People - Adjustment - Ratio of farm families to farm establishments
Ratio of farm families to farm establishments
Background
The major data sources used in this report are the Australian Bureau of Statistics Population and Housing Census and the Australian Bureau of Statistics Farm Census. The basic units of analysis used from the Population and Housing Census are the farmer or farm family. The basic unit of analysis used from the Farm Census is the farm establishment. It is important to understand that there is not necessarily a close correspondence between the number of farm establishments and the number of farm families in a locality.
Data sources
Counts of the number of farm establishments were drawn from the 1986 Farm Census. Establishments were included if they had and EVAO (Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations) greater than $30,000 (using 1996 dollars). Counts of farm families were drawn from the 1986 Australian Bureau of Statistics Population and Housing Census.
Indicator Construction
The indicator is the ratio of farm families to farm establishments expressed as a percentage. Values below 100 indicate there are fewer farm families to establishments. Values greater than 100 indicate there are fewer farm establishments than farm families.
Indicator Limitations
- The definitional problems with farm establishments counts and farm family counts have been discussed in the earlier sections. These clearly remain a limitation in the reliability of this indicator.
- Data for Statistical Local Areas with small numbers of establishments and farm families are subject to randomisation of some cell counts to maintain respondent confidentiality. These two factor can lead to some extreme values.
Discussion
- Nationally the per cent ratio of farm families to farm establishments was 102 in 1986. In other words, there were slightly more farm families than establishments with an Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations greater than $30,000 (in 1996 dollars).
- Ratios of farm families to farm establishments are lowest in the rangelands. This may reflect a higher number of establishments managed by persons not living in an establishment that qualifies as a family in Australian Bureau of Statistics enumerations.
- The ratio of farm families to farm establishments is highest on coastal margins of eastern Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia and in the peri-urban areas surrounding major metropolises. There are a large number of small establishments in these areas and the relatively high farm family income. This high ratio reflects a significant number of persons operating farms with Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations lower than $30,000 who describe themselves as farmers and who are presumably earning significant off-farm income from investments and off farm employment.
- There are clear difference between the Western Australian cropping zone and the eastern Australian cropping zone. Ratios are higher in the west. This may reflect the larger size of properties in the west and the greater capacity of these farms to support multi-family establishments.
Figure 1 Ratio of farm families to farm establishments with Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations greater than $30,000 by Statistical Local Area in 1986 (using 1996 dollars)
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See appendix figures 36-37 for further geographic detail.
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