457 out of 1 166 regions – reported an employment share for agriculture, forestry and fishing that was equal to or above the EU average. These regions were predominantly concentrated in eastern and southern EU countries, notably across Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Romania, although there were also many regions in Germany and France.

At the top end of the distribution, there were 118 NUTS level 3 regions where in 2021 at least 16.5% of the total workforce was employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector (as shown by the darkest shade of blue in Map 4). This group included 23 out of the 28 regions in Bulgaria and 28 out of the 42 regions in Romania.

In 2021, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector accounted for 59.8% of the workforce in the Romanian region of Vaslui. This was the only NUTS level 3 region in the EU to report a majority of those employed being active within the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector. In absolute terms, there were 4 regions in eastern Romania where more than 100 000 people were employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector; they were the only regions in the EU to surpass this level. The highest number of people employed was registered in Iaşi (130 800 in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector), followed by Neamţ, Vaslui and Suceava.

At the other end of the distribution, there were 14 NUTS level 3 regions where the employment share of agriculture, forestry and fishing was 0.0%. This group was largely composed of predominantly urban regions, including the capital regions of Belgium, Denmark, Germany and France.

Map 4: Employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 2021
(% of total employment, by NUTS 3 regions)
Source: Eurostat (nama_10r_3empers) and (nama_10_a64_e)

Farm managers

There are many different forms of agricultural holdings across the EU: these range from very small, semi-subsistence holdings to large-scale, typically intensive farms. These structural differences are generally replicated in patterns of ownership and management: small farms tend to be family-owned and run, whereas larger farms are more likely to be owned by enterprises that employ professionally trained farm managers.

Farm managers are responsible for the normal daily financial and production routines of running a farm, such as what and how much to plant or rear and what labour, materials and equipment to employ. They are increasingly expected to have not only the necessary skills to produce crop and animal products efficiently, but also to be aware of related issues, such as sustainability, emissions and animal welfare. To do so, farm managers and members of the wider farm labour force often need to keep up to date with scientific and technological progress. As such, agricultural vocational training may be seen as a key enabler in the EU’s transition towards a green and digital economy.

In 2020, around 7.1% of farm managers in the EU participated in vocational training during the 12 months preceding the survey

In 2020, 641 100 (or 7.1%) of the EU’s 9.1 million farm managers participated in vocational training during the 12 months preceding the survey. The regional distribution was skewed as 166 out of 240 NUTS level 2 regions (almost 70%) reported participation rates for vocational training that were above the EU average. These regions were generally characterised by relatively few, large farms. Conversely, those regions with lower participation rates for vocational training typically had a much higher number of semi-subsistence and/or family-run farms.

More than half of all NUTS level 2 regions located in Czechia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia reported that at least 27.5% of farm managers participated in vocational training during the 12 months preceding the 2020 survey; this was the case in Luxembourg too. At the top end of the distribution, Wien (the Austrian capital region), Düsseldorf and Münster (both in Germany) and Flevoland (in the Netherlands) were the only regions in the EU to report a majority of their farm managers participating in vocational training during the 12 months prior to the survey.

By contrast, less than 6.0% of all farm managers participated in vocational training across every NUTS level 2 region of Bulgaria, Ireland, Greece and Romania in 2020. At the lower end of the distribution, less than 1.0% of all farm managers participated in vocational training in 8 Romanian regions and in Cyprus. Romania is characterised by a very high number of small, semi-subsistence farms and accounted for 31.8% of the total number of farms in the EU.

Younger farm managers are more likely than older farm managers to participate in vocational training

In 2020, 13.1% of the EU’s young farm managers (defined here as those aged less than 35) participated in vocational training. This figure was 9.9 percentage points higher than the corresponding share for older farm managers (defined here as those aged 65 or over), which was 3.2%. This pattern – younger farm managers were more likely than older farm managers to participate in vocational training – was repeated in all but one of the NUTS level 2 regions for which data are available. The widest variations in participation rates between younger and older farm managers – at least 30.0 percentage points – were recorded in Noord-Holland (in the Netherlands), Illes Balears (in Spain), Estonia and Helsinki-Uusimaa (in Finland). The only exception was the German region of Oberfranken, where the participation rate for vocational training was higher among older farm managers (35.0%) than their younger counterparts (33.3%).

The share of EU farm managers participating in vocational training rose from 5.8% to 7.1% between 2010 and 2020, an increase of 1.3 percentage points. During this period, the participation rate rose in approximately 70% of the NUTS level 2 regions for which data are available. The share of farm managers participating in vocational training increased by at least 24.0 percentage points in the Dutch regions of Flevoland and Zeeland and in the German regions of Düsseldorf, Münster, and Rheinhessen-Pfalz. By contrast, the share of farm managers participating in vocational training declined in Ireland, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia (only national data available for these 5 EU countries). The number of farm managers participating in vocational training also fell during the period under consideration within every region of Sweden and in a majority of regions across Spain, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

For more detailed information on the age of farm managers – see Regions in Europe (interactive publication)

For more detailed information on farm managers with full agricultural training – see the Eurostat regional yearbook, 2023 edition (Chapter 13; PDF publication)

Map 5: Farm managers having participated in vocational training, 2020
(% of all farm managers, by NUTS 2 regions)
Source: Eurostat (ef_mp_voctraining)

Source data for figures and maps

Agriculture at regional level

Data sources

Economic accounts for agriculture

Economic accounts for agriculture provide detailed information on the economic performance of agricultural activities. The purpose of these statistics is to evaluate the production process of the agricultural industry and the primary income generated by this production.

Regional economic accounts for agriculture are presented in current prices. The main indicators include the value of output (measured in both producer prices and basic prices), intermediate consumption, subsidies and taxes, consumption of fixed capital, rent and interest, and capital formation.

Regional economic accounts for agriculture are generally compiled by EU countries for NUTS level 2 regions (there are some exceptions); for 2021, these statistics are provided on the basis of a gentlemen’s agreement.

Agricultural census

EU countries carry out an agricultural census every 10 years, as promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Data from the agricultural census may be used by the public, researchers, farm owners, farm managers and policymakers to understand better the state of EU farming and the impact of agriculture on the environment. These statistics track changes in the agricultural industry and provide a basis for decision-making within the common agricultural policy (CAP) and other EU policy areas.

Within the EU, the legal basis for the collection of agricultural census data is provided by Regulation (EU) No 2018/1091 on integrated farm statistics. It defines a list of core variables alongside more extensive provisions to collect additional variables through a set of modules as defined within Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1874.

Each country is allowed, in line with the legislation, to set up thresholds that may exclude very small agricultural holdings, as long as the conditions for minimum coverage are guaranteed. The standard threshold for the utilised agricultural area is 5 hectares, while that for livestock is 1.7 livestock units. Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 requires that the statistics provided should cover at least 98% of national utilised agricultural area (excluding kitchen gardens) and at least 98% of national livestock units; where this isn’t the case, countries may extend their survey frames by establishing lower and/or additional thresholds.

The latest agricultural census was conducted in 2020/21. It covered approximately 300 variables spanning a broad range of topics, including general characteristics of the farm and the farm manager, land use and livestock, the agricultural labour force, animal housing and manure management, and support measures for rural development. Data from the census may help frame policy debates, answering questions such as

who will farm in the future given the large share of older farm managers?
how many women are farming?
is agriculture becoming dominated by big business?
is organic farming expanding?

Farming is considered to be organic if it complies with Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products. For reference year 2020, the detailed rules for the implementation of this regulation were laid down in Regulation (EC) No 889/2008. However, they were subsequently repealed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1165 authorising certain products and substances for use in organic production.

Crop statistics

Statistics on crop products are collected under Regulation (EC) No 543/2009. They are obtained by sample surveys supplemented by administrative data and estimates based on expert observations. For cereals, information is collected for 17 categories and subcategories, with the principal indicators covering the area under cultivation, harvested production, yield, humidity and main area.

Indicator definitions

Employment

Many farm managers and farm workers pursue agriculture as a part-time activity, with a relatively high proportion of farms being family-run; family members of the holder provide help at various times of the year, reflecting seasonal peaks that are often linked to harvesting. There are 4 distinctions that can be made when considering labour input within the agriculture sector: i) agricultural employment; ii) the regular agricultural labour force; iii) the volume of agricultural work carried out; and iv) farm managers.

Employment data for agriculture, forestry and fishing are also available from national accounts; this source can be used for comparisons made across different sectors of the economy. These data cover employees and self-employed people.

Farm manager

A farm manager is the natural person responsible for the normal daily financial and production routines of running an agricultural holding. Agricultural holdings normally have only 1 manager but it is possible for there to be co-managers, for example if the holder shares the management with a spouse or other family member.

Gross value added

Gross value added is the difference in basic prices between the value of output of the agricultural industry and the value of intermediate consumption.

Harvested production

Harvested production means the production which is harvested and transported away from the field. It includes losses and wastage which take place on the agricultural holding after harvest, quantities consumed directly on the farm and marketed quantities.

Organic farming

Organic farming is a type of agricultural production which uses organic production methods and places emphasis on environmental and wildlife protection and animal welfare considerations. Organic production involves holistic production management systems for crops and livestock, emphasising on-farm management practices over off-farm inputs. This is accomplished by avoiding, or largely reducing, the use of synthetic chemicals such as fertilisers, pesticides, additives and veterinary medicinal products, replacing them, wherever possible, with cultural, biological and mechanical methods.

Organic producers develop a healthy, fertile soil by growing and rotating a mixture of crops and using clover to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. The production of genetically-modified (GM) crops and their use in animal feed is avoided.

Participation in vocational training

Vocational training is the training in skills and teaching of knowledge related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation. It may be undertaken as part of initial training during employment, or as a combination of formal education and workplace learning. For agriculture, vocational training is a measure/activity provided by a trainer or a training institution which has as its primary objective the acquisition of new skills related to farm activities or activities related directly to the agricultural holding or the development and improvement of existing skills.

Context

Common agricultural policy (CAP)

The CAP is among the EU’s oldest policies, supporting agriculture and contributing to Europe’s food security. It aims to

support farms and improve agricultural productivity so that consumers have a stable supply of affordable food
ensure that EU farmers can make a reasonable living
help tackle climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources
maintain rural areas and landscapes across the EU
keep the rural economy alive, promoting jobs in farming, agri-foods industries and associated sectors.

At the end of 2021, a political agreement was reached on a common agricultural policy for the period 2023–27. It entered into force on 1 January 2023, paving the way for a fairer, greener and more performance-based CAP.

Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy is designed to make the CAP more responsive to future challenges, while continuing to support EU farms for a sustainable and competitive agricultural sector. This modernised agricultural policy is built around 10 specific objectives that are focused on social, environmental and economic goals: to ensure a fair income for farms; to increase competitiveness; to improve the position of farms in the food chain; climate change action; environmental care; to preserve landscapes and biodiversity; to support generational renewal; vibrant rural areas; to protect food and health quality; fostering knowledge and innovation. At the end of 2023, the European Commission submitted a report, providing a Summary of CAP Strategic Plans for 2023–27: joint effort and collective ambition. The European Commission has also created an online dashboard to present target values that have been set at a national level as part of these strategic plans.

In total, €387 billion of funding has been budgeted for the CAP as part of the EU’s long-term budget, the multiannual financial framework (2021–27). This comes from 2 different funds: €291 billion from the European agricultural guarantee fund (EAGF) and €96 billion from the European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD), the latter including €8 billion allocated as part of the European Recovery Instrument (also known as NextGenerationEU). This funding is intended to encourage farmers to help deliver a green transition in agriculture and rural areas, while providing support for reforms considered essential to Europe’s ambitious environmental targets.

European Green Deal

The European Green Deal is the EU’s strategy for sustainable growth; it aims to turn climatic and environmental challenges into opportunities for a broad range of policy areas. The Green Deal seeks to make Europe the 1st climate-neutral continent by 2050. The CAP plays a part in this transition, as approximately 40% of its budget is climate relevant.

The European agriculture and food system, supported by the CAP, is already a global standard in terms of safety, security of supply, nutrition and quality. New policy developments are designed to ensure that the EU’s agriculture sector becomes a global standard for sustainability, bringing environmental, health and social benefits, by encouraging farm managers to contribute towards its climatic and environmental ambitions. The EU’s goals are to

ensure food security in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss
reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU’s food system
strengthen the resilience of the EU’s food system
lead a global transition towards competitive sustainability from farm to fork.

In May 2020, the European Commission released a staff working document that provided an Analysis of links between the CAP reform and the Green Deal (SWD(2020) 93 final). At the same time, the Commission adopted a farm to fork strategy, a biodiversity strategy, an action plan for the circular economy and a proposal for a climate law. European Commission services identified potential obstacles and/or gaps jeopardising the European Green Deal and laid out a number of steps needed to fully align the CAP with it (and its associated strategies).

Farm to fork strategy

A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system (COM(2020) 381 final) lies at the heart of the European Green Deal. It has several wide-ranging aims, including to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of natural resources; protect the environment and reverse biodiversity loss; promote fairer economic returns for those in the supply chain (particularly primary producers); and increase the level of organic farming.

With this in mind, the strategy includes a number of targets designed to transform food systems across the EU by 2030. For example it aims to increase the share of agricultural land in the EU used for organic farming to at least 25%, reduce by at least 50% the use of chemicals and more hazardous pesticides, and reduce by at least 20% the use of fertilisers. By making food systems environmentally friendlier, fairer, healthier and more sustainable, the EU’s farm to fork strategy seeks to accelerate the EU’s green transition.

This article forms part of Eurostat’s annual flagship publication, the Eurostat regional yearbook.

Maps can be explored interactively using Eurostat’s Statistical Atlas.

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Database

Regional statistics by NUTS classification (reg), see

Regional agriculture statistics (reg_agr)

Structure of agricultural holdings (reg_ef)

Economic accounts for agriculture by NUTS 2 regions (agr_r_accts)

Agriculture (agr), see

Farm structure (ef)

Main farm indicators by NUTS 2 regions (ef_mainfarm)

Management and practices (ef_mp)

Economic accounts for agriculture (aact)

Economic accounts for agriculture (aact_eaa)

Agricultural labour input statistics (aact_ali)

Thematic section

Publications

Paper and PDF publications

Key figures on the European food chain – 2023 edition
Eurostat regional yearbook – 2024 edition

Online publications

Selected datasets

Regional statistics (t_reg), see

Regional agriculture statistics (t_reg_agr)

Agriculture (t_agr), see

Economic accounts for agriculture (t_aact)

Methodology

Manuals and further methodological information

Metadata

Economic accounts for agriculture (ESMS metadata file – aact_esms)
Farm structure (ESMS metadata file – ef_sims)

External links

Agriculture and rural development (European Commission – Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development)
European Commission – Agriculture and Rural Development – Financing the common agricultural policy
European Commission – Food, Farming, Fisheries, see
European Commission – Geographical indications and quality schemes explained
European Commission – The common agricultural policy: 2023–27

Legislation

Surveys on economic accounts for agriculture are governed by

Regulation (EC) No 138/2004 of 5 December 2003 on the economic accounts for agriculture in the Community, amended on 7 different occasions. Regional data are provided on the basis of a gentlemen’s agreement.

Surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings are governed by

Regulation (EC) No 2018/1091 of 18 July 2018 on integrated farm statistics
Summaries of EU Legislation: EU integrated farm statistics

Visualisation