Despite an increase in the average agricultural area per farm, the Walloon agricultural sector has lost more than half of its farms in three decades. Farmland owners are also ageing, with few declaring successors.
The State of Walloon Agriculture has released agricultural data per municipality. One of the most striking figures is the decline in the total number of farms in the region, dropping from 29,000 in 1990 to just under 13,000 in 2021.
However, the region's agricultural area has decreased by only 1.6% (from 752,743 hectares in 1990 to 740,623 hectares in 2021), L'Avenir reports.
Farms in Wallonia have become bigger, with the average agricultural area per farm having more than doubled since 1990, from 25.8 hectares to 58.2 hectares. Cattle farming represents almost half of the agricultural space in the region, while arable crops make up 27% of the space.
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Ageing agriculturalists
Nevertheless, the region has lost half of its agricultural workforce since 1990 with on average 2.2 people working per farm, alongside 0.4 casual workers.
As shown in the State of Walloon Agriculture's report, this decrease is set to continue over time. Over half (53%) of the used agricultural area (UAA) is owned by farmers aged 50 or over, with only 22% having declared a successor.
The reason for the drastic reduction in farmworkers is mainly due to the number of farms decreasing and improved labour efficiency, increased mechanisation and computerisation, the Belgian statistics office Statbel noted.
