THE PHILIPPINE Statistics Authority (PSA XI) urged households and operators to participate in the nationwide 2022 Census on Agriculture & Fisheries (CAF) starting Sept. 4 to Oct. 2 “for their benefit and for the benefit of the country.”
CAF collects, compiles, and enumerates information on the agriculture and fishery sectors. The data will be used for economic development plans and policymaking.
Adeline Batucan, PSA XI senior statistical specialist, said during the CAF launching at Seda Abreeza Hotel on Aug. 30, that all the households with operators, barangays, non-households with agricultural, aquaculture, and/or fishing operations from Jan. 1 to Dec 31, 2022, shall be enumerated.
Batucan said the data items collected at the household level include the demographic characteristics, Philippine ID registration, engagement of household members in agricultural, aquaculture and fishing operations, agricultural land ownership, and the benefits and grants received from the government.
Batucan added that there will be three separate forms to be used for the crop grower and livestock, poultry, and culturing of insects and worm operators, aquaculture and fishing, respectively.
CAF Form 3 will be used for the agriculture operators where they will be asked about the type, legal status of the holding/farm, main purpose of operation, characteristics, crops planted/ harvested, and livestock and poultry raised.
CAP Form 4 will ask the aquaculture operators about the legal status, characteristics, and species cultured, while the CAF Form 5 will ask fishing operators about the legal status, purpose, type of water used, and characteristics of fishing boat/ vessels used.
“Dito tayo kukuha ng mga comprehensive information for our operators, yung tatlong sectors na yan ay tatanungin natin ang mga operators,” she said.
PSA defines an operator as the main decision-maker responsible for the operations of the specific holding/farm.
Meanwhile, the data to be collected at the Barangay Level include major agricultural/ fishery commodities, facilities for such sectors, input dealers, service providers, communal vegetable gardens/ farms, and natural calamities in the past five years.
Batucan said that the agency will be hiring 15,841 enumerators, 1,114 census area supervisors, 1,102 assistant census area supervisors, and 3,214 team supervisors to conduct house-to-house visits in various areas nationwide which will be utilizing a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) with tablet.
PSA equipped the enumerators and supervisors through intensive training on the approach, concepts, and data entry using tablets and mock interviews. “We already conducted mga trainings for enumerators, up to now, we are still conducting trainings at the municipal level,” Batucan said.
The official said the respondents are given the freedom to choose from three interview methods including paper and pen personal interview (PAPI), self-administered questionnaire (SAQ), and telephone interview. She assured all information obtained would be kept confidential.
The census is conducted every ten years in accordance with Executive Order 352 wherein the last CAF was conducted in 2012.
CAF is supported by the National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Agriculture XI, and the UCG: Urban Container Gardening- The HomeFarmacy of Survival.
