National Agriculture Sample Survey Timor Leste Experiences Roundtable Meeting on Programme for the 2010 Round of Censuses of Agriculture - Apia, Samoa 9-13 March By Octavio da Costa Monteiro de ALMEIDA Timor Leste

Introduction A.Actual Agriculture situation - Timor-Leste is predominantly an agrarian country, with 1,047,632 people in an area of 15,000 sq km. - More then 80 percent of the population live in rural areas and 85 percent of them are small- scale farmers. - Agriculture sector holds the key to the overall development of the country by providing food security and income in rural areas.

Introduction country has no formal agricultural Census after restoration of independence in 2002,. Lack of data to support government police and planning. In 2004 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries encouraged the data collection through sample surveys in 13 district.

Data collection experience National Agriculture Sample Survey (NASS) in 2007 and In 2004 MAF with FAO Technical Cooperation Project, initiated the strengthening of the capacity of the Ministry to plan, conduct, and analyze agricultural statistics surveys. - It was the objective of the FAO Technical Cooperation Project, TCP/TIM/3001, “Development of an Agricultural Statistics System” and included the collection of multiple purpose data about the food and agriculture sector.

- Originally to take place in all districts of Timor Leste in 2006, but the NASS was delayed when fragile condition in the country limited the possibilities to collect data in all districts. The coverage of the survey was reduced to five Districts. - In 2007 the first phase of the survey was undertaken in 5 districts. - The second phase of the survey was carried out in 2008 in the 8 remaining districts.

Objectives of the 2007 and 2008 NASS To provide baseline information that will serve as inputs to the strategic plans and programs of the government in agriculture; and To provide agriculture data to the private entities, investors as well as to the farmers for the development and improvement of this sector.

Specifically, this survey aims: To determine the structure and characteristics of the crop holding/farm, livestock and forestry-related activities; To determine the number and distribution of household engaged in crop farming and/or livestock raising and/or forestry-related activities at the district level; To provide data on the farm area, quantity of the crops harvested and livestock kept and tended, which are indicators for food security and early warning activities; and To provide information on how the farm households cope up with food shortage.

Survay Design The surveys was to collect sample data from five and eight districts, respectively. A questionnaire was developed and tested prior to the survey. Training materials for supervisor and enumerator manuals were prepared. Villages were selected randomly for enumeration. A listing form was designated for identification of agricultural household in the selected villages. A brief training manual was written and training was carried out with enumerators. Conducted listing activities On the basis of the results, a ten percent sample of all agricultural households was selected.

Collection of survey questionnaires was initiated in mid August and completed at the end of September (2007 NASS) and at the end of October (2008 NASS). Two separate data entry systems (both in ACCESS) were developed and tested. Coding and editing data entry started in September for the 2007 NASS and in early November for the 2008 NASS.

Methodology 2004 Censuses of population and housing were used as a basis for the selection of a twenty-five percent sample of the villages based on the number of households in the village. All households in the selected villages were enumerated with the questionnaire during the listing phase. The list of all agricultural households in the selected villages of the districts became the sampling frame for the district. A ten percent of sample selected, a random number between one and ten was used to select sampled household and then every tenth household afterward became a sample household (e.g., if the random number was 4, then household 4, 14, 24, 34, etc became part of the sample). Each sample household was interviewed with the full questionnaire by trained enumerators.

Information collected in NASS 1. Characteristics of farm household members Relation to head, age, sex, highest education, main activity and participation in agricultural tasks. 2. Characteristics of the farm parcels Area and location distance of the parcel to the residence of the farm operator, slope category, main use, tenure and type of irrigation. 3. Annual crops on land used by the households Name of crops planted, estimated total area harvested, total production and estimated production remaining to be harvested. 4. Perennial crops on land used by households Name and area of the perennial crops, approximate number of trees/shrubs/plants per hectare, percentage of productive trees, total production and estimated production remaining to be harvested.

Continuation 5. Livestock Number of livestock owned and kept/tended by the household and/or number owned but kept/tended by other relative(s)/household(s); and number of livestock born alive during the past 12 months. 6. Farm technology and practices Technology used, use of inputs, name of crops in which the input was applied, name of varieties of seeds/seedlings, hired workers, engaging in team work, hiring for payment services of cattle or buffalo for peddling, and using services of livestock workers to treat livestock with diseases or other problems. 7. Farm implements and equipment used Type and number of implements owned, type and number of equipment, whether rented or not and approximate cost of renting the equipment

Continuation 8. Other activities Type of forest products gathered/harvested, purposes of gathering/ harvesting, tools/equipment used in cutting trees, type of forest trees/ palm/bamboo/rattan planted and sources of seedlings 9. Sufficiency of staple food crops (Rice, Maize, Cassava and Sweet Potato) - Staple food crops that grew in the last cropping season, quantity of rice and/or maize sold in the last harvest, - quantity of stocked rice and/or maize from the last harvest that is expected to be sold before the next harvest, quantity of rice and/or maize that have been stored up, - quantity of rice and/or maize bought after the last harvest, - rice and/or maize seeds for the next cropping season and basis for selecting seeds for the next cropping

Issues and Challenges The major issues emerging during the survey included measurement of areas, local production units (variety of containers for production and need for research to determine appropriate conversion units), quality and capacity of enumerators and supervisors to ensure quality of data collection further issues were consistency of editing and coding of questionnaires when returned to headquarters; poor capacity in data design and data Analysis

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