IND_2015_2016_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS DDI_IND_2015_2016_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS_FAO Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare Statistics Division Nesstar Publisher Agriculture Census 2015/2016 IND_2015_2016_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare of the Government of India, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare Nesstar Publisher Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare 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. Structure of Agriculture Land use Crops 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. India The census covered the entire country. Agricultural holdings 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. Census/enumeration data [cen] Pen and Paper Interview [papi] 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.