Despite the relatively low proportion of agricultural employment as compared to the total labour force at regional scale, this sector of activity is especially strategic in the development of the territories from the stakes it rises: land-use, importance and diversity of production, labour market area organisation in rural spaces…

 

• When comparing the maps of employment in primary sector and food-industry, the analyse reveals differentiate conclusions of the situation in European regions. The importance of primary sector is strongly heterogeneous in the regions of European Union. If its importance in the employment structure is fundamental in Eastern Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, Eastern Poland, South-West of Greece), with a share above 20 % of total employment (coloured in green); it represents also a minor part in central Europe where primary employment represents less than 5 % of total labour force.
• The map showing the share of employment in food industry delivers another picture of the situation. First, the employed persons are lower. As regard to the spatial repartition of primary employment, the phenomenon follows another logical: in the most part of EU Member States, some groups of regions get specialised in food industry. This is the case for the North West of Poland, Southern Hungary, and Western France, the centre of Spain or Southern Czech Republic where the share of employment in this sector is 2 or 3 times greater as the mean value of the other regions of their own country.
• The map representing farmers with other gainful activity (IE except agriculture) illustrates a growing diversification of economy in rural areas and a progressive change in the way of practicing the agricultural profession. This evolution is characterized by an increasingly significant part of nonagricultural activities carried on by farmers (direct sales, arts and craft, agro-tourism…). On average, 36.4% of the European farmers carry on other activity than their agricultural activity. This figure is particularly notable in Central Europe, Northern Europe, and in the New Member States where 30 to 50% of the farmers carry on other economic activity. In Southern Europe a more traditional mono-agricultural activity is still dominant. This map, related to the one on the share of employment in the primary sector illustrates the revival of a diversified economic activity in rural areas and the decreasing share that agriculture represents in some European regions.