Die Bodenkultur - Journal for Land Management, Food and Environment

E. Quendler:

Farm Size Pattern in Austrian Agriculture

How do Farm Sizes and Types characterise the Austrian Agriculture?

Summary

Agricultural data (1995) of individual farms are data pool of classification by different criteria like farmland, cropland, standard gross margin, livestock unit and labour. This all over the country classification of farm sizes (dwarf, small, medium and large farms) and types (subsistence and hobby farmers, support orientated farms, market and world market orientated farms) was carried out by cluster analysis. Results indicate that in Austrian Agriculture small-scaled ‘subsistence and hobby farmers’ dominate the agricultural pattern. They are the main farm type beside ‘support orientated farms’. Few medium and large ‘market and world market orientated farms’ ensure competitiveness and supply of Austrian Agriculture. Key words: Austrian Agriculture, farm size, farm types, farm classification, cluster analysis.