Census of Agriculture 2018
Northern Mariana Islands, 2019
Identification
MNP_2018_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS
Census of Agriculture 2018
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Northern Mariana Islands | MNP |
Agricultural Census [ag/census]
The first Censuses of Agriculture (CA) in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands was conducted in 1970, in conjunction with the decennial population census. This practice was continued in 1980 and 1990. In 1998, the agricultural census was conducted separately from the population census for the first time by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). CA 2002 and CA 2007 were the fifth and sixth in the series respectively. These censuses were synchronized with the quinquennial programme of agricultural censuses followed in the United States of America. CA 2018 also follows the programme on the same five-year cycle used for the main agriculture census of the United States of America and was the seventh agricultural census.
The census of agriculture is the leading source of statistics about the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands' agricultural production and the only source of consistent, comparable data at the island level. Census statistics are used to measure agricultural production and to identify trends in an ever-changing agricultural sector. The census includes data on the structure of agricultural land, crops and livestock, farm characteristics, as well as production expenses, value of agricultural products, use of technology, and aquaculture.
Census/enumeration data [cen]
Agricultural holdings
Scope
The census scope covered agricultural activities (crop and livestock production), and aquaculture.
The questionnaire collected data on:
- Land in agriculture
- Root crops
- Vegetables and melons
- Fruits, nuts, and nursery crops
- Land use
- Irrigation
- Livestock
- Poultry
- Aquaculture
- Value of sales
- Production expenses
- Equipment
Coverage
The Census of Agriculture 2018 covered the entire territory of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
The statistical unit was the farm, defined as any place from which USD 1000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the calendar year 2018. The farm definition is the same definition used for the rest of the United States of America. According to the census definition, a farm is essentially an operating unit, not an ownership tract. Therefore, 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 my consider the entire landholding to be one unit rather than several separate units.
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Commerce (DC) | Office of the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | Recruitment and training of local officers and field staff, and supervision of local administrative matters |
Sampling
The frame of the Census of Agriculture 2018 consisted of a list of farm operators compiled by the Department of Commerce of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
The census was a complete enumeration of all farms from the frame which met the cut-off threshold. Namely, it included all holdings that produced and sold agricultural products worth USD 1000 or more, or that would have normally sold this amount during the 2018 calendar year.
Survey instrument
A single questionnaire (report form) was used for the Census of Agriculture 2018. The questionnaire covered 15 out of the 23 essential items recommended in the WCA 2020.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2019-04 | 2019-06 |
Reference day:
- Day of enumeration for inventory items such as livestock, poultry, machinery, and equipment.
Reference period:
- From 1 January to 31 December 2018, for crop production, crop and livestock sales, expense data, etc.
- Face-to-face paper [f2f]
Data for the Census of Agriculture 2018 was collected via face-to-face interviews through pen and paper personal interviews (PAPI). The census operation employed one project manager, one crew leader/supervisor, and eight enumerators, who 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.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Quality checks included strict field supervision, clerical screening for farm activity, follow-up on non-respondents, keying and transmission of completed report forms, computerized editing of inconsistent and missing data, review and correction of individual records identified by the computer edit, review and correction of tabulated data, and electronic data processing.
An independent quality control process occurred after the initial keying where ten percent of the captured data was 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. The measured error rate for the entire survey was 0.39 percent.
In the Census of Agriculture 2018, efforts were initiated to measure the error associated with adjustments for farm operations that were on the list of farm producers but did not respond to the census report form. The error measurement was derived from the standard error of estimates at island level, where appropriate, and was expressed as a coefficient of variation at the island level. Every estimate has a corresponding coefficient of variation published with it and they are also displayed in the Quick Stats database.
Data processing
NASS undertook the data processing activities. Each report form was reviewed and coded prior to data entry. Reports for individuals or establishments not meeting the census farm definition were excluded. The remaining report forms were examined for accuracy, consistency and completeness.
After all report forms had been reviewed and coded, the data were keyed and subjected to a thorough computer edit. The corrected data were then tabulated by the computer and reviewed by analysts. Prior to publication, tabulated totals were reviewed by analysts to identify inconsistencies and potential coverage problems and trend discrepancies.
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 Commerce (DC) | Office of the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | [email protected] | http://commerce.gov.mp |
| National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) | United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | [email protected] | https://www.nass.usda.gov/ |
Metadata production
DDI_MNP_2018_CA_v01_M_v01_A_ESS_FAO
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Commerce | DC | Office of the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | 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 |