Context: Recently, Union Agriculture Minister launched the eleventh agricultural census to collect data on various parameters, including operational holdings. 

• For the first time, the data will be collected through smartphones and tablets.

About Agriculture Census

• The agriculture Census is conducted every 5 years.

• Purpose: The agricultural census is the main source of information on a variety of parameters, such as the number and area of operational holdings, their size, class-wise distribution, land use, tenancy and cropping pattern, etc.

• The first Agriculture Census was conducted in 1970-71. The Tenth Agriculture Census was conducted in 2015-16 and the 11th Census was delayed due to the corona pandemic.

Objectives

• Describing the structure of agriculture through statistical data on operational holdings, operated area, land utilisation, live-stock, Agri-machinery, use of fertilisers, etc.

• Providing benchmark data needed for formulating new agricultural development programmes and for evaluating their progress.

• Providing a basic framework of operational holdings and its characteristics for carrying out future agriculture surveys.

• To lay the basis for developing an integrated program for current agricultural statistics.

How will the 11th Agriculture Census be conducted?

• The fieldwork of the 11th agricultural census will start in August 2022. 

• This is the first time that data collection for the agricultural census will be conducted on smartphones and tablets so that data is available in time. This will help in the faster and more accurate enumeration.

It includes

• Use of digital land records like land title records and survey reports

• Collection of data through app/software using smartphone/tablet.

• Complete enumeration of all villages in states with non-land records during Phase-I as done in states having land records.

Significance

• Real time monitoring of progress and processing.

• Most of the States have digitized their land records and surveys, which will further accelerate the collection of agricultural census data.

• The use of digitized land records and the use of mobile apps for data collection will enable the creation of a database of operational holdings in the country.