Census of Agriculture 2023
American Samoa, 2024
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ASM_2023_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS
Census of Agriculture 2023
CA 2023
| 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 2023 is the thirteenth conducted in the territory.
The 2023 census is the thirteenth census of agriculture of American Samoa but only the fifth to be conducted strictly as a census of agriculture. The census includes data on the structure of agricultural land, crops and livestock, farm characteristics, labor 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 2023 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).
The questionnaire collected data on:
- Land in agriculture
- Field crops, melons, and vegetables
- Fruits, nuts, and nursery crops
- Livestock and poultry
- Aquaculture
- Fish and giant clams
- Production expenses
- Equipment and facilities
- Practices
Coverage
The CA 2023 covered the entire territory of American Samoa.
The statistical unit was the farm, defined as any agricultural production unit (called "place" according to the country's terminology) that raised or produced any agricultural products for sale or consumption. Farms were classified as:
a) commercial farms, defined as those with sales of USD 100 or more
b) non-commercial farms, defined as those with less than USD 100 in sales.
Many of the commercial farms produced more for home consumption than for sale, but by virtue of having sales in excess of USD 100 were classified as commercial. This was the same farm definition used in CA 2018, but a broader farm definition than the one used prior to that census. The 1990 farm definition required a minimum of USD 100 in sales, and previous censuses used sales or some minimum number of livestock to qualify as a farm. According to the census definition, a farm is essentially an operating unit, not an ownership tract. All land operated or managed by one person or partnership represents one farm. In the case of tenants, the land assigned to each tenant is considered a separate farm, even though the landlord may consider the entire landholding to be one unit rather than several separate units.
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
For CA 2023, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) compiled a complete as possible list of agricultural production units that met the farm definition. This list included agricultural production units that met the farm definition in CA 2018 and potential agricultural production units provided by the American Samoa Department of Agriculture (ASDC), and the Agriculture, Community and Natural Resources Division of the American Samoa Community College. The list of potential agricultural production units was matched to CA 2018 records using record linkage programs to remove duplicates between lists. This frame was supplemented by an electric meter list of households to efficiently account for farms not on the farm list and to provide a more complete measure of the agricultural activity in American Samoa.
CA 2023 combined complete and sample enumeration methods. All commercial farms were completely enumerated while sampling was utilized for non-commercial farms. This sample was supplemented by a sample of households selected from an electric meter list.
Non-commercial farms on the list were stratified based on the calculated value of sales from the previous census. Sampling rates varied by strata resulting in various weight adjustments applied to responding record in each stratum. The electric meter component included a sample of 1946 households. Since the electric meter component involved sampling, on average, each of the agricultural production units found in the electric meter component represented about four other farms that would not have been included in the list component.
Survey instrument
A single questionnaire (report form) was used for data collection. The questionnaire covered 12 out of the 23 essential items recommended in the WCA 2020.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2024-01 | 2024-10 |
Reference period: from 1 January to 31 December 2023, for crop production, crop and livestock sales, aquaculture, agricultural practices, labor force and expense data
Reference days:
- 31 December 2023, for livestock
- enumeration day, for machinery and equipment
- Face-to-face [f2f]
Data collection was done by traditional face-to-face interviews using the Pen-and-Paper Personal Interview (PAPI) method.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Various measures were taken to control non-sampling errors, such as compiling a complete and accurate list of farmers for the census, designing an understandable report form with clear instructions, training enumerators on how to ask the questions and record the answers on the report form, and minimizing processing errors through the use of quality control measures. An independent quality control process occurred after initial keying where ten percent of the captured data is keyed a second time. If differences existed between the first keyed value and the second, an adjudicator handled resolution. The decision of the adjudicator was used to grade the performance of the keyers, who were required to maintain a certain accuracy level or receive additional training. All captured data whether keyed or transferred from other data collection instruments were systematically checked for errors and were either resolved within the edit or through analyst intervention. In CA 2023, efforts were initiated to measure error associated with the list sample, electric meter sample, and for operations that 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 were expressed as coefficients of variation (CVs), that are displayed in the Quick Stats database and published with every estimate for the CA 2023.
Data processing
The keying staff evaluated the contents and captured pertinent responses. The images and the captured data were transferred to National Agricultural Statistics Service's (NASS) centralized network and became available to NASS analysts on a flow basis. The images were available for use in all stages of review. Captured data were processed through a computer formatting program. The program verified that record identifiers were valid and checked the basic integrity of the data fields. Rejected records were referred to analysts for correction. Accepted records were sent to a computer batch edit process. Each execution of the computer batch edit flowed as the data were received from the National Processing Center. All census records were passed through a computer edit that examined each record for reasonableness and completeness and flagged data items for review. Once keyed, the data from each report form were available to NASS analysts via electronic media, for computer editing and analysis. Data from each report were subjected to a detailed item-by-item computer edit. The edit performed comprehensive checks for consistency and reasonableness, corrected erroneous or inconsistent data; supplied missing data based on similar farms, and assigned farm classification codes necessary for tabulating the data.
Prior to publication, tabulated totals were reviewed by statisticians to identify inconsistencies and potential coverage problems. Comparisons were made with previous census data, as well as other available data. Tallies of all selected data items for various sets of criteria which included, but were not limited to, geographic levels, farm types, and sales levels were reviewed. When necessary, data inconsistencies were resolved. After tabulation and review of the aggregates, a comprehensive disclosure review was conducted using cell suppression to protect cells sensitive to information disclosure. A weight adjustment was completed for nonresponse. Sampling errors were estimated for the sample of non-commercial agricultural production units and the sample of farms from the electric meter list.
DATA PROCESSING NOTES
Questionnaires collected using the PAPI method were scanned by the Census Bureau's National Processing Center. 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. NASS staff on site at the National Processing Center provided technical guidance and monitored the processing activities of the National Processing Center. All report forms returned to the National Processing Center were immediately checked using bar codes printed on the mailing label. All forms keyed were then scanned and loaded into the Feith file cabinet. The images were available for analytical review of the data as well as for archive purposes.
Data Access
Access and use information is set by National Agricultural Statistics Service, Department of Agriculture: https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/quick-stats-agricultural-database
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_2023_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 |