Improving Agricultural Statistics in the COMCEC Region

Main Agricultural Surveys and Data Sources

Agricultural Censuses:

The last general census of agriculture was conducted as a joint effort

between the Government of Uganda as the funding agency and the UBOS in close collaboration

with the MAAIF were the implementing agencies in 2008/2009.

An Agricultural Module was included in the Population and Housing Census 2002, to collect the

data that would form a basis for constructing an up-to-date and appropriate sampling frame

for Uganda Census of Agriculture (UCA) 2004/2005. Due to lack of financial sources, UCA was

postposed to 2008/2009. The 2007/2008 was the preparatory year. The pre-test was

conducted in 2008. The UCA was planned to cover 80 out of 112 districts at the time and

collect data on various structural characteristics of agricultural holdings. Limited data on

livestock variables was planned to be collected because comprehensive livestock data was to

be collected in a Livestock Census 2008.

A stratified two-stage sample design was used for the small and medium-scale house-hold

based agricultural holdings. At the first stage Enumeration Areas (EAs) were selected with

Probability-Proportion to Size (PPS), and at the second stage, households, which were the

ultimate sampling units, was selected using systematic sampling. The sample size of 3606 EAs

was then allocated to 80 districts following power allocation in which samples are allocated to

different strata with a view to obtain reliable district level estimates while maintaining the

interest of the national level estimates.

Annual, Monthly, Weekly and Daily Surveys:

Although MAAIF and UBOS are very eager to

conduct such surveys, due to constraints in resources there is currently no regular periodical

survey in Uganda.

Other Surveys by the UBOS/MAAIF (Irregular):

Production of agricultural data started in

Uganda during colonial times when the ministry responsible for agriculture established an

Agricultural Reporting Service through which data was administratively reported.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries collected agricultural statistics

through:



The Census of Agriculture 1963/1965;



Follow-up Surveys in 1967/1968 and 1968;



National Census of Agriculture and Livestock (NCAL), 1990/1991;



Two Follow-up Annual Sample Surveys in 1991/1992 and 1992/1993 Agricultural

Years;



The National Livestock Censuses (NLC) 2008; and



The Uganda Census of Agriculture 2008/2009.

MAAIF has gone through a number of restructuring programmes and one of them was as part

of a general policy to divest the government of the role of service delivery, in order to improve

its effectiveness and efficiency. This disrupted the collection and dissemination of agricultural

data in the Ministry through the agricultural reporting system. The extension staff that used to

UBOS, 2014d.

UBOS, 2014.