The Succession Status of Family Farms in the Mediterranean Region of Slovenia.

Family farm succession is a complex process in which the farm family plans the transfer of knowledge, labour, skills, management and ownership of the farm business from the parental to the next generation. By developing a multi-attribute decision model, 40 family farms from the Mediterranean region of Slovenia were evaluated regarding their succession status in order to relate two issues: family farm succession and multi-attribute decision modelling. The multi-attribute decision model was developed by using the DEX method, an expert system shell for multi-attribute decision modelling and support. The family farms' data, applied to the model, is part of the study where the standardized questionnaire was used. The results show that the majority of farms have good possibilities for a "smooth" succession process and future survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]