Agriculture Census 2015/2016
India, 2016 - 2017
Identification
IND_2015_2016_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS
Agriculture Census 2015/2016
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| India | IND |
Agricultural Census [ag/census]
India participated in the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA) 1930, 1950 and 1960 through sample surveys carried out by the Directorate of National Sample Surveys in 1929/1930, 1954, and 1960/1961, respectively. The 1970/1971 census is considered the first comprehensive Agricultural Census to be conducted in the country. Quinquennial censuses were successively undertaken in 1976/1977, 1980/1981, 1985/1986, 1990/1991, 1995/1996, 2000/20011, 2005/2006 and 2010/2011. The tenth census in the series is the 2015/2016 census.
The Agricultural Census provides crucial information on the structure of agriculture which is a key sector for the Indian Economy. The data collected by the census provides valuable inputs for policymaking and allows for the monitoring of changes in the agricultural sector over the years.
Census/enumeration data [cen]
Agricultural holdings
Scope
The census scope covered agricultural activities (crops and land utilization).
The questionnaire for operational holdings collected information on:
- Identification block
- Area operated by tenancy
- Land utilization
- Crop-wise area
Coverage
The census covered the entire country.
The statistical unit was the operational holding, defined as an entity comprising all land that is used wholly or partly for agricultural production and is operated as one technical unit by one person alone or with others, without regard to the title, legal form, size or location. A technical unit was defined as the unit that is under the same management and has the same means of production, such as labour force, machinery, animals, credit, etc. The operated area includes both cultivated and uncultivated area, provided that a part of it is put to agricultural production during the reference period.
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare of the Government of India, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare |
Sampling
The states in the country were grouped into two categories: land record (LR) state and non-land record (NLR) state. In LR states, the revenue agency maintains the record of ownership of holdings and regular crop inspections are carried out. The procedure for selecting holdings to be enumerated differed in LR and NLR states.
The census was conducted in three phases, with phases II and III collecting more detailed information as described under Questionnaires.
Phase I was carried out using complete enumeration in LR states, which cover 91 percent of total land area of the country, and two-stage sampling in NLR states/union territories (UTs). In NLR states, at the first stage, 20 percent of villages were selected by simple random sampling without replacement from each tehsil. At the second stage, sampling was applied for holdings other than institutional in states where the selected villages have a large number of holdings. All the institutional holdings in the selected village were completely enumerated.
Phase II was carried out using two-stage sampling in both LR and NLR states/UTs. At the first stage, 20 percent of villages were selected randomly and without replacement. At the second stage in LR states, all holdings in selected villages were completely enumerated. Whereas in NLR states/UTs, only the institutional holdings in the selected villages were completely enumerated. The non-institutional holdings were sampled by first arranging them in ascending order and then by systematic selection of 25 percent of holdings from each size class - with a separate random start for each size class in a social group.
Phase III was carried out using two-stage stratified sampling, where tehsil/CD Blocks constituted the strata. At the first stage, 7 percent of villages already selected for Phase II were randomly selected. At the second stage, all holdings were grouped into five size groups (below 1 ha, 1 to 1.99 ha, 2 to 3.99 ha, 4 to 9.99 ha, 10 ha and above) and a simple random sample of four operational holdings was selected for each group.
Survey instrument
The census used three questionnaires, one for each of the three phases of the census:
- In Phase I of the census, data were collected on primary characteristics such as number of operational holdings and area operated by different size class (marginal, small, semi-medium, medium and large), social groups (scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and others), gender (male/female), types of holding (individual, joint and institutional)
- In Phase II, the holding schedule was canvassed in selected 20 percent villages in each tehsil for collecting detailed data on tenancy particulars, land use, irrigation status, cropping pattern and dispersal of holdings, etc. The estimates of agricultural characteristics of operational holdings were prepared at tehsil, district, state and national levels.
- Phase III (referred as Input Survey) was conducted as a follow up survey to the census to collect data on input use patterns of operational holdings in the country.
The Agricultural Census 2015/2016 covered 10 out of the 23 essential items recommended in the WCA 2020.
Data collection
| Start | End | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-07 | 2016-09 | Phase I |
| 2017-04 | 2017-06 | Phase II |
| 2017-07 | 2017-09 | Phase III |
Reference day: Not applicable.
Reference periods:
- from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 (agricultural year 2015-2016), for information collected during Phase I and Phase II
- from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 (agricultural year 2016-2017), for information collected during Phase III
- Pen and Paper Interview [papi]
Census activities involved in total: about 143 500 enumerators (primary workers) and supervisors from 36 states UTs.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
All filled-in questionnaires were manually scrutinized by the statistical staff before they were submitted for data entry. The data entry and processing software included checks of census data for inconsistencies and mismatch.
Data processing
An in-house software was developed for census data entry and processing. Data entry, data validation and error correction, the generation of trial tables, and the generation of final tables and their examination by States or UTs took place according to the three phases of the census.
Data Access
For additional information on data access and use, please contact the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://agcensus.nic.in/
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare | Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare of the Government of India | [email protected] | http://agcensus.nic.in/ |
Metadata production
DDI_IND_2015_2016_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS_FAO
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare | Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare of the Government of India | Metadata producer | |
| Statistics Division | ESS | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Metadata adapted for FAM |