Classification of farm scale and approach for samples processing

Bojidar Ivanov, Silvia Vasileva, Hrabrin Bachev, Desislava Toteva, Angel Sarov, Mihaela Mihaylova

Abstract: The issue of ascertaining and classifying the scale of farms is important in order to categorize the production units and their grouping by common features and similar properties. Classification of farms allows accurate and reliable work in conducting statistical surveys with samples and in stratification of groups. The aim of the study is to show ways for possible classification of farms by size of used land and their economic
outputs, revealing the results for the farm boundaries out of whole population, as well as to delineate the size of samples and representativeness and their importance working with field surveys. The methods used to delineate the boundaries of farms for their classification are based on statistical methods - weighted average, median and dispersion. These methods are characterized with relatively easy application, give reliable accuracy and objectivity of the results and reflect the representativeness of the economic structure and take into account the existing distribution. Depending on whether a three-level or five- level classification structure is proposed, the results of outlining the boundaries between the individual farms are different, and as much detailed and differentiated is the classification, so clear and precise are demonstrated the bipolar state of Bulgarian agriculture. Although the number of farms in Bulgaria has been declining tangibly over the last 20 years, the dualistic model of economic structure remains, which predisposes the classification boundaries, and hence impact the work of sampling stratification.

Keywords: average; dispersion; economic size; farm classification; land size; median; samples

Date published: 2022-04-08