11th Agriculture Census Launched

Table of Contents

11th Agriculture Census- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Governance, Administration and Challenges- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Recently, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched the 11th Agriculture Census (2021-22) in the country.
Agriculture Census will bring huge benefits in a vast and agricultural country like India, especially by increasing the farmers’ income.

Background: Agricultural Census is being organized quinquennially, since 1970-71 in collaboration with the States and Union Territories as part of programme of World Census of Agriculture.
About: Agriculture Census is a large-scale statistical operation for collection of requisite data and derivation of quantitative information about the structural characteristics of agriculture in the country.
Agriculture Census is conducted every 5 years, and 11th Agriculture Census is being undertaken now after delay due to corona pandemic.
- The field work of agricultural census will start in August 2022.
Conducting Authority: Agriculture Census is organized by Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture.

This is the first time that data collection for agricultural census will be conducted on smart phones and tablets, so that data is available in time.
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.

Agricultural Census is the main source of information on a variety of agricultural parameters at a relatively minute level, such as-
- The number and area of operational holdings, their size,
- Class-wise distribution,
- Land use,
- Tenancy and
- Cropping pattern, etc.
Information obtained through Agriculture Census is tabulated by-
- Different size classes (marginal, small, semi-medium, medium and large) and
- Social Groups including Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes
- These are needed for development planning, socio-economic policy formulation and establishment of national priorities.
Census also provides the basis for development of a comprehensive integrated national system of agricultural statistics and has links with various components of national statistical system.