The Statistical and Economic report of Rural Development in the EU in the year 2013 has been published by the European Commission. This annual report provides economic and statistical figures of the situation of the Rural Development in the EU Member States and regions.
The 2013 report includes data on importance on rural areas, socio-economic situation of rural areas, sectoral economic indicators, situation of the environment and the diversification and quality of life in rural areas. Being 2013 the last year of the current Rural Development Programme (RDP), the report also includes a review on the 2007-2013 RDP.
The key data of the report are the following:
– EU had 12 million farms, 172 million hectares of agricultural land, and 25 million people involved in agriculture in 2010.
– An average farm would thus have 14.3 ha of agricultural land and generate around EUR 25 000 in standard output.
– An average farm would employ less than 1 full-time worker and have slightly more than 11 livestock units.
– The average farm would be a family farm held by a single holder (who normally would also be the farm manager). This person would in most cases be male and older than 55 years.
18 December 2013
