This document provides information about India's Agriculture Census program, including its history, methodology, and data collection process. Some key points: - India has conducted an Agriculture Census every 5 years since 1970 to collect land usage and crop production statistics. Data is collected through a census of land records plus sample surveys. - The current 2015-16 Census involved a 3-phase process to enumerate all agricultural holdings, collect detailed land use and crop data via sampling, and survey input use. - Challenges include controlling errors from outdated land records and underreporting of tenancy. Innovations for 2015-16 included making schedules clearer and potentially extracting some data directly from computerized land records. - Land statistics

1. Roundtable on
World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020
Bangkok, Thailand
19-23 September 2016
Cyriac George (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare), Nitika
Gupta (NSSO, Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation)
E-mail: c4cyriac@gmail.com, nitika1_gupta@rediffmail.com
AGRICULTURE CENSUS IN INDIA
Technical Session 5: Census Theme 2 - Land
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2. Plan of Presentation
• Historical outline
• Legal basis and Organization
• Statistical Unit & Reference Year
• Methodology, Geographical & Statistical Coverage
• Frame & Sampling Design
• Enumeration period & Data sources
• WCA 2020 & National Census 2015-16
• List of items covered in Last Census-India
• Major Challenges & Innovations for the current Census 2015-
16
• Land Laws, Land Records & Seasonal Crop Enumeration
• Classification of States, Land Use Statistics
• Land Record System
• NSS Rounds on Agricultural Households in India
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3. 3
• Way back in the 16th Century, India was one of the few countries which
has developed a sound system of land records.
• These land records relate to record of ownership of land and season-wise
area enumeration for crops. In turn, these land records became the
basic data source of Agriculture Census Programme in India.
• India participated in the World Census of Agricultural Programme
(WCA) in 1930, 1950 and 1960 through sample surveys carried out by
the Directorate of National Sample Survey.
• The Agriculture Census conducted for the reference year 1970-71 is
considered as the first comprehensive Census of Agriculture conducted
in the country.
• Quinquennial Agricultural Censuses were successively undertaken in:
1976-77, 1980-81, 1985-86, 1990-91, 1995-96, 2000-01, 2005-06 and
2010-2011. The Current Agriculture Census 2015-16 is tenth in the
series.
Historical outline

4. Legal basis and Organization
• All Statistical activities in India are governed by the Collection of
Statistics Act, 2008.
• State and Union Territories Governments are responsible for
undertaking statistical operations in their respective administrations
and the central Government acts as a coordinating agency.
• Responsible agency is the Agriculture Census Division, Department
of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of
Agriculture & Farmers Welfare .
• The Census is funded from the National Budget.
• The Steering Committee, consisting of various stake-holders and
domain experts, guides on technical/administrative issues relating to
implementation of Agriculture Census Scheme.
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5. Statistical Unit & Reference Year
Definition of the Statistical unit (operational holding)
• All land which 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 is a unit of land which is under the same
management and has the same means of production such as labour
force, machinery and animals.
• Operated area includes both cultivated and uncultivated area,
provided part of it is put to agricultural production during the
reference period.
• The reference year is the Agriculture Year (July- June). The data
collection starts after completion of the reference year.
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6. Methodology
For the collection of data in Agriculture Census, a modular approach
of Census-cum-sample survey has been adopted.
• States in the country have been grouped into two categories i.e.
States with land record (covering 91% of the country area) and
States/UT without land records (Non-land record States).
The census data is collected in three phases:
• Phase-I: Complete enumeration of all agricultural holdings in
land record States and in all households of the sample villages
(20 per cent) of non-record States generating a short list of
characteristics such as: number and area according to gender,
social group of holders, types of holdings, size of holdings etc.
• Phase-II: detailed data on land use, irrigation status, tenancy
particulars, cropping pattern, etc. are collected by means of a
sample survey (20 per cent villages)
• Phase-III (Input Survey): relates to collection of data on input
use pattern of operational holdings in the country according to
major data size groups and various crops (based on 7 per cent
villages). 6

7. Geographical & Statistical Coverage
Geographical coverage
• The Agriculture Census covers the whole country.
• Urban areas are generally excluded from the purview of Agriculture
Census, if there is no agriculture activities are going on.
Statistical coverage
• All holdings in Land record States (covering 91% of total land area) in
Phase-I. Samples of operational holdings in the Phase II and III.
• Non-land record States, (Phase-I & Phase-II): sample of 20% of
villages and complete enumeration of households in selected villages.
• Phase III (for all States): Sample of 7% villages and 4 holdings from
each of the 5 size classes are selected.
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8. Frame & Sampling Design
Frame
• In Land record States, the (land) records of ownership of holdings, maintained
by the concerned authority are the base for conducting Phase-I of the Census
operations.
• In non-land record States, a list of land holding households is prepared in 20
percent villages which are same as those selected under the scheme for
Establishment of an Agency for Reporting of Agricultural Statistics (EARAS)
for the reference year of the Census.
Sampling Design
• For Phase-I (Non-land record States) and Phase II (all States), single -stage
sampling schemes where 20% of villages in such Tehsil/Taluka are selected.
• In Phase III, (for all States), a two-stage sampling design where in the first
stage, villages are selected (7% of villages in each Tehsil) and in the second
stage, households are sampled in the selected villages.
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9. Enumeration period & Data sources
Enumeration Period
The current Agriculture Census 2015-16 is carried out in three phases:
◦ Phase-I: July-September, 2016
◦ Phase- II: January-June 2017
◦ Phase-III: July-September 2017.
Data Sources
◦ Census Questionnaires and Census Manuals.
◦ All India Report on Number and Area of Operational holdings
◦ All India Report on Agriculture Census
◦ All India Report on Input Survey.
◦ The Reports, Manual of Instructions & Questionnaires, Technical Notes, Results
etc., are made available on the website agcenus.krishi@nic.in (link at documents,
online databases etc.)
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10. WCA 2020 & National Census 2015-16
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• Data items on Land covered in National Census in
comparison with WCA 2020
• Total area of holding,
• Area of holding according to land use types,
• Location, Area, Land use.
• Area of holding according to land tenure type.
• Additional Items covered
• Area of field/plot on which soil testing has ever done.
 Break up of Geographical area of the village is accounted as,
 Total area operated by the holdings (total for all holdings in the village)
 Area not forming part of any holding (include forest, Area not available for
cultivation - buildings, road, river, land used for non-agricultural activities,
barren land, deserts, mountains, old fallow (more than one year) land etc.

11. WCA 2020 & National Census 2015-16 (contd.)
Sl. No WCA 2020 National Census
For holdings
1. Total area of holding. Covered
2. Area of holding according
to land use types
Accounted in three
categories, viz., Net Area
Sown, Current Fallow and
Area not cultivated.
3. Area of holding according
to land tenure types
Covered.
For each parcel
1. Location, Area, Land use Covered
2. Land tenure, Terms of
rental
Terms of rental-excluded
3. Use of shifting cultivation Not accounted
4. Number of years since Not accounted 11

12. List of items covered in Last Census-India
Total Operated area of holding
◦ Based on the size, the holdings are categorized as Marginal (below 1.00 ha.),
Small (1-2.00 ha.), Semi-Medium (2-4.00 ha.), Medium (4-10.00 ha.) and Large
(10.00 ha. & above).
Land use structure: WCA 2020 & National Census (2015-16)
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Sl. No WCA 2020 National Census
1 Land under temporary crops Net Area Sown
2 Land under temporary meadows and pastures Area Not Cultivated
3 Land temporarily fallow Current Fallow
4 Land under permanent crops Net Area Sown
5 Land under permanent meadows and pastures Area Not Cultivated
6 Land under farm buildings and farmyards Area Not Cultivated
7 Forest and other wooded land Area Not Cultivated
8 Area used for aquaculture ( including inland and coastal
waters if part of the holding)
Area Not Cultivated (If It Is Part of the
Operated Area)
9 Other area not elsewhere classified Accounted as Area not Cultivated if it is
used for Non Agricultural Activities

13. List of items covered in Last Census-India (contd..)
Area of holding according to land tenure types & terms of leasing (Phase-II).
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Sl. No Last Census 2010-11 Current Census
2015-16
1. Fully owned and self-operated -same-
2. Partly owned and partly leased in -same-
3 Fully Leased -in -same-
4 Other (subdivided in: wholly otherwise
operated; partly owned and partly otherwise
operated; partly leased in and partly otherwise
operated; partly owned, partly leased in and
partly otherwise operated).
-same-
5 Area leased-in is divided according to terms of
leasing a) For fixed amount of money; b) Fixed
amount of produce; c) Share of produced; d)
Usufructury mortgage; e) Other terms.
Deleted

14. List of items covered in Last Census-India (Contd..)
Other items of data (related to area / land) covered:
◦ During Phase-I, viz., the listing phase, Operated Area of
Holdings according to prescribed size classes of for different
social groups, types of holdings and gender are collected.
◦ In Phase-II, data on irrigation status, source-wise
irrigation (discontinued for Census 2015-16), Cropped area
(Separate block for Horticulture Crops introduced in 2015-
16) etc. are collected.
◦ In Phase III (Input Survey), data on operated area related
to, parcels, pattern of input use (fertilizer, irrigation,), soil
testing, multiple cropping etc. - for various crops, states and
size group of holders are collected.
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15. Major Challenges
• Controlling of Non- Sampling Errors.
• In India, data for the Census is predominantly re-tabulated from the
village land records. Although these land records are continuously
updated, there are cases, where time lag / delay in recording the
mutations in the records, affecting quality of data.
• Under reporting of tenancy status & leased-in area.
• The key person responsible for collection of data and maintaining the
land records at the lowest level of administration (village) is the
‘patwari’. Pre-engagement of such field staff in other priority works
of the State adversely affects collection of data of the Census
programme.
• Although common unit for reporting of area is hectare for tabulation of
data at higher administrative levels (Tehsil level onwards), at lower
level, the unit of reporting varies from States to State and even within
the State.
• Manual Conversion of area into hectare & rounding off the figures
by field staff ‘make the work cumbersome and are prone to errors.
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16. Innovations for the current Census 2015-16
• Efforts to make schedules more lucid.
• Common data items available through other data sources were dropped
(e.g. Data on village infrastructure, sources of irrigation, data on livestock
etc.)
• Computerize Phase-I data at the village level
• In the last Census, data on number & area of holdings were tabulated from
Tehsil level onwards. Now, it is planned to take up the computerization of
data at the village level (Lowest level of administration) subject to other
relevant criteria.
• Extraction of data using the computerised land records.
• In India, data of land holdings are being computerized. Since, Agriculture
Census is predominantly based on land records, the feasibility of extraction
of data using computerised land records is experimented. 16

17. Land Laws, Land Records & Seasonal Crop
Enumeration
Land Laws
• According to the constitution of India, Land is a State subject.
Land Acquisition Act, The Registration Act, Right to Fair Compensation and
Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act.
Land records & Crop Enumeration
• Land Records accounts for the details of ownership & subsequent
changes / mutations.
• Revenue administrative set-up in the States are responsible for
maintenance of various documents and regular updation: Pedigree Table,
Record of Rights, Mutation Register, Harvest Inspection Register, Abstract of crop
& land utilisation, field maps
• Primary worker( Patwari) is responsible for keeping records at the lowest
administrative level. Principal duties of the village official are assessment
of dues for Land Revenue, recording of mutation of rights (updating records of
right) and collection of area statistics
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18. Classification of States and Land Use Statistics
Nine-fold classification of land:
◦ FOREST (23%): land classified according to act as forest
◦ AREA UNDER NON AGRICULTURE USES (9%) : land occupied by road,
rivers, canals, building etc.
◦ BARREN AND UN-AGRICULTURABLE (6%) : mountain, desert which can
not be cultivated.
◦ PERMANENT PASTURES, GRAZING LAND (3%) : grazing land, meadows
◦ MISC. TREE CROPS (1%) : bamboo bushes, thatching grass
◦ CULTURABLE WASTE (3%): shrubs, jungles
◦ FALLOW LAND (3%) : temporary out of cultivation ( 1 to 5 years)
◦ CURRENT FOLLOW (5%) : cultivable land not sown during current year
◦ NET AREA SOWN (46%) : geographical area sown with crops and orchards
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19. NSS Rounds on Agricultural Households in India
• Decennial Survey: NSS 48, 59, 70Th(Jan-Dec.’13) Round covered
‘Land & livestock holdings, Debt & Investment and Situation Assessment
Survey of Farmers’
•Information collected in the Land and Livestock Holdings survey
could be categorized into (i) land ownership holdings, (ii)
operational holdings and (iii) ownership of livestock.
• 4,529 villages spread over rural areas of all States and UTs were
covered
Information on following parameters is collected:
(1) Particulars of hh land (owned, leased-out, leased-in and otherwise
possessed) (2) Location of land, (3) area (4) duration of possession,
(5) land use during reference period (6) whether irrigated , (7) sources
of irrigation etc. (8) number of livestock, poultry, duckery, etc., owned
by the household etc.
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20. THANK YOU
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