Agricultural and horticultural farms

In 2023, there were 21,759 agricultural and horticultural farms in the Flemish Region, 75% of which can be considered professional farms. This means that the farm has a standard yield (open definition) of at least 25,000 euro. The number of agricultural and horticultural farms fell by 37% compared to 2005. There was a stabilisation between 2017 and 2021, but from 2022 there is another slight decline.

Between 2005 and 2023, the average area of agricultural land per farm increased by 55%: from 18.3 hectares (ha) in 2005 to 28.3 ha in 2023. This indicates that mostly smaller farms are quitting, which leads to an ongoing increase in scale. The average cultivated area per farm stabilised between 2017 and 2021, but then increased again.

The evolution of the average livestock density per farm is also indicative of an increase in scale. The average number of livestock units (open definition) per farm and the average herd size per specialised cattle, pig and poultry farm increased between 2005 and 2023.

The average area per agricultural farm is highest in Flemish Brabant and Limburg and lowest in West and East Flanders.

At the end of 2023, 636 organic farms were in operation in the Flemish Region, including those in conversion (open definition) . This is an increase of almost 2% compared to 2022.

All organic farms together cultivated 9,984 ha at the end of 2023, which is a status quo compared to 2022. 8,668 hectares of this is organic area and 1,316 hectares is area under conversion. The share of conversion area thus fell from 16% in 2022 to 13% in 2023.

By the end of 2023, the organic area made up 1.6% of the entire agricultural area in the Flemish Region.

On average, 2.9% of farms in the Flemish Region are organic farms. The share of organic farms in the total number of agricultural and horticultural farms is highest in the municipalities of the provinces of Antwerp and Flemish Brabant.