Sources of data:
In case of private holdings: the representative agricultural survey implemented between 15 May and 15 June 2018. The questionnaires could be filled in electronically between15 and 23 May 2018. Filling in the questionnaire electronically was obligatory for key private holdings. In addition, the following private holdings had the opportunity for filling in the questionnaire electronically:
- those which reached a special threshold of a holding during the Agrárium 2016 agricultural survey, or
- whose e-mail address was known to us from information gathered during earlier surveys, furthermore,
- all households were selected in two districts in each county.
Methodology of sampling: the sample of the survey is based on the agricultural census carried out in 2010 (AC 2010) and the farm structure survey conducted in 2016 (Agrárium 2016). From the 13,633 agricultural survey districts in Hungary 648 were chosen, which were fully observed (house to house method) by enumerators.
After answering the question on holding threshold, there could be three cases for a particular address:
- A complete questionnaire was filled in if data on the agricultural activity of those living at the particular address reached the threshold of a holding. (Agricultural holding.)
- A questionnaire with a narrower data content was filled in if data on the agricultural activity of those living at the particular address did not reach the threshold of a holding. (Households under holding threshold.) The size of the total land area they utilised and/or the livestock were to be recorded.
- No questionnaire was filled in if those living at the particular address did not perform any agricultural activity. (No respondents.)
An agricultural holding (holding) means a single unit, both technically and economically, which has a single management and which produces agricultural products and
- used at least
- 1500 m2 of productive land area (arable land, kitchen gardens, orchards, vineyards, grassland (meadows + pastures), forests, fish-ponds and reeds together), or
- 500 m2 of orchards and vineyards together, or
- 500 m2 of arable land area and plantation-type area together, or
- 100 m2 of land area under cover, or
- 50 m2 of mushroom area, or
- kept at lest
- one head of bigger live animals (scattle, buffaloes, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, emus, ostriches, donkeys and mules), or
- 50 heads of poultry (chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and guinea fowls altogether), or
- 25 heads of rabbits, or
- 25 heads of furry animals, or
- 25 heads of pigeons for slaughter (carrier pigeons should not be taken into consideration!), or
- 5 beehives.
Thus a total of 106 thousand households, within which 23.4 thousand holdings were included in the sample, which was 5.5 per cent of all private holdings.
Besides the above another group of key private holdings was designated. They were selected according to the following criteria or thresholds: 150 cattle, 300 pigs, 25 horses, 500 sheep, 40 goats, 20,000 chickens, 5,000 geese, 10,000 ducks, 5,000 turkeys, 120 guinea fowls, 300 rabbits, 200 pigeons for slaughter, 300 beehives, 50 ostriches, 10 emus, 200 furry animals, 250 hectares of arable land, 17 hectares of vineyards, 20 hectares of orchards, 100 hectares of forests and 150 hectares of grassland. The number of key holdings selected upon completion of at least one criterion was 3,514.
Estimated data contain the figures of poultry, rabbit and beehive stocks of households not reaching the threshold of a holding.
In the data collection:
Agricultural enterprises: enterprises with or without legal personality.
Private holdings: households engaged in agricultural activities and private entrepreneurs with tax number.
Holdings: private holdings and agricultural enterprises.
Full-scale observation was applied in the case of agricultural enterprises keeping animals. This group supplied data compulsorily via the Elektra system of HCSO.
Calculation of livestock size
The livestock of private holdings is estimated by sample estimation of means by counties and strata, completed with the data on fully observed, key private holdings. The data on private holdings and the data on agricultural enterprises coming from full-scale observation together result in livestock on country level.