1. Definition
Name |
FAMILY
SIZE |
Brief definition |
Number of individuals
belonging to a farm household |
Unit of measure |
Number of people |
Spatial scale |
|
Temporal scale |
|
2. Position
within the logical framework DPSIR
Type of Indicator |
Driving Force |
3. Target and
political pertinence
Objective |
The indicator
aims to explain the family farm behaviour with respect to the
adoption of mitigation strategies to combat desertification.
|
Importance
with respect to desertification |
Household size
can be viewed in two ways. The larger the family size, the higher
the probability that future generations will farm the land and
reap the long-term benefits of any mitigation strategies adopted.
Additionally, since most mitigation strategies are labour intensive,
using family size as a proxy for available family labour, the
indicator could be seen as a tool to measure the potential of
the farm to adopt mitigation strategies. |
International
Conventions and agreements |
The CCD emphasized
the importance of measures to improve the economic environment
with a view to eradicating poverty, increasing income and employment
opportunities, especially for the poorest members of the community. |
Secondary objectives
of the indicator |
The indicator
highlights the contribution and importance of the agricultural
sector in the development of the local community and its economy. |
4. Methodological
description and basic definitions
Definitions
and basic concepts |
Following the Eurostat
Concepts and Definitions Database:
Holder [B/1]
The holder of the holding
is that natural person or the legal person on whose account
and in whose name the holding is operated and who is legally
and economically responsible for the holding, i.e. who takes
the economic risks of the holding. The holder can own the
holding outright or rent it or be a hereditary long term leaseholder
or a usufructuary or a trustee. The holder may have delegated
all or part of the power of decision-making regarding the
normal daily financial and production routines of running
of the holding to a manager.
Holder's family members
[B/2(a)]
The family members are
the spouse, relatives in the ascending or descending line
(including those by marriage and by adoption) and brothers
and sisters of the holder or his/her spouse.The holders themselves
are not included in the family members.
|
Benchmarks
Indication of the values/ranges of value |
- I° range: <
Local Mean -St. Dev.
- II° range: >Local
Mean - St. Dev. < Local Mean
- III° range: >
Local Mean < Local Mean + St. Dev.
- IV° range: >
Local Mean + St. Dev
|
Methods of
measurement |
Number of family
members per farm; Percentage of classes of family members above
four. |
Limits of the
indicator |
It should be
analysed in comparison with parallel employment to say which
part of the family is effectively devoted to farm activities.
|
Linkages with
other indicators |
Parallel
employment, Net farm income. |
5. Evaluation
of data needs and availability
Data required
to calculate the indicator |
Number of family
members per farm.
|
Data sources |
The Farm Accountancy
Data Network (FADN). At national level the responsibility for
FADN data collection rests with the Liaison Agencies, often
together with agricultural research institutes. These either
employ their own staff to visit sample farms and to collect
the data, or they contract this work out to accountants, universities,
farmers' cooperatives or other organisations. |
Availability
of data from national and international sources |
ISTAT; FADN |
6. Institutions
that have participated in developing the indicator
Main institutions
responsible |
University
of Basilicata
|
Other contributing
organizations |
|
7. Additional
information
Bibliography
|
OECD, 1999:
Environmental indicators for agriculture, methods & results |
Other references |
eurostat-methodology@cec.eu.int |
Contacts Name
and address |
Prof. Giovanni
Quaranta
Dipartimento Tecnico-Economico per la Gestione del Territorio
Agricolo-Forestale
Università della Basilicata
Via Macchia Romana
85100 Potenza
Italia
quaranta@unibas.it |
|