In 2013, 87% of all farms in The Netherlands were organized as family farms (Table 1). A farm is considered to be a family farm when at least 50% of total labour used at the farm originates from family labour. The rest of the farms employ more non-family labour (6%) or are organized as legal personality (6%). These latter types of farms are usually rather large non-family farms. Since the 1980s the number of family farms showed a steady annual decline of 2-3%. The number of farms employing more non-family labour and farms organized as legal personality increased in the period 1980-2000; afterwards their number stagnated. The proportion of family farms in the total number of farms in The Netherlands in 2013 was about of the same order of magnitude as in the EU (about 90%).

[Translate to Français:] Table 1 Number of family farms and other farms in The Netherlands,  1980-2013

Source: Dutch Agricultural census; adaptation LEI.

The proportion of family farms in the total number of farms varies according to farm type. In dairy, almost all farms are organized as family farms (Table 2). Most non-family farms are found in horticulture under glass (60% of the total number of farms) and horticulture in the open (one third). On the other farming types, the share of family farms fluctuates around 90%.

Table 2 Proportion of family farms in total number of farms according to farm type in The Netherlands, 2000-2013

Source: Dutch Agricultural census; adaptation LEI.

The decline in the number of farms between 1980 and 2013 was accompanied by a significant exodus of labour from agriculture (Table 3). This decrease is the balance of divergent trends between the different farming types. Family farms with little non-family labour showed the biggest decline in the workforce: of every three workers in 1980, these farms had only one left in 2013. On the other hand, the volume of labour on farms organized as legal personality tripled between 1980 and 2013. The share of family farms employing between 50-90% family labours in the total labour use remained more or less the same. In contrast to labour, the share of family farms in total land use showed hardly any change: it decreases from just over 90% in 1980 to just below 90% in 2013 (Table 3). The shares of the non-family farms and farms organized as legal personality each rose from about 3% in 1980  to 6 -7% in 2013.

Table 3 Share of family farms in total agricultural labour and land use, 1980-2013 (%)

Source: Dutch Agricultural census; adaptation LEI.

The number of total (i.e. family and non-family) labour per ha on family farms is 3-4 times lower compared to non-family farms and farms organized as legal personality. Although the labour productivity on family farms tends to be somewhat higher than that on the other farms, the proportion of family farms in total agricultural output is below their share in land use: it decreased from over 85% in 1980 to about 60% in 2013.

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