Infographics: full references

Find here the full data and sources for our twelve infographics on Securing Access to land for Agroecological Farming

Farmland is under threat

1. Europe is losing much of its farmland

Fact 1: Farmland represents 40 % of total European Union land

1 Farm Structure Survey 2013, Eurostat
2 Eurostat, About EU

Fact 2: From 1993 to 2013, the EU has lost 12 % of its farmland ≈ the area of Romania

1 Data extracted from Eurostat – consult our own table on UAA evolution 1990-2015, per country
2 Eurostat, About EU

2. Intensive farming practices damage soil

Fact 3: Percentage of European farmland affected by: erosion by water and wind: 16 %; excess applications of nitrates and phosphates 18 %; contamination by pesticides 19 %.

“Estimates produced by the European Environment Agency suggest that erosion by water and wind affects 16% of European land; while contamination by pesticides affects 19 % and excess application of nitrates and phosphates affects 18 %.“
in: European Parliament, Economic and Scientific Policy Department, Study on Land Degradation and Desertification 2008, p.6

3. Intensive farming practices damage biodiversity and natural resources

Fact 4: The EU has lost 30 % of its farmland birds since 1990

“Since 1990, common farmland birds have declined by 30% in Europe”
in: European Environment Agency (EEA), The European environment – state and outlook 2015, European briefings, Agriculture, p.4

Fact 5: 30 to 50 % of European rivers and lakes are polluted

“Analysis of the pressures causing poor status shows that between 30 % and 50 % of the surface water bodies are affected by pollution pressures, with diffuse sources (principally due to agriculture) being the most important pollutant pressure.”
in: European Environment Agency (EEA), European waters — current status and future challenges – A Synthesis, 2012, p.14

4. Europe’s unsustainable consumption impacts on other continents’ farmland

Fact 6: 40% of farmland used to grow agricultural products we consume lies outside the EU

Figure ”The EU land footprint”: 40 % land used (for EU final consumption of agricultural products) (lies) outside the EU
In: Friends of the Earth Europe, The True Cost of Consumption, July 2016, p.10

Fact 7: 73 % of EU land use is related to the consumption of animal products

Figure “EU total land footprint by product type in 2010”: “73 % EU land footprint is animal products – 196 million ha”
in ibid., p. 12.

Small farmers are losing ground

1. European farmland is increasingly concentrated

Fact 8: 80 % of farms in the EU are less than 10 ha. They represent 10 % of EU farmland. 3 % of farms in the EU are larger than 100 ha. Yet they represent 50 % of EU farmland

Source: Eurostat, Farm Structure Survey 2013

2. European farms are becoming bigger … and fewer

Fact 9: Between 2003 and 2013, the EU lost 4.2 million farms. 96% of them are small farms (<10ha)

Source: Eurostat, Farm Structure Survey 2003 and 2013

Fact 10: The average farm size has increased by 40% in 10 years

Source: Eurostat, Farm Structure Survey 2003 and 2013

3. European agriculture is increasingly corporate controlled

Fact 12: Farming corporations manage 26% of EU farmland

“As regards farm size, corporate farms are concentrated in the higher size classes and account for 26% of agricultural area, while family farms cover around 69% and group holdings 5%.”
Source: The European Commission, Structure and dynamics of EU farms: changes, trends and policy relevance, EU Agricultural Economics Briefs, October 2013, p.10

Fact 13: The average size of corporate farms is 150 ha; the average size of family farm is 10 ha

“On average, corporate farms (152 ha/holding) are about 15 times bigger than family farms (10 ha/holding)”
Source: The European Commission, Structure and dynamics of EU farms: changes, trends and policy relevance, EU Agricultural Economics Briefs, October 2013, p.10

4. Land concentration goes hand in hand with the job losses

Fact 14: 325 000 full time equivalent agricultural jobs disappear every year in the EU

**Info2_fact14_source**
Access to land network

Source: data extracted from Eurostat – consult our own table on the number of agricultural work unit (AWU) – evolution 1973-2015, per country and for the EU

Fact 15: Europe has lost a quarter of its farmers, 3.8 million people, in less than 10 years