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Abstract
Data from the Farm Accountancy Data etwork (FAD) over the period 2005 to 2010
were used to determine the factors that contribute to the financial performance of
economically weak farms in Switzerland. The study analyses the economic performance
of all farms represented in the 2005-2010 sample period found in terms of work income
per family labour unit. To address this issue, the farms were split into two groups: the
successful Group A, comprising farms with incomes above CHF 18,300, and the
unsuccessful Group B, in which farms remain below this threshold. The differences
between the farms in Group A and B were analysed using a panel data logit models.
The study found ample evidence that full-time farms tend to be more successful in
belonging to the successful group A than farms run only on a part-time basis. The
analysis reveals that farms with specialist crops (fruit, vegetables, vines) and finishing
farms (pigs and poultry) more frequently belong to the successful Group A than those
geared to a different type of production (e.g. cattle rearing or dairy farming).