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Agricultural pilot census in December

The 2013/14 Namibia Census of Agriculture will collect country-wide data that provide an integrated picture of the agricultural structure of the nation.

The 2013/14 Namibia Census of Agriculture will collect country-wide data that provide an integrated picture of the agricultural structure of the nation.

The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) will conduct a pilot agricultural census from the 01 to 16 December 2013. The pilot census will precede the 2013/14 Namibia Census of Agriculture which is scheduled for February and March next year.
Although the actual survey will take place throughout the country, the pilot survey will only be conducted in five regions, namely; //Karas, Hardap, Zambezi, Ohangwena. Kunene and Otjozondupa. Twenty five enumerators from those regions will be employed to conduct the survey.

According to the Director of Economics Statistics, Ndamona Kali who is also Project Manager of the Agriculture Census, the objectives of the pilot survey is to test the survey instruments such as questionnaires and code lists as well as test the various methodologies for crop area measurement.  “The pilot survey will also test the computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), an interviewing technique in which the interviewer uses a computer to record responses from the respondent,” said Kali.
She added that a pilot is necessary to gather information prior to the census, to improve quality and efficiency. “A pilot by nature should be carried out in selected areas otherwise it ceases to be a pilot. It (pilot study) can reveal deficiencies in the design of instruments or allocation of resources and these can then be addressed before the main census,” Kali noted.
The 2013/14 Namibia Census of Agriculture will be carried out as per the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2019.The last agricultural Census was conducted more than 10 years ago in 1994 and 1995.
The project is funded by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) with a grant of N$4.3million to supplement the government in carrying out the census, which will count crop production, cattle as well as small stock at different farms across the country.
This survey is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.
The information obtained from the Agricultural Census provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every region. Through the census, producers demonstrate the value and importance of agriculture. “This also allows them to have a say and influence the decisions that will shape the future of Namibia’s agricultural sector for years to come” said Kali.
The census will collect country-wide data that provides an integrated picture of the agricultural structure of the nation. This will give the national statistics agency and in turn, the relevant stakeholders, information and a foundation on which to base agricultural policy. The census is expected to provide information on characteristics of land holdings, the structure of agriculture and the social, economic and institutional factors influencing and limiting production.

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