Census of Agriculture 2018
American Samoa, 2019
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ASM_2018_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS
Census of Agriculture 2018
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| American Samoa | ASM |
Agricultural Census [ag/census]
The U.S. Bureau of the Census conducted the first Census of Agriculture (CA) in American Samoa in 1920, as part of the decennial Population and Housing Census (PHC). Subsequent agricultural censuses were carried out every ten years. Since 2003, American Samoa was included in the five-year agriculture census program with the exception of 2013. The CA 2018 is the twelfth conducted in the territory.
The 2018 census is the twelfth census of agriculture of American Samoa but only the fourth to be conducted strictly as a census of agriculture. The census includes data on the structure of agricultural land, crops and livestock, farm characteristics, labour as well as production expenses, value of agricultural products, use of technology, and fish and aquaculture. The census of agriculture is the leading source of statistics about American Samoa's agricultural production and the only source of consistent, comparable data at the island level, and the 2018 Census of Agriculture of American Samoa provides data on production and value of agriculture both for sale and for home consumption. The data for home consumption reflect the importance of this sector of agriculture in American Samoa, where a majority of households provide a portion of their food needs through agricultural activities that may fall outside the commercial marketplace. Home consumption data are useful for agencies and organizations estimating total economic output.
Census/enumeration data [cen]
Agricultural holdings
Scope
The census scope covered agricultural activities (crop and livestock production) and information on capture fisheries and aquaculture activities carried out by the agricultural holdings.
The questionnaire collected data on:
- Land in Agriculture
- Field Crops, Melons, and Vegetables
- Fruits and Nuts
- Land use
- Livestock and Poultry
- Aquaculture
- Fish and giant clams
- Expenses
- Equipment and facilities
- Practices
Coverage
The CA 2018 covered the entire territory of American Samoa.
Commercial farms, defined as those with sales of USD 100 or more, and non-commercial farms, which are those with less than USD 100 in sales. The farm was defined as any place that raised or produced any agricultural products for sale or consumption.
Cut-off threshold and other exclusions: No threshold was applied.
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| American Samoa Department of Commerce | American Samoa Government | Technical support |
| American Samoa Department of Agriculture | American Samoa Government | Technical support |
| Agriculture, Community and Natural Resources Division | American Samoa Community College (ASCC) | Technical support |
Sampling
The methodological modality for conducting the Census of Agriculture combined complete and sample enumeration methods. All the commercial farms on the list were enumerated with certainty whereas a sample of households was selected from an electric meter list to represent all operations not on the compiled list. The purpose of the second sample was to efficiently account for farms not on the commercial farm list and to provide an accurate measure of the agricultural activity in American Samoa.
In a final effort to improve coverage in the western district, which is more heavily concentrated with agriculture activity, a phase 2 follow-up was aimed at any household found on the electric meter list.
The frame consisted of a list of commercial farms, compiled by the American Samoa Department of Commerce, in cooperation with the American Samoa Department of Agriculture, and the American Samoa Community College - Land-Grant, and supplemented by an electric meter list of the remaining households.
All the commercial farms on the list, which were part of the complete enumeration, were enumerated with certainty. The sample of households from the electric meter list were given a weight equal to the inverse of their probability of selection to the sample. The households from the phase two follow-up of any household found on the electric meter list did not receive a sampling weight.
Survey instrument
A single questionnaire (report form) was used for data collection. The questionnaire covered 16 out of the 23 essential items recommended in the WCA 2020.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2019-05 | 2019-10 |
The reference period is the calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December 2018, for crop production, crop and livestock sales, expense data, etc.
The reference day is the day of enumeration for inventory items such as livestock, poultry, machinery and equipment.
- Paper and Pen Interviewing [papi]
The CA 2018 in American Samoa employed one project manager, one crew leader/supervisor, and approximately 25 enumerators and they received special training in accordance with instructions prepared by NASS. The training included practice in interviewing and filling out the report form plus detailed discussion of the enumerator's instructions.
Data collection was done by means of traditional face-to-face interviews, and the information was collected in paper forms (PAPI method).
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Quality checks included strict field supervision, clerical screening for farm activity, follow-up of nonrespondents, keying and transmittal of completed report forms, computerized editing of inconsistent and missing data, review and correction of individual records referred from the computer edit, review and correction of tabulated data, and electronic data processing. Ten percent of the captured data was keyed a second time for quality control. If differences existed, an adjudicator handled resolution. This was used to grade the performance of the keyers, who were required to maintain a certain accuracy level or receive additional training. The measured error rate for the entire survey was 0.39 percent.
Data processing
The NASS undertook data processing activities. Each report form was reviewed and coded prior to data keying. Report forms not meeting the census definition of “farm” were voided. After review and coding of all report forms, the data were keyed. After the review and keying operations were completed, the electronic files and the report forms were sent to Washington, D.C., where the data were subjected to a thorough computer edit. The corrected data was then tabulated by the computer and reviewed by analysts.
DATA PROCESSING NOTES
Questionnaires collected using the PAPI method were scanned. Optical mark recognition (OMR) was used to capture categorical responses and to identify the other answer zones in which some type of mark was present.
Data appraisal
In CA 2018, efforts were made to measure the error associated with the adjustments for farm operations that were on the list of farm operators, but did not respond to the census report form. This error measurement was developed from the standard error of the estimates at the island level, where appropriate, and we expressed as coefficient of variation (CV). Every estimate has a corresponding CV published with it.
Data Access
Access and use information is set by National Agricultural Statistics Service, Department of Agriculture:
DATA AND METADATA ARCHIVING
Completed report forms were automatically checked in by scanning devices that identified each case by the bar code in the address label of the form. The report forms were then scanned to create images used for data keying. Data from each report was subjected to a detailed computer edit.
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | American Samoa Government | [email protected] | https://www.americansamoa.gov |
| National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) | United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | [email protected] | https://www.nass.usda.gov |
Metadata production
DDI_ASM_2018_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS_FAO
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture | American Samoa Government | Metadata producer | |
| National Agricultural Statistics Service | NASS | United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Metadata producer |
| Statistics Division | ESS | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Metadata adapted for FAM |