Outline of the Agricultural Census
Recent Issues
Web-Based Data Input Method

Objectives
- For tracking the changing trends in agriculture
- Providing Basic Data necessary for policy-making
- Updating the frame used for agricultural sample survey
- International Data Exchange on agricultural statistics

Historical Background
- Under the recommendation of UN/FAO, the First Census was undertaken in 1960
- 1970(2 nd ), 1980(3 rd ), 1990(4 th ), 1995(5 th ),
2000(6 th )
- The 7 th Census is going to be undertaken in Feb. 2006

Reference date and Field Survey
-Reference date : 1 st December 2006
-Reference period : from 1 Dec. 2004 to 30
Nov. 2005
-Field survey : from 14 Feb. to 28 Feb.(15 days)
Coverage
-All farm households that are managing agriculture themselves in Korea
Data Collection
-Temporarily employed enumerators interview with the respondent and fill out questionnaires

Survey Items
- Farm Households Population
(1) Name (2) Sex (3) Age
(4) Relationships of members to the farm manager, (5) Educational level
(6) Marital status (7) Main type of work
(8) Months spent on Farming
(9) Time spent on non-farming
(10) Agriculture career
(11) Farming Successor

- Agricultural Land
(1) Paddies (2) Upland field (3) Orchards
(4) Pasture
- Crops
(1) Harvested area by type of crops
(2) Area of Facilities
(3) Harvested area under green houses
(4) Harvested area specialized in every city, county

- Livestock
(1) Korean Beef Cattle, Milking Cow, Pig,
Fowls, Honey Bee, etc.
-Agricultural Machinery
(1) Possession of electronic-powered agricultural machinery
(2) Farming methods of paddy rice

- Value of Sales of Agricultural and
Livestock Product
(1) Scale of sales (2) Major products of sales (3) Route of sales
-Environment-Friendly Farming
(1) Whether Execute or not
(2) Harvested area and farming methods by crops (3) Sales route

- Status of Information-intensive
(1) Whether Possess of PC or not
(2) Main use of PC
(3) Whether open a homepage related to
Agriculture
- Environment of Residence
(1) Type of residence
(2) Heating apparatus
(3) Kitchen • Toilet • Water
(4) Vehicles
-Others
Participation of Producers ’ Organization

Unite three Censuses: Agriculture Census,
Forestry Census & Fishery Census
Change periodicity(10 years→ 5 years)
Develop new items for the new era
Manage systems of the field work
Develop communication tools
- Internet homepage & Free Call Service
Catch farm household lists from various sources

Needs to reduce the data processing time
- pursue consistency of the serial data of annual sample surveys in connection with the census
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
1995c census 1995c 2000c 2000c 2000c census 2005c 2005c
Data processing – web-based input
- on line, government use only network because of security reasons

Concept
After we connect the Census web site, surveycompleted data are input and sent to the KNSO ’
DB by personal computer in the field.

Background
- We need a new input process paradigm, different from OMR, ICR, for processing large scaled data as census quickly.
- Data processing method by OMR needs much time, when we make out questionnaires.

- In Korea, high developed IT basement can construct high speed national administration network and spread personal computer per 1 person to all executive agency.
- We can meet user ’ s demand by offering survey ’ s result quickly for the
‘ timeliness ’ .

Procedure
- Preview
(1) Construct web site
(2) Develop input program
(3) Load of server and network
(4) Security module & exclusive network
(5) Surplus band width of network
(6) Input place
(7) Prepare equipment

- Data input
(1) Educate how to input data
(2) Input and modify questionnaires ’ data
- Editing
(1) First editing
(2) Second editing

Results of trial survey
[Table 1] Overview of trial survey
First(Nov. 2004) Second(Mar. 2005)
Amount of input data
3,625 households 20,770 households
Data input place Town(Eub, Myun,
Dong)
Input number of person
7 persons
County(Si, Gun,
Gu)
30 persons
Input period 6 days 7 days
Amount of input data per day
86 household 99 households

- KNSO conducted trial survey two times by web-based data input method.
- Problems during the trial survey
(1) Input program ’ s screen design
(2) input speed
(3) Absence of field managers
(4) Various input methods

Application
- We execute across the board in Feb.
2006, the web-based data processing method compensating for the errors during the trial survey

(1) We make use of national administration network mainly, and also use VPN for security etc..
(2) X-internet method is developed for input program, which has merits between web and C/S.

(1) Screen component and input method are designed simple for users.
(2) At input place, we prepare management staffs focused exclusively on PC and network.
- Web-based data processing method can shorten input period, but the number of input person is increased.

[Table 2] Overview of Agricultural Census data input methods
Input
1995
160million households
2000
150million households
2005(tentative)
140million households
Input period 50 days
Input number of person
40 days 10 days
284 persons 150 persons 1,620 persons
Input method Terminal dispersion method
PC/key entry outsourcing method
Web-based input method
Transfer data TTS
Number of input place
142 Local branch office
Off-line
7 outsourcing enterprises
On-line
189 Local government agency

Expectation
- Raise ‘ timeliness ’ (reduce the time of release about 2 months than that of 2000
Census)
- We can release result in Oct. 2006, for the purpose of shortening data input period as early editing.

- Various sample surveys could be improved by taking early sampling surveys so as to reform them later on.
- We expect it to improve data correction and reduce the field work in dealing with the missing questions on the questionnaires.

Structural Weakness and Low
Competition in Agricultural Sector
Instability and Insecurity of Farm
Households ’ Income
People are increasingly reluctant to reside in rural areas mainly because of poor conditions in living environment and welfare facilities.

As a result, usual vitality in former days is disappearing in rural communities.
Exposure to world competition system is inevitable and accelerated as time goes by.