Agriculture Census 2019

Samoa, 2020

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Reference ID

WSM_2019_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS

Producer(s)

Samoa Bureau of Statistics, Economics Statistics Division, Government of Samoa, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Metadata

Documentation in PDF DDI/XML JSON

Study website

Created on

Sep 28, 2026

Last modified

Sep 28, 2026

Identification

Survey ID number

WSM_2019_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS

Title

Agriculture Census 2019

Abbreviation or Acronym

AC 2019

Country

Name	Country code
Samoa	WSW

Study type

Agricultural Census [ag/census]

Series Information

The first Agricultural Census in Samoa was conducted in 1950, and it was followed by censuses conducted in 1989, 1999, 2009, and in 2019.

Abstract

The aim of the Agricultural Census is to provide structural data on agriculture such as farm size, cropping patterns, farm labour, and the use of farm machinery and inputs. Conducting censuses every ten years provides the opportunity to monitor long-term changes in the agriculture sector which remains at the forefront of economic growth in Samoa and is key to ensuring food security, income generation and enhanced export capacity. The Government of Samoa gives priority to providing high quality agricultural statistics to help policy makers, planners and stakeholders to guide the sector in its efforts to monitor short-term and long-term performance.

Kind of Data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Unit of Analysis

Agricultural holdings

Scope

Notes

The census scope covered agricultural (crops and livestock) and fishery activities.

The questionnaire collected information on:

Household composition
Land
Crops
Livestock
Fisheries
Equipment
Labour
Other information

Keywords

Structure of Agriculture Land use Crops Livestock and Poultry Labor in the Agricultural Sector Fisheries Machinery and Equipment

Coverage

Geographic Coverage

The Agriculture Census 2019 covered the entire country.

Universe

The statistical unit for the Agriculture Census data collection was the agricultural holding, defined as an economic unit of agricultural production under single management comprising of all livestock kept and all land used wholly or partly for agricultural production purposes, without regard to title, legal form or size. The holding's land consists of one or more parcels, located in one or more separate areas.

Three types of agricultural holding were considered in the Agriculture Census 2019:
1. Agricultural household
2. Joint family holding
3. Institutional holdings: these holdings include churches, government organizations, and commercial farmers

The following minimum size limits were set for households engaged in agricultural activity:
- 0.05 ha, that is, one eighth of an acre, of any crop
- 20 coconuts or banana trees
- 20 other trees

Households living in institutional housing such as hotels and boarding schools were excluded from the census.

Producers and sponsors

Primary investigators

Name
Samoa Bureau of Statistics, Economics Statistics Division
Government of Samoa, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries

Sampling

Sampling Procedure

The census frame for the agricultural holdings in the household sector was drawn from the Population and Housing Census 2016. Each village in Samoa was divided into enumeration areas (EAs). Household lists were provided for each EA, and these were updated during the census enumeration, so that the census covered all households in Samoa as at the time of the census. The household updating process involved identifying changes in the households living in an existing house, vacant or demolished houses, and new houses constructed since 2016.

A list of agricultural institutions was obtained from Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Census data was collected using complete enumeration of all agricultural holdings and institutions from the sampling frame that met the threshold requirements.

Survey instrument

Questionnaires

Data was collected using two questionnaires:
1. Household questionnaire, which covered agricultural households and joint family holdings
2. Institutional holding questionnaire

The Agriculture Census 2019 covered 22 out of the 23 essential items recommended in the WCA 2020.

Data collection

Dates of Data Collection

Start	End
2020-03-16	2020-08-31

Time Method

Reference day:
- Day of enumeration for inventory items such as area of the holding and livestock numbers, land use, and permanent crops grown

Reference period:
- From 1 January to 31 December 2019, for temporary crops grown, income and credit, livestock sales, and machinery
- Week prior to the day of enumeration for household composition, farm labour and number of fishing trips
- Three months prior to the day of enumeration for fisheries items

Data Collection Mode

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Data Collection Notes

The Agriculture Census 2019 involved 16 CAPI supervisors, 11 field supervisors, and 90 enumerators.

**QUALITY ASSURANCE**
A comprehensive array of data validation checks was incorporated into the CAPI data collection system to help enumerators identify errors or possible errors in the data reported. This was done as the responses were recorded so that enumerators could correct the data on the spot. The CAPI system also provided operational data to help senior census officials monitor progress of the census and provide feedback to field staff. It also allowed generation of summary statistics data which was valuable in assessing data quality as well as providing early indications of the final statistics.

Data processing

Data Editing

CAPI, based on the Survey Solutions software, was used to conduct the interview and capture data. Completed questionnaires were received by the CAPI supervisors in the Agricultural Census Office, established by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics to conduct the census. Each questionnaire was checked and, if any errors or missing data were found, the CAPI supervisor returned the questionnaire to the enumerator (electronically). The enumerator was required to complete or correct the data, revisiting the household, if necessary, before returning the questionnaire to the CAPI supervisor. Data processing was done using STATA.

access_policy

Access conditions

For additional information on data access and use, please contact the Samoa Bureau of Statistics.
Email: info.stats@sbs.gov.ws
Website: www.sbs.gov.ws

Contacts

Name	Affiliation	Email	URL
Economics Statistics Division	Samoa Bureau of Statistics	info.stats@sbs.gov.ws

Metadata production

DDI Document ID

DDI_WSM_2019_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS_FAO

Producers

Name	Abbreviation	Affiliation	Role
Economics Statistics Division		Samoa Bureau of Statistics	Metadata producer
Statistics Division	ESS	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	Metadata adapted for FAM
Development Data Group	DECDG	World Bank Group	Metadata adapted for World Bank Microdata Library

Metadata version

DDI Document version

Identical to a metadata (WSM_2019_AC_v01_M_v01_A_ESS) published on FAO microdata repository (https://microdata.fao.org/index.php/catalog). Some of the metadata fields have been edited.

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