Core and Supplementary Agricultural Topics

1. Core and Supplementary Agricultural Topics Section A

2. Agricultural Census Constraints • Statistical resources are shrinking while data demands are increasing • Censuses are expensive and often overburdened • Choose an agricultural census and survey program to meet national needs and capabilities

3. Integrated Statistical System • Allows more efficient use of limited resources through a national statistical system with common frames, definitions and concepts • Eliminates redundancy in data collection and content • Prevent overburdening one statistical collection, such as the agricultural census

4. World Program for the Census of Agriculture 2010, FAO Statistical Unit: • Agricultural holding for the census • Aqua cultural holding introduced • Sub-holding and sub-holder Data Content • Recommended topics by core or supplementary module • Fewer core items than essential items in 2000

5. Agricultural Statistics Modules • Core module of structural items required at lower levels of geography in agricultural census • Supplementary modules organized by topic to be covered on a sample basis during the census or in a later survey

6. Supplementary Modules New items added to meet emerging data needs in the following themes: • Land, water, crops, livestock, aquaculture, forestry • agricultural practices and services, demographic characteristics, farm labor.

7. Supplementary Modules New census themes have been added: • Household food security • Holding management Some items deleted from 2000 set: • Presence of hired manager • Area with irrigation potential • Soil type/color/depth • Value of forestry/fishery sales

8. Why Conduct an Agricultural Census? • Censuses provide structural data gathered from individual household holdings at the lowest level of geography • Sample surveys and administrative records are invaluable for current data but cannot provide the same level of detail

9. When to Conduct an Agricultural Census? • At least every 10 years to update agricultural structural information • As soon as possible after the population and housing census • Better to identify households with holdings • Can use same field materials and structures • Possibility of matching data

10. Current Agricultural Census Objectives • Structural data on agricultural holdings at low levels of geography • Benchmarks for current agricultural statistics • Sampling frame for agricultural sample surveys • Monitor progress toward MDGs

11. What Agricultural Units to Include? • Traditionally: • Crops and livestock agricultural production units • ISIC groups 011, 012, and 013 • Currently: • Consider all activities (crops, livestock, forestry and aquaculture) based on their importance to the country • ISIC groups 011, 012, 013, 020, and 050

12. What Size Units to Include? • Minimum size criteria • Reduces census scope and cost • May exclude small holding contributions to household income, food supply and women’s work • May be difficult to apply in the field

13. What Size Units to Include? • Alternative is filter questions for all units • Ask basic questions about production and unit • Classify unit by specific size criteria • If unit meets criteria, ask additional questions • Otherwise, end interview

14. What Areas to Exclude? • Usually institutional holding are excluded • If an area must be excluded because of inaccessibility: • Estimate any bias this exclusion will cause • Systematic exclusion of nomadic pastoralists • Consider alternatives for estimates • Sampling, remote sensing

15. Rule for Determining Scope • Quality should be a large consideration • Covering more with poor data is worse than covering less with high quality • Always specify census scope clearly • Assists users in understanding data • If it’s not included in census, it’s not in the sample surveys

16. Census Core Module • Key national data items • Data needed for small administrative areas • Rare events • Sampling frame data • Date for international comparisons

17. WCA 2010 Recommended Core Items • Land tenure type • Irrigation • Temporary crops • Permanent crops • Livestock numbers • Aquaculture • Forest & other wooded land • Other economic activities • Location of agricultural holding • Legal status • Sex of holder • Age of holder • Household size • Main purpose of production • Land use type • Area of holding

18. Census Supplementary Modules • Data needed by policy-makers and planners • Ability of census to provide accurate data • Technical and other resources available to conduct a timely census • Ability of respondents to provide data • Continuity of data for trends analysis • Internationally comparable data

19. WCA 2010 Supplementary Module Topics • Demographic and social characteristics • Farm labor • Household food security • Aquaculture • Forestry • Management of the holding • Land • Irrigation and water management • Crops • Livestock • Agricultural practices • Agricultural services

20. Section A Quiz • Why do countries conduct agricultural censuses? • What is the modular approach to agricultural censuses? • What agricultural units are recommended for inclusion? • How many core census module items are recommended?