agricultural census concepts and definitions

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Agricultural Census Concepts and Definitions

Section A


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Location of Agricultural Holding

• The location of farm buildings and machinery

• Used to attribute data to one administrative area

• Holdings with large parcels in different administrative areas may need to include locations of parcels


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Size of the Agricultural Holding

A comparable and robust measure of size across agricultural holdings is difficult and must be well-defined and documented.

Possibilities include:

– Total land area of holding

– Agricultural land of holding


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Size of the Agricultural Holding

Size measure possibilities, continued:

– Crop or arable land

– Agricultural output in terms of volume or value

– Livestock

– Labor inputs


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Minimum Size for Agricultural Census

• Imposing minimum size criteria for agricultural censuses removes small holdings from subsequent surveys based on the agricultural census frame

• When exclusion is necessary, efforts should be made to identify these holdings in the population census for inclusion in sample surveys


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Type of Agricultural Holding

• There is no one robust and comparable international measure. Each country must develop definitions based on international classifications. Possibilities include:

– Agricultural output for sale or consumption

– Type of output as defined by ISIC classifications


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Legal status of agricultural holder:

• An individual• Two or more individuals• Juridical person

Agricultural sector of holder:• Household sector• Single-holding household• Multiple-holding household• Partnership of two or more

households• Non-household sector• Corporation• Cooperative• Government• Other

Legal Status and Agricultural Sector


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Agricultural Population

• The agricultural population is all persons depending for their livelihood on agriculture, hunting, fishing and forestry.

• The agricultural population can be part of the urban or rural population, depending on their location


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Other Economic Production ActivitiesEconomic activities other than main agricultural

activity of holding:

− Other agricultural production

− Agricultural services

− Hunting, trapping, and related service activities

− Forestry, logging and related service activities


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Other Economic Production Activities

− Fishing, aquaculture and related service activities

− Manufacturing

− Wholesale and retail trade

− Hotels and restaurants

− Other


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Area of Holding by Land Use Type• Forest or other wooded land• Other land• Agricultural Land:

– Permanent meadow and pastures– Cropland

• Land under permanent crops• Arable land

– Temporary crops– Temporary meadows– Temporarily fallow


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Area of Holding by Land Use TypeMain differences from previous FAO recommended

programs:

– Some concepts previously used are now modified and included in new recommended categories

– Land under protective cover is now recommended as a supplementary module

– Other land is no longer subdivided


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Land use by Parcel

• Land use is reported by parcel. One parcel can have multiple uses:– When separation of uses is clear record all

– When not distinct take main use as determined by production value

– Agriculture, aquaculture and forestry take precedence


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Temporary Crops• Temporary crops are both sown and harvested in

the same year or land used as meadows or pasture for less than five years

• Net cropped area is the land used for temporary crops

• Gross cropped area is the total area of all temporary crops –successive crops are counted separately

• Cultivation intensity is the comparison between net and gross cropped area


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Successive Crops

• Crops grown more than once within an agricultural year

– Land area reported separately for each distinct crop production in the year (gross cropped area)

– Excludes successive harvests of same crop within the year


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Temporarily Fallow Land

• Land left to rest for at least one agricultural year or intended to be at rest for a year at the time of the census.

• Land that is left fallow for five or more years should be reclassified according to land use type.


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Permanent Crops and Pastures

• Crops that do not have to be replanted for several years. – Includes trees and flower producing shrubs.– Excludes forest trees, meadows and pastures.

• Permanent pastures includes land used for five years or more to produce livestock forage crops


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Forest or Other Wooded Land• Forest land has crown cover of more than 10% of trees

with mature height of at least 5 meters • Other wooded land includes:

– 5-10% crown cover of trees with mature height more than 5 meters

– 10% or more crown cover of trees with mature height less than 5 meters

– 10% or more shrub or bush cover• Includes non-food tree crop plantations. Food tree

crop plantations are considered permanent crops.


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Other Land

• “Other land” is a category for holding land not elsewhere classified, such as aquaculture, lanes, buildings, or reeds and rushes.

• The area of holding question refers to a point in time but classifies based on activities carried out over a reference year


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Section A Quiz1. Why is it not recommended to avoid setting

minimum size criteria for an agricultural census?

2. What is the agricultural population?

3. What’s the difference between temporary and permanent crops?

4. What’s the difference between trees on forested land and in woodlands?

agricultural census concepts and definitions

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