Multidimensional comparative analysis of other gainful activities of agricultural holdings in EU countries

Over the past few years, diversification and pluriactivity of farmers andfarming households has been increasing in EU-27countries. But the type of diversificationactivity encouraged, as well as their scale, appears to be very differentacross the EU.Therefore the analysis of spatial diversification of other gainful activity offarm households in EU countries is the main purpose of this paper. 27 UE countriesdescribed with 9 variables relating to the non-agricultural activity of farmsare the analysed objects.The carried survey helps to show spatial disparities and to discriminategroups of countries with a similar farmer’s non-agricultural activity.There were used chosen methods of multidimensional comparative analysiswhich enable clustering the multicriterial objects: Czekanowski’s diagram, Ward’smethod, and k-mean algorithm.As a final result there were formed 5 clusters with countries about similarlevel of farm diversification. It may be stated, that a development of diversificationof agricultural holdings is correlated with a spatial arrangement. Neighbouringcountries belong to the same clusters of other gainful activity kinds. ...