Statistics Botswana collects data from commercial farmers and ranchers through the ongoing agricultural census of 2015
GABORONE, BOTSWANA, July 7, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Lillian Setimela, Head of-Communication, Documentation & Dissemination at the country data agency Statistics Botswana said on Tuesday that Statistics Botswana has been in the field all over the country since January 2015 collecting data for the 2015 Agricultural Census. Data collected through the Agricultural Census is used by the Agricultural sector (especially the Ministry of Agriculture)to develop policies and programmes to improve the performance of the agricultural sector in Botswana. This includes technology development and transfer, diversification and commercialization.
Ms Setimela stressed that the success of Botswana’s 2015 Agricultural Census is, dependent on the cooperation that farmers and ranchers will provide. Farmers and Ranchers are therefore urged to avail time to respond to data collectors to make this national project a success. Data collection will be completed in December 2015. The project has been in the field for five (5) months, and has thus far covered about 50% of planned data collection.
A second training for all fieldworkers, supervisors and quality assurance personnel will be taking place in Gaborone, at the University of Botswana from 04 – 10 July 2015. This training is aimed at equipping personnel involved in data collection for the next phase of data collection which will focus on commercial agricultural holdings. Commercial agricultural holdings are on agricultural farms or ranches on freehold land, leasehold land and Tribal Grazing Policy Land (TGLP) on communal land. The first training was conducted in January 2015 in preparation for the first phase of the project which focused on traditional holdings; these are primarily in the rural areas and urban villages. Statistics Botswana provides thorough training before and during data collection to ensure good quality of results for development planning.
The Government of Botswana continues to rely on agricultural censuses and annual agricultural sample surveys of crops and livestock to produce agricultural statistics to inform policy decision-making. Agricultural censuses are conducted every ten years primarily to establish new baseline data and provide a new framework for subsequent annual surveys.
The first Agricultural Census was conducted in 1971, and it focused only on livestock. The first Agricultural Census to cover both crops and livestock was carried out in 1982. The third Agricultural Census was held in 1993, while the last one was done in 2004. All past Agricultural Censuses were conducted by the then Central Statistics Office (CSO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and sometimes with technical assistance from Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) as was the case in 1993.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s vision is to attain food security and global competitiveness for agriculture products. The Agricultural Census provides reliable and quality statistics that enable this vision to be achieved. Statistics Botswana utilizes Statistical Methods and Standards that are globally adhered to in order to provide data that are comparable internationally, thereby enabling the production of competitive agricultural products.
The objectives of the 2015 Agricultural Census are fundamentally the same as those of previous Agricultural Censuses for purposes of comparability, and they are:
i. To provide time series basic information on crop and livestock production and on agricultural farming practice and farm labour,
ii. To provide basic information on agricultural farming practices and farm labour,
iii. To utilise the results and experience from the Agricultural Census in planning for future annual agricultural surveys,
iv. To have a new baseline data at the national and agricultural district levels for use by government decision-makers and other stakeholders.
Ms Setimela stressed that the success of Botswana’s 2015 Agricultural Census is, dependent on the cooperation that farmers and ranchers will provide. Farmers and Ranchers are therefore urged to avail time to respond to data collectors to make this national project a success. Data collection will be completed in December 2015. The project has been in the field for five (5) months, and has thus far covered about 50% of planned data collection.
A second training for all fieldworkers, supervisors and quality assurance personnel will be taking place in Gaborone, at the University of Botswana from 04 – 10 July 2015. This training is aimed at equipping personnel involved in data collection for the next phase of data collection which will focus on commercial agricultural holdings. Commercial agricultural holdings are on agricultural farms or ranches on freehold land, leasehold land and Tribal Grazing Policy Land (TGLP) on communal land. The first training was conducted in January 2015 in preparation for the first phase of the project which focused on traditional holdings; these are primarily in the rural areas and urban villages. Statistics Botswana provides thorough training before and during data collection to ensure good quality of results for development planning.
The Government of Botswana continues to rely on agricultural censuses and annual agricultural sample surveys of crops and livestock to produce agricultural statistics to inform policy decision-making. Agricultural censuses are conducted every ten years primarily to establish new baseline data and provide a new framework for subsequent annual surveys.
The first Agricultural Census was conducted in 1971, and it focused only on livestock. The first Agricultural Census to cover both crops and livestock was carried out in 1982. The third Agricultural Census was held in 1993, while the last one was done in 2004. All past Agricultural Censuses were conducted by the then Central Statistics Office (CSO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and sometimes with technical assistance from Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) as was the case in 1993.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s vision is to attain food security and global competitiveness for agriculture products. The Agricultural Census provides reliable and quality statistics that enable this vision to be achieved. Statistics Botswana utilizes Statistical Methods and Standards that are globally adhered to in order to provide data that are comparable internationally, thereby enabling the production of competitive agricultural products.
The objectives of the 2015 Agricultural Census are fundamentally the same as those of previous Agricultural Censuses for purposes of comparability, and they are:
i. To provide time series basic information on crop and livestock production and on agricultural farming practice and farm labour,
ii. To provide basic information on agricultural farming practices and farm labour,
iii. To utilise the results and experience from the Agricultural Census in planning for future annual agricultural surveys,
iv. To have a new baseline data at the national and agricultural district levels for use by government decision-makers and other stakeholders.
Lillian Setimela
Statistics Botswana
00 267 3671300
email us here
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