These guidelines refer to improvements in the collection, production and dissemination of statistics on women that can be obtained through national agricultural census and survey programmes. They have two main objectives:
1. To provide National Statistical Offices with a practical guide that includes suggestions for improvements of the main aspects of a national agricultural census or survey programme that could be considered for the production and dissemination of more adequate sex-disaggregated data.
2. To generate specific recommendations to be included in the following FAO publications on statistical methods and procedures for agricultural censuses and surveys to be published in 1995: the Programme for the World Census of Agriculture 2000, and the complementary volume Taking Agricultural Censuses Guidelines supplementing the Programme for the World Census of Agriculture 2000 "; publications that refer to the agricultural censuses and surveys to be conducted during the decade 1996-2005.
National agricultural censuses and surveys constitute the most important source of basic data on agriculture. They are, in particular, a basic source of information on the population related to agriculture. For these reasons, and in view of FAO's objective to cooperate with member countries in obtaining data on women in agriculture, it is of importance to suggest possible improvements to the national agricultural census and survey programmes in order to produce more adequate national statistics disaggregated by sex.
The national agricultural census and survey programmes considered in these draft guidelines are assumed to have the general characteristics of those described in the FAO Programme for the 1990 World Census of Agriculture; cf. (1). Hence, in particular, it will be assumed that the agricultural census or sample survey is a national agricultural production data collection programme with the following characteristics:
1. The enumeration unit of the census/survey is the agricultural holding.
2. The data collection survey programme may cover all agricultural holdings (census) or only a sample (sample survey).
3. The field data collection is carried out by enumerators through direct interviews with the holders or with the hired managers by using a questionnaire for each agricultural holding.
4. An agricultural census/survey frame is constructed, in particular, for preparing the field data collection. The frame of an agricultural census/survey is formed by a list of special holdings and by a list of household addresses. During the field data collection, the enumerators canvass the special holdings in the frame and also identify those households in the frame with at least one holder or hired manager of a holding, to proceed with the interviews.
5. The main objective of the agricultural production census/survey is to produce data on all or some of the following items:
a. Planted and harvested areas, areas intended for harvest, potential and actual yields. Crop production and number of trees;
b. Livestock estimates (e.g. type, age, sex, breed, and use);
c. Characteristics of the holdings and holder (e.g. location, legal status, land tenure);
d. Population involved in agriculture (e.g basic demographic characteristics of the holder, holder's household members working in the holding and other workers on the holding during the agricultural year).
e. Farming practices (e.g. fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, source of irrigation, drainage, shifting cultivation); grain stocks; machinery, equipment and agricultural buildings.
6. The agricultural census/sample survey studies the agricultural population consisting of: a. Holders and members of the holder's household engaged in agricultural activities. b. Agricultural workers other than members of the holder's household.
An agricultural census or sample survey covers only the basic characteristics of the population related with agricultural activities on the holdings.
The suggestions contained in these guidelines for such national agricultural census and survey programmes refer specifically to the collection, production and dissemination of data on the population related with agriculture.
The improvements suggested, consider the different aspects of a national agricultural census or survey programme that are related with the production of more adequate sex-disaggregated data such as concepts, definitions and classifications used, questionnaire items, questionnaire construction, instruction manuals, selection and training of field staff, pilot surveys, publicity campaign, field work, tabulation and dissemination of results and post-enumeration survey.
