Census of Agriculture 2020
Malta, 2020 - 2021
Get MicrodataIdentification
MLT_2020_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS
Census of Agriculture 2020
CA 2020
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Malta | MLT |
Agricultural Census [ag/census]
Censuses of Agriculture (CAs) were carried out in Malta every year between 1949 and 1954. The next CAs were carried out in 1956, 1960, 1968/1969, 1979, 1982/1983, 2001, 2010 and 2020.
The Census of Agriculture (CA) is a census of all agricultural holdings that takes place every ten years. It is part of an EU-wide programme of agricultural censuses carried out in 2020 under EU Regulation 2018/1091 on integrated farm statistics and conducted under the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (https://www.fao.org/world-census-agriculture/en/). The aim of the CA 2020 is to collect information of the activities that are carried out by the agricultural holdings engaged in local agriculture; as well as to analyze the changes that this sector may have undergone over this span of time. The results of the Census are intended to identify and address specific issues through tailor-made policy measures that concern this sector.
Census/enumeration data [cen]
Agricultural holdings
Scope
The census scope covered agricultural (crop and livestock production) activities.
The questionnaire collected information on:
- Legal Personality and Management of the Holding
- General Characteristics of the Holding
- Land Use: crops, irrigation
- Mushrooms
- Livestock and Poultry
- Animal Housing
- Use and Storage of Manure
- Farm Labor Force
- Agricultural Machinery Equipment
Coverage
The CA 2020 covered the entire country.
The statistical unit was the agricultural holding, defined as a single unit, both technically and economically, that has a single management and that undertakes economic activities in agriculture in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 belonging to groups A.01.1, A.01.2, A.01.3, A.01.4, A.01.5 or to the "maintenance of agricultural land in good agricultural and environmental condition" of group A.01.6 within the economic territory of the Union, either as its primary or secondary activity, as it is stated in the Regulation (EU) No. 2018/1091 of the European Parliament and of the Council on integrated agricultural statistics. Regarding activities of class A.01.49, only the activities “Raising and breeding of semi-domesticated or other live animals” (except for raising of insects) and “Beekeeping and production of honey and beeswax” were included.
Holdings with less than 0.056 ha of Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA) were not included in the CA 2020. The animal housing and manure management module covered agricultural holdings with at least one cattle, pig, sheep, goat, or poultry.
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| National Statistics Office (NSO), Unit of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics (EAF) |
| Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal rights (MAFA), Agriculture Directorate |
Sampling
The CA 2020 was composed of a core module and three thematic modules on labor force and other gainful activities, rural development, and animal housing and manure management. All census data related to the thematic module on rural development were collected directly from administrative registers, which were also used partially for the core module.
The CA 2020 used the Statistical Farm Register, a list frame updated annually. Prior to the census, all available registers from the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Animal Rights (MAFA) were merged, following this process, the updated register was merged for cross-checks with the NSO population database to have the latest contact telephone number of the farmers.
The CA 2020 was conducted on a complete enumeration basis.
Survey instrument
There was one questionnaire in the CA 2020. The questionnaire covered 19 out of 23 essential items recommended in the WCA 2020.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2020-10 | 2021-02 |
Reference day: 30 September 2020, for livestock, animal housing, and machinery.
Reference periods:
- from 1 September 2019 to 31 August 2020, for land variables, permanent crops, irrigation and soil management practices, labor force
- from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020, for manure management
- from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020, for rural development measures
- Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi], Computer Assisted Telephone Interview [cati]
The CA 2020 involved 74 census staff, of which, 70 enumerators, three supervisors and one coordinator.
In the CA 2020, data was collected through CAPI and CATI methods. A letter was sent to the farmers in advance, containing an information brochure with further details about the census and a list of some documents that needed to be prepared in advance for the interview. The following administrative sources were used to acquire information on agricultural land, livestock, and rural development: the organic farm register, the rural development measures, and the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS).
QUALITY ASSURANCE
The NSO ensured the accuracy of data released to the public and prepared clear methodological notes which explain the processes involved in the collection and production of official statistics. The National Statistics Office (NSO) has developed an internal Quality Management Framework (QMF) which is built on the common requirements of the ESS Code of Practice (ESS CoP). A document was prepared to include a set of general quality guidelines spanning all statistical domains. Assuring methodological soundness is an integral part of the QMF, nonetheless, the document covers also areas related to institutional aspects. Every five to seven years, the NSO participates in a peer review exercise, based on a standard self-assessment questionnaire, through which a team of experts assesses its operations' compliance with the ESS CoP principles. Peer Reviews are in fact part of the European Statistical System (ESS) strategy to implement the ESS CoP. Several actions were carried out to minimize non-sampling errors in the CA 2020: pre-testing questionnaire, explanatory notes and handbooks for enumerators and respondents, and training of enumerators to minimize measurement errors; follow-up interviews and reminders to minimize non-response.
Data processing
Supervisors and staff from the Unit of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics (EAF) within the NSO carried out the validation process for data transmission through data format and completeness checks, and comparisons with other domains in agricultural statistics, using Microsoft Access, Excel, and SPSS. A thorough check of completed questionnaires was an integral part of the processing system. Data control started at the collection stage including several in-built validations directly in the system. Once the interviewers submitted the questionnaires through the system, a number of validations were run on the data and, in cases where information was not clear, the interviewer was contacted again to verify the data given by the farmer. In such instances, the interviewer could update the data and resend the respective questionnaire. When the data collected from the census resulted in discrepancies, the respondent was contacted again in order to validate the data provided. Interviewers were able to make corrections to the questionnaire directly on the tablet and insert a comment explaining the correction, after which the interviewer sent the questionnaire back to the office. Besides the interviewers, only the census coordinator was able to do corrections to the data submitted by the interviewer during the validation stage. No imputation was applied.
DATA PROCESSING NOTES
CAPI and CATI methods ensured direct data capture.
Data Access
The data request procedure and the data request form are available at "How to apply for microdata access" at https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/microdata/farm-statistics.
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Unit of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics (EAF) | National Statistics Office (NSO) of Malta | [email protected] |
Metadata production
DDI_MLT_2020_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS_FAO
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics | EAF | National Statistics Office (NSO) | Metadata producer |
| Statistics Division | ESS | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Metadata adapted for FAM |