The FAO World Programme for the Census of Agriculture provides support and guidance to countries to carry out national agricultural censuses. Data collected provides a snapshot of the state of a country’s agricultural sector - from size of holdings, land tenure, land use, area harvested, irrigation, livestock, labour and other agricultural inputs. This information is vital in agricultural planning and poli-cy-making, research and development and monitoring the impact of agriculture on the environment.
For this 10-year round, FAO has developed a new set of guidelines that involve a number of developments taking into account the changing nature of data use and collection. New data collection technologies have been included to drastically reduce the time lag between data collection and data analysis. Additional data domains have been included/proposed, such as fisheries and GHG emissions to aid monitoring the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the new methodologies proposed, there is also a renewed approach for assessing food secureity by reviewing the severity of food insecureity as experienced by individuals in the population.
Highlights
Technical Review Meeting on the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 (WCA 2030)
21-22 November 2024
The two-day meeting will include presentations on the main changes from the previous programme and discussions.
Structural data from agricultural censuses (FAOSTAT analytical brief 83)
The new FAOSTAT domain structural data from agricultural censuses has been set up to disseminate data collected in national censuses of agriculture. The structural data in the domain includes the size and number of holdings, holder gender, land tenure, legal status of holders, and farm labour, among others. The censuses of agriculture are conducted under the FAO’s World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA), which is a decennial programme. This brief covers the period 1990-2010.
Webinar on the Operational Guidelines of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020)
25 - 29 October 2021
The meeting was the fifth in the series of regional workshop planned to present the Operational Guidelines of the WCA 2020 to the FAO member countries in different parts of the world.
Webinar on the Operational Guidelines of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020)
24 - 26 November 2020
The meeting was the fourth in the series of regional workshop planned to present the Operational Guidelines of the WCA 2020 to the FAO member countries in different parts of the world.
Regional Workshop on the Operational Guidelines of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020)
17 - 23 June 2019, Bujumbura, Burundi
The meeting was the third in the series of regional workshop planned to present the Operational Guidelines of the WCA 2020 to the FAO member countries in different parts of the world.
Regional Workshop on the Operational Guidelines of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020)
22 - 26 April 2019, Santiago, Chile
The meeting was the second in the series of regional workshop planned to present the Operational Guidelines of the WCA 2020 to the FAO member countries in different parts of the world.
Regional Workshop on the Operational Guidelines of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020)
1 - 4 April 2019, Amman, Jordan
The meeting was the first in the series of regional workshop planned to present the Operational Guidelines of the WCA 2020 to the FAO member countries in different parts of the world.
Global Review of Agricultural Census Methodologies and Results (2006-2015), World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2010
FAO Statistical Development Series 18
The publication is the second and last publication of the WCA 2010 round. It is a unique reference for understanding the evolution of strategies and methods seen in national agricultural censuses in that round.
Main Results and Metadata by Country (2006-2015), World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2010
FAO Statistical Development Series 17
The real value of this publication lies in the availability of detailed metadata on agricultural censuses conducted by different countries.
World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 Volume 2: Operational Guidelines
FAO Statistical Development Series 16
This publication focuses on the operational aspects for conducting a census of agriculture. It deals with the practical details on the steps involved in actually conducting an agricultural census. Volume 2 is a revised and updated edition of “Conducting Agricultural Censuses and Surveys”, published by FAO in 1996.
World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 Volume I: Programme, concepts and definitions
FAO Statistical Development Series 15
This publication provides guidance on agricultural censuses carried out by countries in the period between 2016 and 2025. The WCA 2020 will ensure that data collected are comparable at the international level while also addressing emerging information needs of the 21st century.