Agricultural Census Concepts and
Definitions
Section B
1
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Total Area of Holding
• Is a derived variable from summing all
parcels of land by type of use without
concern for legal title
• Includes land that is operated by the holding,
such as rented land
• It is possible for a holding to have no land
2
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Total Area of Holding Special Cases
• Households located on holdings and used for
residential purposes are included
• For shifting cultivation, include all land under
cultivation during reference year
• Open rangeland is not included unless a specific are is
demarcated for sole use
• Owned water is included in holding's area
• Area of land reflects current ownership of land,
regardless of use over reference period
3
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Holding Land Tenure
• Legal ownership or legal owner-like possession
• Non-legal ownership or non-legal owner-like
possession
• Rented from someone else
• Other types of land tenure
4
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Legal Ownership
• Implies the owner can determine land use, sell
or rent land, and access credit using the land as
collateral. Includes:
– Title of ownership by holder or member of holder’s
household
– Owner-like possession such as hereditary tenure or
perpetual lease
– Tribal or traditional form of communal land tenure
5
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Non-Legal Ownership
Tenure arrangements that do not provide tenure
security, types include:
– Holder has operated land continuously for a long
period of time
– Under communal land agreement
– State owned land used without rights
– Traditional tenure not recognized by state
6
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Rented and Other Tenures
• Rental agreements can be based on money,
produce, or in exchange for services.
• Further classifications can be added based on
national conditions
• Tenure refers to current status of land operated
by holding at time of enumeration
7
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Irrigation on the Holding
• Refers to controlled water provision from a
reliable source to improve pastures or crop
conditions
• Spate irrigation and flood recession
cultivation do not meet these criteria
• Refers to irrigation activities (not capabilities)
during census reference period
8
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Types of Temporary Crops
• Core module data limited to types of temporary
crops grown by holding over agricultural year
• Countries should not limit data to major crops
but gather data on minor crops
• Additional data on dominant crops can be
included
• ICC classifications are recommended for crops
9
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Types of Permanent Crops
• Includes crops with a growing cycle of more than
one year that are present at the time of enumeration
• Compact plantation as well as scattered plants and
trees should be included
• Does not include area and number of trees in core
module
• The ICC should be used for classification and
coding
10
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Number of Livestock by Type
• All livestock for production that the holding has
primary responsibility for on the day of enumeration
• FAO classification of animals should be used for
international comparability
• Further data may be collected for major livestock
• Exclusion of minor livestock from census means
loss of those data
• Domestic animals and animals reared for another
holding are excluded
11
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Main Purpose of Production
• Producing mainly for home consumption
• Producing mainly for sale
– Production for other purposes is not considered
for this question (labor, gifts, taxes)
– Collected for single-holding households
– When mixed purpose is present, main represents
the larger value of production
– Is collected for any suitable reference period
12
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Household Size
• Number of usual residents of the holder’s
household
• Normally only collected for single-holding
households, some countries include multipleholding households
• Follow United Nations guidelines for procedures
to identify usual residents of the household
13
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Farm Labor
• Usually active persons of working age and
over engaged in agricultural production and
related activities. Can be grouped by:
– Labor provided by household or family
members
– Paid outside workers
14
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Collecting Data on Economic Activity
• The agricultural year should be the reference period
• How individuals spent the majority of the year
determines their status
• Countries should set minimum age limits based on
their conditions – noting that children often help with
farm work
• Refer to ILO standards and publications for
guidance
15
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Household Food Security
• All households members are able to consume
enough food for normal health at all times
– Complex concept involving quantitative and
qualitative measures
– Includes community dimension in terms of access to
health, sanitation and other services
16
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Household Food Security
• Should not be covered in core agricultural
census module but in supplementary module
– Series of quantitative and qualitative
questions are needed to assess food security
– Should include history over last 12 months
and estimates for next 12 months
17
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Aquaculture
• In the agricultural census, only aquaculture
activities carried out alongside agricultural
activities or using the same inputs are captured
– More detailed information can be gathered in
combined agriculture/aquaculture census
– Excludes capture fisheries
– Aquacultural activities are any that were carried out
during the reference period
18
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Presence of Forest and Other Wooded Land
• During enumeration note if holding has forest or
other wooded land
– Possible to derive data from land use question
– Uses same criteria as land use type question
– Additional questions needed and secondary land use
for further information
19
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Rural Data Constraints
• Difficulty in distinguishing between households
• Diverse economic production activities for ownconsumption
• Changing production activities including multiple
crop production patterns
• Interview communication problems due to
language and education level
20
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.
Section B Quiz
1. How is the total area of holdings obtained?
2. Why has the differentiation between legal and
non-legal tenures been included?
3. What coding system should be used for crops?
4. What are the two major categories for main
purpose of production?
5. What types of aquaculture are captured in an
agricultural census?
21
Copyright 2010, The World Bank Group. All Rights Reserved.