National

Agriculture Sample
Survey
Timor Leste Experiences
Roundtable Meeting on Programme
for the 2010 Round of Censuses of
Agriculture - Apia, Samoa 9-13
March 2009.
By Octavio da Costa Monteiro de
ALMEIDA
Timor Leste

Introduction
A. Actual Agriculture situation
- Timor-Leste is predominantly an
agrarian country, with 1,047,632 people
in an area of 15,000 sq km.
- More then 80 percent of the population
live in rural areas and 85 percent of
them are small-scale farmers.
- Agriculture sector holds the key to the
overall development of the country by
providing food security and income in
rural areas.

Introduction
country
has no formal agricultural
Census
after
restoration
of
independence in 2002, .
Lack of data to support government
police and planning.
In 2004 Ministry of Agriculture and
Fisheries encouraged the data collection
through sample surveys in 13 district.

Data collection
experience

National Agriculture Sample Survey

(NASS) in 2007 and 2008
- In 2004 MAF with FAO Technical
Cooperation
Project,
initiated
the
strengthening of the capacity of the
Ministry to plan, conduct, and analyze
agricultural statistics surveys.
- It was the objective of the FAO Technical
Cooperation
Project,
TCP/TIM/3001,
Development of an Agricultural Statistics
System and included the collection of
multiple purpose data about the food and
agriculture sector.

- Originally to take place in all districts of

Timor Leste in 2006, but the NASS was
delayed when fragile condition in the
country limited the possibilities to collect
data in all districts. The coverage of the
survey was reduced to five Districts.
- In 2007 the first phase of the survey was
undertaken in 5 districts.
- The second phase of the survey was
carried out in 2008 in the 8 remaining
districts.

Objectives of the 2007 and

2008 NASS
To provide baseline information that
will serve as inputs to the strategic
plans
and
programs
of
the
government in agriculture; and
To provide agriculture data to the
private entities, investors as well as
to the farmers for the development
and improvement of this sector.

Specifically, this survey aims:

To
determine
the
structure
and
characteristics of the crop holding/farm,
livestock and forestry-related activities;
To determine the number and distribution of
household engaged in crop farming and/or
livestock raising and/or forestry-related
activities at the district level;
To provide data on the farm area, quantity
of the crops harvested and livestock kept
and tended, which are indicators for food
security and early warning activities; and
To provide information on how the farm
households cope up with food shortage.

Survay Design
The surveys was to collect sample data from five
and eight districts, respectively.
A questionnaire was developed and tested prior
to the survey.
Training materials for supervisor and enumerator
manuals were prepared.
Villages
were
selected
randomly
for
enumeration.
A listing form was designated
for identification of agricultural household in the
selected villages. A brief training manual was
written and training was carried out with
enumerators.
Conducted listing activities
On the basis of the results, a ten percent sample
of all agricultural households was selected.

 Collection of survey questionnaires was

initiated in mid August and completed at
the end of September (2007 NASS) and
at the end of October (2008 NASS).
Two separate data entry systems (both
in ACCESS) were developed and tested.
Coding and editing data entry started in
September for the 2007 NASS and in
early November for the 2008 NASS.

Methodology
2004 Censuses of population and housing were used as
a basis for the selection of a twenty-five percent sample
of the villages based on the number of households in
the village.
All households in the selected villages were enumerated
with the questionnaire during the listing phase.
The list of all agricultural households in the selected
villages of the districts became the sampling frame for
the district.
A ten percent of sample selected, a random number
between one and ten was used to select sampled
household and then every tenth household afterward
became a sample household (e.g., if the random
number was 4, then household 4, 14, 24, 34, etc
became part of the sample). Each sample household
was interviewed with the full questionnaire by trained
enumerators.

Information collected in
NASS

1. Characteristics of farm household members

Relation to head, age, sex, highest education, main

activity and participation in agricultural tasks.
2. Characteristics of the farm parcels
Area and location distance of the parcel to the
residence of the farm operator, slope category, main
use, tenure and type of irrigation.
3. Annual crops on land used by the households
Name of crops planted, estimated total area
harvested, total production and estimated production
remaining to be harvested.
4. Perennial crops on land used by households
Name and area of the perennial crops, approximate
number
of
trees/shrubs/plants
per
hectare,
percentage of productive trees, total production and
estimated production remaining to be harvested.

Continuation
5. Livestock

Number of livestock owned and kept/tended by the

household and/or number owned but kept/tended
by other relative(s)/household(s); and number of
livestock born alive during the past 12 months.
6. Farm technology and practices
Technology used, use of inputs, name of crops in
which the input was applied, name of varieties of
seeds/seedlings, hired workers, engaging in team
work, hiring for payment services of cattle or
buffalo for peddling, and using services of livestock
workers to treat livestock with diseases or other
problems.
7. Farm implements and equipment used
Type and number of implements owned, type and
number of equipment, whether rented or not and
approximate cost of renting the equipment

Continuation
8. Other activities
Type of forest products gathered/harvested, purposes
of gathering/ harvesting, tools/equipment used in
cutting trees, type of forest trees/
palm/bamboo/rattan planted and sources of seedlings
9. Sufficiency of staple food crops (Rice, Maize, Cassava
and Sweet Potato)
- Staple food crops that grew in the last cropping
season, quantity of rice and/or maize sold in the last
harvest,
- quantity of stocked rice and/or maize from the last
harvest that is expected to be sold before the next
harvest, quantity of rice and/or maize that have been
stored up,
- quantity of rice and/or maize bought after the last
harvest,
- rice and/or maize seeds for the next cropping season
and basis for selecting seeds for the next cropping

Issues and Challenges

The major issues emerging during the
survey included measurement of areas,
local production units (variety of containers
for production and need for research to
determine appropriate conversion units),
quality and capacity of enumerators and
supervisors to ensure quality of data
collection further issues were consistency of
editing and coding of questionnaires when
returned to headquarters;
poor capacity in data design and data
Analysis

Thank You