Agricultural Census Concepts and Definitions

1. Agricultural Census Concepts and Definitions Section A

2. 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

3. 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

4. Size of the Agricultural Holding Size measure possibilities, continued: • Crop or arable land • Agricultural output in terms of volume or value • Livestock • Labor inputs

5. 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

6. 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

7. Legal Status and Agricultural Sector Agriculturalsector 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 of agricultural holder: • An individual • Two or more individuals • Juridical person

8. 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

9. Other Economic Production Activities Economic 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

10. Other Economic Production Activities − Fishing, aquaculture and related service activities − Manufacturing − Wholesale and retail trade − Hotels and restaurants − Other

11. 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

12. Area of Holding by Land Use Type Main 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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

20. Section A Quiz • Why is it not recommended to avoid setting minimum size criteria for an agricultural census? • What is the agricultural population? • What’s the difference between temporary and permanent crops? • What’s the difference between trees on forested land and in woodlands?