Agricultural statistics in Africa

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L I; -, CAS/2. WP/19

ORIGINAL: ANGLAIS

TRADUCTION FRANCAISE EN COURS

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN STATISTICIANS SECOND CONFERENCE

JUNE, 1961 TUNIS, TUNISIA

Provisional Agenda Item No. 5(b)

DOCUMENTS OFFJCE

jlllll? VtJPr

NO TO BE TAKEN OUT

.. ,

Agricultural Statistics in Afrioa

Noto (Submitted. by tho United Nations Food and Agrioultural Organization)

61 - 924

•

., .',. . S\cult:u.ral.,stati.stiClB ,in.Afrioa ^{. , : . ' .'}

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See Appen~fpr .:pa.rt:t~~~~ionq,fOPUDtr1.e's ;in... the 19fC-:W~rld

• Census (If\Agr10u1ture. ./••

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. The priijeot of "the Statistica+.. S1U'vey _o~..~:p;J,oa.;II1J11s.at~e .. ;

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impi'o'Veiilent' cif Vil.ricl1iskinds of l?ta:tistios p.ert!!o'!-ni~~to .t};le .d.;iff§X~:t.

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seotors o't"the economy of Afrioan oQ\IDtJ;'ies. Sinoe agriyul:tur.e iStl!lB.

most"pi'edoiJrl£lirit"'aotivih'

ill mqst'Mri~an oountr:!,es~.it.~~.qnlY

^{to be {,}

llJtpliloted

t~·a.tth.e';1ni.p;0~m~~t ~i a.gri~1llt~e.lsta.tistiOSwiJ,,1

reoeive ""

a high priori-t,¥ in the long-term progr.ll/llDlaS of statis:t1o.al.4.evelopment

.. -: ~l~' . . . . . "!:'.!.."::.:, ..:'" ... ~,.;,:":" ,'. '," ";" ," "-,. . . .

bei~g drawn up 'byindirlCiual countries as reoommended..by the Eoonomj.,c '.

oommiBS:o~'fO~ii~iC~;".

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"%e"pro'gr'aiiime 'of' t'he1960 World Census of .Agrioulture _~ .IliA.""

many

oouht~1estotk~1~bui~Joo;;~~es, s~~~

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t~E1l1l

^'£Q1;,,the ('i""

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f1rst,··tiil'le/·SoDl~other 'oountries are engage4 in censusoP!lrati9~at .;:"

the presS'lii"t1&6 and'

'6th~rs

will f<?llow

~ui t _i~

^{the years.}

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These olfiis-uses 'of ai;;rioulture will provide valuable ill:t;or~a~(iln. ..~..) on the Elt'kO'ttire'ofaQic;.u tt1re"and

~liil

ⁱⁿ

addi u~~~.f~· ';e;labl~C'", informatfl8n':on"\i~f;~~:iH PI~

^a

progr~e

^of

ann~al agri,c~tural.

^{..ui- ,,1}

surveys for·-the construoUon of oomparable s.eri.es on v1U'io~s ^'1.',

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agrioUltural statistics.

'Wi1'

papei'~imk 'to' eumin",rize, i,n, brief the pres~nt !;I.tat1,ls of-.

~'.,.'" ::~..::: ;~ ~'1t : ". , " - . ,

current agricultural statisti~s in Africa and descripe~ t~~.various

methods

uSea

ⁱⁿ coh'eoti~gstatistios on orop s.r\l~~"'O+"0l?rtEililst^.

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Status of'Agrioultural Statistics in Afrioa~

The status of agrioultural statistios ~ a coun~~y is

~ ,- .., ". ' ': +.-': ,- ,~"'': '

directly dep9ndentonthe 'sta-:;us of thegenere.l develoPIllI1~t,o f . . .'

.~.,... :t .._,"' """~..~ ...:,~."--_,, ':-',,:"'.:-.. ,,':' " , 1 - , , '

agricultura

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oountry~ In ooUntrie.s of Et:ro:Pt' _an~ ;N',orth AmeJ.'.1o~, .;

:', t':-- ;.'Ii' ,,;'::~, '". "~1,1 ,:£'~'::,":, ,:' ." . ' " '

where agriouiture is h:J;ghly developed it. follows tha.t. agricuJ,tur.aJ., " . ".

statistios'!Lre aisOhighly

deveiope~:The'.~everse

^oan

ge~erally

^{be .]'v,'}

said of most 'Afi'ioan oou:.>1t:des.·' " . ' , . I.

II.

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CAS/2.WP/19 Page 2

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AfriollZl agrioulture is--Oha.raote;il!led by a sharp distinotion between oommeroialagrioulture of export orops and the traditionaJ.sv.bsis-t.~1Je form of .agriouliure praotioed by millions of Afrioan farmers. There is. in·St-lIle Afrio~ oountries a :f'urtller distinction between the modern agrio~ture often.praotioed·by non~rioans ~d the traditional

Afrioan e,gpioulture. These distinotions have a direot 1l0nsequeno.

on"

the .stana .of statistioa p6rtaining to the different tYJ;ies" of

!gl1io:ulture •

. , ,Look!ng tllrough the a-n.ilable agr:!-oulturlll statistios in

national Otatistioal Yearbooks or Monthly Statietioal Bulletins one finds thatthe.only oomparable· information published relates to the quanti~ llZld value of agricult\ll'al oommoditills entering exte~al^. trade. Produotion of those oropswh!ch are almost entirely exported oan be' obtained from externaltradil statistios or from Published f:l.6Ul'es on purohase, salee or deliveries to appropriate market~' boards. Reliable information on areas li1llZltild to' these" ooimneroial orops is not genez'ally aVailableeioept for sOl!le jjlantation" oHje in some oountries.: Statist:t:os

on'~ea,

;yield and produotion of"

subsistenoe orope are reliable for only very few-Afrioan

~oun~es~

though esUm"tes 01' varyingpred1sion are Iliade

by

I\J1qDIb.rof other oountries •. In some statisUoal pliblioationEiihroiili"tibh' oui.

bll'

^{n,' .-,}

found on the number of animals slli.Ugh1;ered :I.n urt::lll'iait-ea.s~rOJl ,-,,' prioes of oertain agrioul tura.l oommodities in a li'mitild 'cientras'- .',' ,- - But even here the scope and o~a.ge 'il.t'e very' l:l.initli4''N1d~iseiiUi':­

oan not be made for any' length

of

_pe~iod.

In some AtrioQzloountries very detailed statistios' o'an be found'ion thestruotiu'e 61'- non...urioiin agrioulturej,For instance one oan,findqua.ntitaUtei:iformat10n on the n~'ber ^{and s1zee}

of agrioulturaJ. hohtingli, 'forms of lana. tenure under whioh holding, .. ' of various sizes are operated, land utilil!lati~n,^'orop

areas

^'llZld

produotiol)\~,use "qi:.:fa,rll! lIlaoh1nerytagri~~ ..laboUrt" oapital expenditure, etc... But even for'1:h.eS8 oOUl1tries the 'aV'!Lt1able

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, stat.istiQS ontb,e out put of ..A:frioan farmers is almost non-existant

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.tQ;:S~ynothing ab'out the struoture of African farming.

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" , , ' . ' ; ' Cl," I ,,'Foreoa.stsof produotion of sOlIleinQ.ustrial or()j?~ !lite ~saued in

. ,. ,. som.J'lJountriesbut similar statistioson food orops._. ':.;;."

are

^{almo~t entirely}

la&¥tng.very few detailed studies have been oarried out in Afrioa to

"ProVide' ao~ata'ii1_till,vieal data on eoonomios of farming, oest. of

pi.Od.'i1otion'rpot'~rinal'

^{inorease in} agrioultural prod\\otion,eto••

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:fiT~llethcias

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df CoJie'ctinti~

^Our1'ent

^A6rigul

tural Statistios

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Reliab11i11y of statistios,depend to a great'extent an the method blwhi'oh' tD.ey'areOOJ.],S01;IilO,. In the great majority ·of Afriolll1

..»"J" ,,-- r: . t r 1 e s the"

m~thod

of poil'-tal. enquiry is neither praotioable nor dependable. Even ..±nterv:l.ewing'the farmers themselvesdoas nl't .always res\\lt.:iri aOcUrate information on items suoh as crop !!o1'eas IU1dyields • .IIl moat of: the reoelltagrio\\ltura.l surveys these items _hB;ve~ b.een

estimate'd by' ojeotive teohniques such as area measurement ,and

" , } , ' d" or,op-outting. The great majority of .annual statistios oil: orop ¥'oeas

B:nd produotion are '110"0701' oompiled on the basieof oatica.,tea, supplied

r "'by regional and distriot offioials either a,ilministrators, BiFia,ultural offioers or extension agents. Suoh information is us~y obt.~ed

thro\\gh eye estimation and personal judgement and some timeE!;a.djusted on basis of talks with looal farmers. In the method of representive villages, orop areas and produotion are objGotiveiy mea.sured for all the farms in a few viilages considered as representative efthe

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oOUntry and the ohanges studied from year to year. In soma oountries siati~ticsonarea and produotion of crops and live-stook n~bers are obtalned as

bye-prOd\\~ts

of the system of oolleoting' agriCUltural

.~^{- - ' , ,} ' ^{' . '}..~^{..' . ,' , ' , . '}

taxes~ Veterinary.de~a.rtmentsin some oountries estimate livestook llumbers oti basis of~aooination_{. .} reoords or through registers of oattle

dipping oentres. AXm\\B.l head count of oa.ttle

is

also oarried out in

',;':'c some places. Indire'ot estimates of agrioultural :produotion lizld''-;'"

oonsumption for pnrposes of national inool!le' oa.lO\\lations or 'flnf~ ~

• " obtaining estimates of

aVailabilit~

of food il\\Pplle's,

~i."~:~ot~On

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CAS/2. WP/19 Page 4. "

;:' 'of't6<id:baianoe sheets; eto,. a±e a1sd'maa.e

tor a

number of oouJrtries.

"IV~ell!1Pl'o'VElmcnt,of Basio and Current, Agri0ultural Statistios

"'c,U,,:, ,Jt will be evident frolll the foregoing ,seotions that the,

~,: :'~avat1l!>b1e ag:L'ioult=a1 Iiltatistios in Africa leave much to be desired 'j",both f:romthElPoint 0,1' view of coverage andreliabilit;r. In'mos1;

llPl2ntr1es'tll-e avai1ab;J.e statistiosre1ate primarily to extlU'nal trade and the pr~~!lipa1 oash ,orope. These,statistios,ma;r ha'VEl appear,d to

_ , _ " , " . _ . , , , . • _ . .__ . " . . . . J.. +.. •. .--

ll~' a4equliLt,e':until very recently. Bu.t with the ooming of, independence

/~" tq:,e'&Qh O!3:untryembarks on its development plans it wants to know

!lIPre, abou'l< its ag:L'ioultural resouroes so that it oan 'plan to~ov:I.de ,,:i~tternutritional standard to ite P9ClP1e and meet thegronng<dilrilands

of',i!,;ts rapidly increlLsing and ohanging population. Est.b:l1sh!nent of food ?lones and assessing nutritional deffiClienoies for' forlll1,1lating nutritional education programmes are also dependent on the availability ,.,of reliallle and timely statistios. 'The desire tCl mo'VEl frClm s\lbsistlll1ce

eoonomy to a market fClrm of eCClnClmy,' the ohanging patterns of ~()'Pping

,and farming syste!!llil, gradual reduotion of tribal ag:L'ioulture, eto.

:"make it imperative ,for Governments to have more and better !!>g1'ioultural

"I!tatistios on time. '

The need for illlprovement ,is greatest for statistios on.food

.;"" ....,:..:...::.,

,,{ <l;'ops whi<?h., have reoeived relatively 11 ttle attention due to _l~~

greater eoonomio interest about oas~ orops. Although the overall

; -; .., ';" - . ';. ;!"",:,

population density in Afrioa is only about

7

per square kilqmeter,

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tlle:r;oe !!-1's se'VEl!'al large rura.l area.s which are very denSely populated.

Shortages of ,partioular food ooccr from time to time in sc~tter.ed regions and the, "hungq season" is badly kno~. Tl!e oomplaoenay- re,garding food stiuation in, Afrioa is not, therefore completely.,

•. ' .',:.'1.';-"""'. " . " . _ ' :",.- : ',':;"', •..,.;-:-.~ , " " _.

justified. In this _cc~eOtion it may be noted that ,aooording to

" ...' :):.1"t '! " :' ''-' ,; . ' ' '~ . ' . , ' .' "'.~'":. . . . . , . '. ,-

the.FAO food production inrecen1; years has not kept pa.Cle with the

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ra.1;e.Qf.growth,Qf pcpulation and 1;he per caput fooq prod~ion in

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1959/60' .

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5.

is e~timatedi6'15~ActU:lilY'lower than in·tKe prewaryee.:L's.'J'u1'thIU! '

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the improvement in health standards 1s1iltely to inorease,the: ,^ll:\ate':, of growth of population in the 'yearsto'corilEi: It-l$therefore a-the' interest of countries to take stook of their food situation and

determine where and how food is produoed and consumed so that the

necessary steps oan be taken to meet the challenge of the coming years.

It is not enough to have statistios on areas planted to

individual food crops and their produotion for the oountry as a whole even if these oould bEl obtained from taxation or other reoords or

through.the oonduot of household expenditure surveys. What is needed

is a detailed set of figures whioh would permit the study of relation- ehips between a variety of faotors suoh as crop yields, forms of land

tonure-. d1stJ:1buUon of E1izo of holdings, use of farm implements,

availabili ty of agricultural labour, etc!. Moreover for the 1Clpl4montGtion

~f extension polioies and formulation of agrioultural development sohemes it beoomes neoessary to have statistios for separate a administrativa sub-divisions of the oountry or for various agro-

ecologioal zones or even for different soil types.

In

order to meet the growing food requirements of the Afrioan population, it is essential to know not only the present produotion but also the potential inoreases that oan be brought about by the introduotion of improved agrioultural praotioes such as use of

better seeds, fertilizers, inseotioides, eto •• Experiments oonduoted at scattered rSEoarch stations provide useful results but these are rarely applioable to the whole region or country served by the particular station. It beoomes neoessary to layout a large number nf experiments on the oultivators' fields by the survey method' of experimentation so that the treatments to be studied are

superimposed on the oultivators' normal praotioes of pre.,aring the land, sowing, oultivation, harvesting, etc._. It is only ⁰⁾¹ the basis of such sta.tistioal inform.a.tio!1.. that input output stwd1es oan be

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CAS/2,.VP/19 Page 6

oa.rried: out toena.ble' poli:oy makers to allooate realistioally the Government' s

mea~e"resouroes

^Mlong

Vl!ori~uiJ

^kinds

-~t "proje~ts

. 1 · ; ' ^{for the}

improwment

ot

agr'1eultuz:al produotion•

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APPENDIX

•

1960 World Census of Agriculture Censuses and Surveys Conducted and planned

1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963

Angola x

Basutoland

~

^x

Bechuanaland

-;}.I

^x

Camerouns

xY

Central African Rep. ^x

Chad

y)I

_x

Congo (Brazzaville)

;y)/

_x

Dahomey x

Gabon x

Ghana x

Ivory Coast

;y)/

_x

Kenya

xl! xl!

^x

_~ :r:1l

Liberia x

Libya x

/{ta.dagascar x

Mali x

Horocco x

Mozambique

~

^x

Niger x

Nigeria x

Northern Rhodesia

Xi! Xi! ^Y)J :r:1l

^x

Nyasal and x

Senegal

xl! xl!

^x

:r:1l

Southern Rhodesia x

Sudan x

Swaziland x

Tanganyika

:r:1l xl! xl!

Togo

~

^x

Tunisia ^x

Union of South Africa x x x x x x

United Arab Rep~blic x

w Upper Volta x

11 •

Census of non-African agriculture only

y.

^In northern and central Camerouns

JI

Pilot agricultural survey

--_._"._,.--_.- _.-