Toward Cost-Effective Agricultural Censuses: Cross-Country Insights from Latin America
Conference
10th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics
Format: CPS Paper - ICAS 2026
Keywords: 'national statistical system 'official, agricultural census, budgeting, censo2020,, census, census of agriculture and fisheries, census_costs, cost-effectiveness, latin_america, nationalstatistical_system, survey_costs
Abstract
Agricultural censuses are widely recognized as the cornerstone of national agricultural statistical systems, providing detailed structural information every 5 to 10 years and serving as the basis for constructing sampling frames for probabilistic surveys. Yet, during the 2020 census round, only nine countries in Latin America managed to conduct an agricultural census, primarily due to the high cost of these operations. To date, there has been no systematic, cross-country analysis of agricultural census budgets in the region. This paper addresses that gap by drawing on a novel, detailed database of census budget data from five Latin American countries. Beyond estimating average costs, it identifies methods, tools, and operational innovations that can reduce expenditures without compromising data quality. The relevance of this research lies in its potential to strengthen the planning and budgeting of future agricultural censuses in the region. Its findings will provide governments with a practical reference for producing more accurate budget estimates and will support more effective resource mobilization efforts by both national authorities and international partners.