The Census of Agriculture of the Kingdom of Cambodia 2013 (CAC)
On 10th December 2015 in Phnom Penh, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) released the report of the agriculture census 2013, the first ever in the history of the country. The report paints a comprehensive picture of the current agricultural situation in Cambodia. The report includes key findings on the total number and characteristics of agricultural holdings, the types of economic activities performed, the number of households engaged in agricultural activities, the major crops planted by farmers, and the different livestock and aquaculture activities that are operating across the country.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provided technical support to prepare and impliment the census project that was funded by the RGC, Australian Aid, FAO, Sweden and USAID.
Cambodia’s agriculture sector remains a large sector. The census provides up-to-date information to decision-makers including the RGC, Development Partners and NGOs to further develop the sector and adjust policy for improved food security and livelihoods and for poverty reduction.
The Representative of FAO in Cambodia, Ms Nina Brandstrup said: “The census has generated a huge amount of data. These data are available from the National Institute of Statistics and will serve as a valuable resource for research, analysis and debate. The information generated by this work will prove most valuable for guidance of development and for policy formation for the agriculture sector.”
The core module of the census was conducted from April to June 2013. It required as many as 4 500 enumerators and supervisors to complete the fieldwork: a survey of all households in all villages from the 25 provinces and from five selected districts in Phnom Penh. The objective of the census was to identify Cambodians involved in agriculture and to ask each household detailed questions about their crop cultivation, livestock, poultry raising, their aquaculture operations and the structure of the household. The complete census of the agricultural households was followed by very large surveys of almost 100,000 households in late 2013 to provide further detail on the production activities and the structure and economy of the households. The final census report is a result of the compilation of information from both the core module and the supplementary modules.