2019 – Posted in: Press Information Bureau

Agriculture Census

(Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare)

WHAT

As per the Agriculture Census, the percentage of female operational holdings in the country has increased from 12.78 per cent during 2010-11 to 13.78 per cent during 2015-16.

CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE

A census of agriculture is a statistical operation for collecting, processing and disseminating data on the structure of agriculture.

AGRICULTURE CENSUS

The Census conducted at an interval of every five years by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare.
Government of India has been conducting comprehensive Agriculture Census as a part of the World Agriculture Census Programme.
The first comprehensive Census was carried out with Agriculture year 1970-71 as the reference.
The Census is carried out by the States/Union Territories.
The overall technical and administrative support is provided by the Ministry of Agriculture.
It is a Central Sector Scheme being financed completely by the Government of India.
The fieldwork is carried out by the Primary Reporting Agencies of the Revenue Departments in most of the States.
For the collection of Census data, the States have been grouped into two categories viz., the Land Record States and the Non-Land Record States.
Twenty-two state/UTs fall in the category of Land record states.
Thirteen state/UTs fall in the category of Non-Land record states.
The current Census with the reference year 2015-16 is tenth in the series.
Agriculture Census Scheme was converted from a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme to a Central Sector Plan Scheme in 2007-08.
100 per cent financial assistance is provided to States/ UTs for payment of salaries, office expenses, honoraria, tabulation and printing of schedules, etc.

OBJECTIVE

Purposeful planning at the micro/macro level
Decision-making in agriculture
Formulation of any meaningful and effective strategy for agricultural development
Detailed data on the structure of agricultural holdings

WORLD CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE

The International Institute of Agriculture conducted the first Programme for the World Census of Agriculture (WCA) in 1930.
Beginning with 1950, the FAO of the United Nations has been preparing and advocating decennial World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA).
Under the leadership of FAO, country participation in the WCA programme has been increased over time.
The present round of the Census programme (WCA 2020) covers agricultural censuses to be carried out by countries between 2016 to 2025.

Source: PIB

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