Agricultural Survey Methods

"All over the world, agricultural surveys are conducted to gather a large amount of information on the classic crops, yields, livestock, and other agricultural resources. The survey and analysis methods have tended to be locally devised to meet local or national conditions, cultures, and goals, but over the past few years, efforts have been made to establish methods that would allow comparison and evaluation across national and cultural boundaries. A summary of that effort is provided here in 22 methodology papers selected from presentations at the International Conference on Agricultural Statistics in 1998, 2001, 2004, and 2007. They address issues in census, frames, registers, and administrative data; sample design, weighting, and estimation; geographical information systems and remote sensing; data editing and quality assurance; and data dissemination and survey data analysis. Mathematicians and economists looking toward agriculture, agricultural scientists looking at statistics, and researchers and policy-making looking at the intersection could all find the volume to be a valuable reference." (SciTech Book News, December 2010)