Utilised agricultural area (UAA) managed by low-, medium- and high-input farms

This data set shows the hectares and the percentage of utilised agricultural area (UAA) managed by low-, medium- and high-input farms in the EU Member States and the United Kingdom for the time period 2005-2017. Each farm is classified according to the level of input use per hectare, which is calculated on the basis of the spending (in constant euros) on purchased inputs per hectare of UAA. The inputs considered here are purchased fertilisers and soil improvers, pesticides (plant protection products), other means for protection such as traps and baits, bird scarers, anti-hail shells, frost protection and purchased feed. This approach allows covering both crop and livestock productions.

The volume of inputs used (per hectare) is estimated by dividing input expenditures (per hectare) by the input price index for the year and country in question. This results in input expenditures per hectare in constant national input prices. Fertiliser expenditure (purchased fertilisers and soil improvers) is divided by the fertiliser price index in the country of the same year in order to estimate the volume used. Similarly, crop protection expenditure (plant protection products, traps and baits, bird scares, anti-hail shells, frost protection) is divided by the pesticide price index in the country of the same year. Purchased feed cost is also divided by the feed price index in the country of the same year. The result is thus expressed in constant inputs prices (Euro per ha). The method allows not only to deduct inflation, but also the fluctuation of input prices. Thus it estimates the trend in the volume of inputs used per hectare. However, it does not capture differences in input prices between countries and the differences in prices within each category of inputs (for example between a pesticide A and a pesticide B). Therefore it does not give the exact volume of inputs used for a specific country and year.

In a second step, the distribution of the UAA is considered by the ranked input intensity (bivariate approach) in each geographical level (EU, MS, NUTS) for the specific year of reference (2010 for all MSs, 2013 for HR). Three classes of intensity (low, medium, high) are then defined, by deriving the associated level of input corresponding to the 33rd (q33) and the 66th (q66) UAA quantiles:

A farm is classified under the class “low intensity” if its input level is below or equal to the intensity value associated to the Q33 of UAA.
A farm is classified under the class “high intensity” if its input level is greater than the intensity value associated to the Q66 of UAA.
A farm is classified under the class “medium intensity” if its input level is greater than the intensity value associated to the Q33 of UAA and it is below the intensity value associated to the Q66 of UAA.
For EU27_2020, as well as for EU28, those thresholds are represented by 88 euros/ha for low intensity farms, by 560 euros/ha for high intensity farms, and by between 88 and 560 euros/ha for medium intensity farms.

These levels should not be considered as strict cut-off values, but rather as reference in time in order to be able to study the evolution of farm intensification through the years.

Once the farms are classified in one of the three intensity classes (low, med, high), a global ratio indicator is computed as the weighted sum of input over the weighted sum of UAA for each intensity class.

Intensification in a country with very low intensity does not mean the same for the environment than intensification in a country with high intensity. That is the purpose of the variable, ""average input expenditures per hectare in constant input prices"". It is not the ideal measurement of intensity; however, it is the best estimate that we can obtain until now from the available data.