#### Lessons Learned From the 2002 - General Agricultural Census in Romania

**Ilie DUMITRESCU**

**National Institute of Statistics, Romania**

**1. Overview**

*1.1. Geographic Location and Administrative Structure*

Romania is located in the Southeast of Europe, along the lower course of
Danube and on the Black Sea coast. Its territory covers 238,391 sq. km.
The main shapes of relief, that are disposed concentrically, cover a
fairly equal proportion: 31% mountains, 36% hills and plateaux, 33%
plains and lowlands. Its climate is temperate-continental, with oceanic
influences on the Western part, Mediterranean in the Southwest and
excessively continental in the Northeast. The capital of the country is
***Bucharest***.

The administrative structure of the country is organized by counties
(42, including Bucharest municipality), towns (265) and communes
(2,686).

The 41 counties have an average area of about 6,000 sq. km and an
average population of about 500,000 inhabitants. Out of the 265 towns,
93 are municipalities. The 2,686 communes may consist of one or more
villages (13,092 in total), grouped according to economic, social,
geographical or cultural criteria. The average population of a commune
is of 3,780 inhabitants, but there is a great variety of communes in
Romania under the aspect of demographic dimension.

*1.2. Romanian Agriculture*

Agricultural sector in Romania is, after industry, the second largest
sector in the economy, accounting about 11% of GDP and about one third
of the entire labor force. Out of the total area of the country, approx.
63% is used for agricultural production and approx. 27% for forestry.

Total agricultural area covers 14,7 millions hectares, out of which
arable land covers 9,3 millions hectares (63% of total agricultural
area), being the most important farming sector. Main arable crops in
Romania, with regard to planted area, are maize, wheat and barley. In
addition to arable sector, vineyards cover about 270 thou hectares,
orchards about 253 thou hectares and almost 3,4 million hectares are
covered by pastures.

Significant economic changes affected the Romanian agriculture after the
reform program that started in the 90's. The transition from the
centralized planned economy to the market economy, accompanied by the
privatization of the land resources, that started with the 1991 land
reform, emerged into an important shift in the structures of the
Romanian agriculture. New configuration of property and new approach in
running the farms, were the main two factors that affected the
agricultural production system. Consequently, from a planned,
centralized farming system, practiced on large agricultural areas, the
whole system shifted to a shattered one. At present, small-scale farming
prevails on most of agricultural area, accompanied by a widespread land
fragmentation.

*1.3. Agricultural Censuses -- Historical Outline*

The last general agricultural census in Romania took place in **late
2002**. It has to be mentioned that from the organization and
methodological points of view census operations entirely followed the
FAO recommendations regarding 2000 round for agricultural censuses.

Before the 2002 general agricultural census, there was a major gap of
interruption as far as the census organization is concerned. Thus, the
lag of time between the census before (1948) and the 2002 one lasted
almost 55 years.

As, before the 90's, land was mainly under state property and the
farming system was highly centralized, *no important structural changes
affected the farming syste*m. Monthly, each agricultural state unit was
to provide a detailed statistical report on the activity developed on
the farm. Information on agricultural households was obtained,
regularly, from up-dated administrative agricultural registers, kept,
very detailed, at the level of each lower administrative level
(commune).

Therefore, it may be assumed that there was no need for a General Census
of Agriculture, as land structures were rather stable and regularly
measured. With regard to livestock, specialized censuses were conducted
almost yearly because this was practically the only sector where the
private property was relatively higher.

Consequently after 1948, there were conducted only **specialized**
censuses, as follows:

• livestock censuses:

\- yearly, between 1951-1954;

\- every 4 years, between 1954-1962 and 1973-1977;

\- yearly between 1979-1989;

• vineyards and orchards censuses (1964, 1979).

*1.4. Need for a General Census of Agriculture*

After 1990, in the context of the on-going structural changes in
agriculture, the request for accurate and relevant data, for assessing
the key trends in farming practices and structures, highly increased.
Romania faced new challenges to meet the growing demands for up-dated
information, both coming from national and international level. Moreover
preparing and organizing the General Agricultural Census become an
absolute necessity for implementing at a large scale the main surveys
and other methodologies provided by the statistical Acquis
Communaitaire.

**The need for conducting a General Census of Agriculture became
imperative!**

The Romanian National Institute of Statistics set up, in 1993, within
its organizational scheme a unit for developing agricultural censuses.

Concerns for identifying appropriate methodological and organizational
principles for conducting the general census in agriculture were closely
linked to the awareness of providing comparable and harmonized
indicators at national and international levels.

The General Census of Agriculture was planned for being carried out in
the beginning of 1996. Census main tools were developed and a pilot
survey was conducted in 1995, for testing the census tools. Due to
budgetary constrains, the census of agriculture planned for 1996 was
postponed.

## Further to this, attempts for conducting an agricultural census were repeated also in 1998 and 2000. Again, because of budgetary constrains the census was postponed.

*1.5. Legal Basis*

According to the Government Ordinance No. 9/1992 on the organization of
official statistics (Statistical Law) republished based on article IV of
Law no 311/2002, censuses and other statistical surveys of national
interest, have to be accordingly approved by the corresponding national
authority, depending on the importance of the statistical inquiry.

The Romanian Government issued the Emergency Ordinance no. 70/2002 dated
13 June 2002, approved by the Law No. 558/2002, with regard to the
Romanian General Census of Agriculture (published in the Official
Journal). It covers the aims of the General Census of Agriculture, the
definition of the observation units and the tasks and responsibilities
of the bodies involved and other responsible for carrying out the
Census.

On July 2002, it was issued the Government Decree, No. 704/2002,
regarding the organization and implementation of the Romanian General
Census of Agriculture (Official Journal). It stipulates the period for
the implementation of the Census, defines the Census organization at
territorial level, and provides the budget for Census operations.

Based on the above mentioned legal basis, the General Census of
Agriculture- 2002 was carried out on the entire territory of Romania,
with a registration period (data collections) lasting from 2.12.2002 --
31.01.2003.

*1.6. Organization*

The former Romanian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (MAFF)
that meanwhile became since March 2004 the Ministry of Agriculture,
Forestry and Rural Development (MAFRD), the Romanian National Institute
of Statistics (INS) and the Romanian Ministry of Public Administration
(MPA) that merged together with the Ministry of Interior since March
2004 (currently named Ministry of Administration and Interior), were
entrusted, through the Prime-Minister Decision, to co-jointly conduct
the Romanian General Census of Agriculture. As a result, a Census
Central Commission, with advisory functions, composed of representatives
from public bodies and associations, was created. At the same time, for
preparation, organization and co-ordination of census activities at
regional administrative level, local census commissions were set up, as
well. Furthermore, at the headquarters of the National Institute of
Statistics a Central Technical Secretariat was established, and
correspondingly territorial technical secretariats were organized.

Central Commission for the General Census of Agriculture had the
following responsibilities:

-   approving the general work plan of Census operations;

-   setting tasks and responsibilities for territorial census
    commissions;

-   approving the methodology of Pilot Census (carried out between 15 --
    20 August 2002), for testing census organizational and
    methodological approach;

-   approving the General Census of Agriculture questionnaire,
    enumerator's handbook, and other relevant registration forms needed
    for census activities and field operations;

-   deciding on the number of the enumerators, chief enumerators and
    local co-ordinators;

-   coordination of the recruitment and training process of the census
    staff and enumerators;

-   approving the methodology of Control Survey (carried out between 5
    -- 18 February 2003), for checking census results;

-   approving the advertising program for the General Census of
    Agriculture;

-   submitting to Government the preliminary results of General Census
    of Agriculture;

# The further operations regarding data processing and dissemination were entrusted to the National Statistical Institute.

*1.7. Registration Program*

**The General Census of Agriculture marks the reinstatement of a regular
cycle of censuses and surveys as part of the agricultural production
statistics program.**

The main objectives of the General Census of Agriculture were as
follows:

-   to obtain an exhaustive picture of the structural characteristics of
    the Romanian agriculture and particularly of the agricultural
    holdings;

-   to build a complex and diverse set of data, comparable at
    international level, regarding the following information: legal
    status of the farms and other general information, details on land
    use(by main categories), livestock (by species, age groups),
    application of fertilizers, area of irrigated land, general
    information on organic farming practices and information regarding
    the main factors of production (labor force in agriculture and
    detailed information on managing of the farm, agricultural equipment
    and machinery, farm constructions, main destination of production,
    etc);

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   to provide a sampling frame for the agricultural sample surveys
    conducted between censuses.

To meet these requirements an extensive registration program was set up,
program that gathered:

-   FAO recommendations, provided in the Program for the World Census of
    Agriculture 2000 stipulating for:

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   conducting a general censuses of agriculture between 1996 - 2005;

> \- applying, for harmonization criteria, the international
> definitions, concepts and characteristics.

-   The list of characteristics recommended by Eurostat for the Farm
    Structure Survey 2003;

-   National needs other than the ones already mentioned above.

*1.8. Enumeration Period*

Data collection was done in two months (26 working days), from 2
December 2002 to 31 January 2003.

*1.9. Reference Moment and Reference Period*

-   Data on tenure, land use, fertilizers and irrigation,
    non-agricultural activities, organic agriculture refer to
    ***agricultural year*** (1 October 2001 -- 30 September 2002);

-   Data on legal status, livestock, agricultural constructions refer to
    ***1 December 2002*** , hour 0:00, considered as ***moment of
    reference*** of the census;

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Data on farm labor force (for agricultural activities), utilized
    agricultural equipment and machinery, other information regarding
    the activities carried on within the observation unit (sales from
    own production) refer to ***the last 12 months*** (30 November 2001
    -- 1 December 2002);

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Data on employment of the holder and holder's family members refer
    to ***the week preceding the moment of reference*** of the census.

*1.10. Survey Unit*

At defining the survey unit, specific elements, that are characterizing
the Romanian agriculture, have been taken into account, such as:

-   practically no accurate information on the changes occurred in the
    structure of the agricultural households, after the 90's, was
    available;

-   lots of individual agricultural households operates some small
    agricultural areas, that couldn't be neglected at the General Census
    of Agriculture;

-   one of the main census objective is to set up a statistical farm
    register, based on a specific threshold that is to be decided after
    data collection.

Taking into consideration the above mentioned and the fact that no
General Agricultural Census was carried out since 1948, for the benefit
of the quality of the census results, the **survey unit** was defined as
follows: *"a technical-economic unit of agricultural production,
consisting of one or more plots of land, even non-contiguous or located
in different municipalities, utilized entirely or partially for
agriculture production, operated by a holder (head of the household,
physical person, company or public body), that carries out the activity
under unique administration and is assuming the risk of management,
alone or together with others regardless the size of the land, the
number of animals or the contribution to agricultural production*."

By implementing in the national practice as statistical observation unit
of the ***agricultural holding*** a crucial shift towards meeting the
international standards in the fields of agricultural statistics has
been ensured.

*1.11. Coverage*

The General Census of Agriculture had been carried out on the entire
territory of Romania, both in rural and urban area. Almost five millions
agricultural holdings (private farms and legal entities) were provided
to be observed.

*1.12. Frame*

Each local authority was provided by the National Institute of
Statistics (INS) with the list of survey units located in its area of
responsibility, based on the information contained in the Agricultural
Registers kept at the level of each commune, town and municipality.

*1.13. Census questionnaire*

The questionnaire as a main methodological tool has been designed to
cover as much as possible questions regarding the status of agricultural
holding in Romania. Normally the observation program followed FAO
recommendations for the 2000 Agricultural Census and the provisions
regarding Farms Structure Surveys (FSS) provided by the statistical
Acquis Communaitaire besides same information were requested for
national needs as well. Thus, the questionnaire comprised a total number
of approximately 450 questions shared in 11 chapters framed in a form of
16 pages.

## It was estimated that the duration of the interview is allowing to fill in the questionnaire by enumerator in about 24 minutes, as an average.

The structure of the questionnaires was the following:

-   Chapter I - General information on the observation unit

-   Chapter II -- Utilization of land

-   Chapter III - Fertilizers and irrigation (agrarian year 2001-2002)

-   Chapter IV - Livestock (at 1^st^ of December 2002)

-   Chapter V -- Labor force in agriculture, in the last 12 months

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Chapter VI-- Utilized agricultural machinery and equipment (in the
    last 12 months)

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Chapter VII - Agricultural structures, at 1^st^ of December 2002

-   Chapter VIII - Non-agricultural activities, (agrarian year
    2001-2002)

-   Chapter IX -- Other information regarding the activities carried out
    in the observation unit (in the last 12 months)

-   Chapter X - Location of the areas and livestock

-   Chapter XI - Other information

*1.14. Data Collection Methods*

The General Census of Agriculture had been conducted through complete
enumeration. After completing preparatory operations, the Territorial
Census Commissions divided the territory of each municipality into
census sections. The number of farms (physical persons) in each section
was not to exceed 200 units/enumerator. Separate census sections, for
the survey units with legal status, were set up at the level of each
locality; the chief enumerator was responsible for their enumeration.

*1.15. Pilot Survey*

A pilot survey on a sample of 3150 units, located at the level of each
county (42) preceded the main census (during 15-20 August 2002). In each
county there were selected, randomly, 3 sections, two sections in two
different communes and one in a municipality. Each section comprised 25
units that were to be enumerated in 5 days.

*1.16. Registration Procedure*

Registration of data in the census forms was made as follows:

-   by direct interview (face to face), conducted by enumerators for
    holdings/individual agricultural households (physical persons)
    within the corresponding sector;

-   by self-registering, for the units with legal status, under the
    direct supervision of the chief enumerators.

*1.17. Control Survey*

In order to check the quality and the completeness of the information
collected at the census, in five days after the census registration
period, it was conducted, during 5 - 20 February 2003, a Control Survey,
on a national representative sample, covering about 20,000 survey units.
For ensuring the comparability, it was considered the same moment of
reference and the same reference periods, with the one foreseen at the
General Census of Agriculture. The results of the Control Survey
confirmed the quality of the census, since the error limits showed a
rather low level +/- 0.3 against the excepted one anticipated at +/- 2%.

*1.18. Census Data Processing*

Special attention has been paid to develop all processing programs. Data
processing was done on a decentralized basis, at territorial level, at
each County Statistical Division (42). The data entry application has
two modules: one at county level and the other one at central level. The
data entry procedures were completed by the end of 2003. The files,
validated at county level, were sent monthly to INS headquarters for
processing, control and populating the global database.

The validations procedures covered the main types of controls including
imputations and automatic data corrections, covering approximately
400-500 operations.

*1.19. Data Dissemination Methods*

A tabular data base will be set up and used as a central repository of
all tabular data. Table data from this database will be extracted to
respond to ad-hoc requests for dissemination requirements or for paper
publication.

Also it was foreseen the conceiving of a querry system in order to
disseminate the census results by internet, compliant with the
statistical disclosure control rules.

Prior to the final results a set of preliminary data for the main 18
indicators were made available already in two months after the end of
data collection, i.e. by the end April 2003 and new edition of
preliminary results for the same indicators in a more detail breakdown
was issued in July 2003.

A large dissemination program started in 2004. The program provides data
dissemination through the following means:

-   12 publications on paper;

-   the publications of the results in CD Rom and through web site;

The publications of the census results will cover:

-   A volume with general results regarding the structure
    characteristics of holdings comprising all indicators obtained
    through census with data at national level;

-   The second and the third volumes are dedicated to indicators of
    agricultural area and livestock, respectively with detailed data up
    to the level of communes (NUTS 5 level);

-   The fourth volume provides for detailed data on agricultural
    constructions, machinery and other agricultural equipment;

-   Eight publications will cover the main indicators obtained through
    the census with a territorial breakdown by regions (NUTS 2 level),
    by judets (NUTS 3) and communes (NUTS 5 level).

-   Same set of data will be available on CDs while a selected set of
    data will be available free of charge on WEB Site.

**2. Lessons Learnt (Swot Analysis)**

###### 2.1. Strengths

-   Determined actions, at institutional level, focused on building up,
    on new basis, the national agricultural statistical system, in
    compliance with the statistical requirements of Eurostat.

-   INS experience in the methodological approach of an agricultural
    census, emerged both from the regular livestock censuses conducted
    before the 90's and from the preparatory works of the agricultural
    census that started since 1993. The census methodological and
    organizational principles were developed and tested in the pilot
    census conducted in 1995, before the envisaged 1996 census, that was
    postponed.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   On-going improvement of the competence and accumulation of know-how
    of the INS census staff through participating in several
    international working groups and seminars on census methodology
    development and harmonization supported by Phare multi-country
    programs.

# Special expertise acquired through the training provided during the first half of June 2002, at INS headquarters, by a FAO expert, during a three weeks period, for the regional top management staff (directors from the 8 statistical regions) and for experts from the INS census office and IT department (8 persons).

-   Bilateral technical assistance provided by high professional experts
    and financial support through the Twinning Program, under the
    National Phare 2000 Program, aimed to specific transfer of know-how
    in regard to all EU requirements in the field of Farm Structure
    Surveys.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   High skilled top managers, at county level, in conducting and
    co-ordinating statistical surveys at territorial level.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The three training sessions conducted

• before the Pilot census,

• for evaluation the results of the Pilot census, aiming to improve the
census tools and organizational matters,

> • for carrying out the full scope census, gave the opportunity of
> several debates on the census tools and registering program, between
> INS and all the directors from territorial level (belonging both to
> INS and MAFF). This facilitated the overall improvement of the census
> materials, tagging along, also, with the relatively tight timetable.

-   Efficient utilization of limited staff and financial resources.

-   Young persons, skilled in IT and foreign languages, were hired at
    INS central level from the very beginning of census preparatory
    works, for guaranteeing the know-how transfer.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The Pilot Census conducted in August 2002, aiming the testing of the
    census tools and the organizational issues, concluded in the
    improvement of census methodology and field organization, ensuring
    the quality of census data collection.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The Control Survey, conducted in February 2003, certified the census
    coverage and the data quality.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Cost advantages and good skills in census specific activities,
    emerged from the fact that the General Census of Agriculture was
    conducted in the same year with the Population Census (carried out
    in March 2002):

> • cartographic materials used for partition of the territory in
> sectors in the Population Census, that could easily be converted for
> the aims of the General Census of Agriculture;
>
> • census auxiliary materials: norms and forms for sector delineation,
> list of localities, others(notifications, addresses, etc.);

• responsible staff for organizational matters and field work skilled in
specific census tasks, acquired during the Population Census;

• selection of data entry personnel (420 persons) was done from the more
skilled personnel hired for Population Census.

-   E-mail facility as, at each territorial level, improved the quality
    of communication with the territorial census commissions.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The overall census quality was raised:

• by developing a special guide for filling in the census questionnaire,
attached to the enumerator's handbook, that optimized the methodological
understandings and provided a good feedback from enumerators;

• by setting up a centralized system for answering to several questions
regarding the problems encountered i field work; the answers were
provided in "Operative Bulletins" and, for a common approach and
internal coherence all around the country, were disseminated, by e-mail,
to all territorial census commissions;

> • by the census advertising program (on radio and TV; by local
> announcements and posters, at communal level and popularization
> brochures).

-   Institutional effort for a proper IT endowment.

*2.2. Weaknesses*

-   Lack of structural information on Romanian agriculture did not make
    possible to assess a threshold before census operations and,
    consequently, a large number of units had to be covered for an
    accurate picture at country level.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Lack of clear definition of the agricultural holding, *as a
    statistical observation unit,* plagued with the national
    methodological approach.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The extended land fragmentation, characterizing the new features of
    the Romanian parceled agriculture, increased the number of census
    units that had to be enumerated. According to the preliminary
    results of the census, there were surveyed 4,760 thou. units, of
    which 4,737 thou. agricultural individual holdings/ households.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The above mentioned conveyed to:

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   an increased number of enumerators;

-   an increased registration period;

-   higher costs of the census.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Lack of harmonization between the methodological approach used in
    the census and the one used in the current statistical surveys, was
    a burden in the development of census tools and training delivery.
    Indicators as: utilized agricultural area, kitchen garden,
    non-utilized agricultural area were used for the first time in
    census data collection.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Lack of a Statistical Farm Register, imposed the increase of human
    resources and time needed for building the census registering lists.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Lack of an accurate Cadastre register, as land restitution process
    was not ended yet.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Lack of a national network of specialized enumerators plagued with
    training delivery.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   A challenge for the census was the registering of the agricultural
    individual holdings/ households conducted by persons living in other
    locality than the location of the holding. After land restitution
    process, increased the number of persons living in urban area that
    became agricultural land owners.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Existence of three levels of census co-ordination (MAFF, INS, and
    MPA) split the organizational responsibilities and also the
    management of human and financial resources (the total budget of the
    census was split among these bodies: 76.6% MAFF, 21.69% INS, 1.7%
    MPA).

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Short time intervals between census milestones (designing, printing
    and delivering of census tools).

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Overlapping of census activities with other projects envisaging the
    development of the Romanian agricultural statistical system.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Limited time for the census know-how implementation.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Limited staff, both in term of quantity and skills, should be
    considered a crucial issue, calling for proper remedial actions.

*2.3. Opportunities*

-   Experience gained by the Romanian staff involved in census
    activities in designing and implementation an agricultural census.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Know-how transfer coming from the Twinning Project, on-going under
    the National Phare 2000 Program, for compliance of Romanian
    agricultural statistical system with the EU norms and standards,
    that has among its main components the development of the
    methodology of the Farm Structure Survey.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Harmonization of national census methodology with EU requirements
    and FAO recommendations.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Set up the sampling frame needed for the development of the
    statistical system of surveys in agriculture, that set on solid
    basis the continuation of the activities developed under the ongoing
    Twinning Project that comprises almost all the agricultural
    statistical domains.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Set up the basis for defining a proper threshold, in order to define
    the Romanian agricultural holding, as statistical observation unit,
    according to EU requirements and national constraints.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Set up the Statistical Farm Register.

-   Set up of the global database for the development of the system of
    agricultural statistics.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Obtaining comparable indicators, at international level, regarding
    the main agricultural indicators.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Develop new statistical approach for conducting agricultural
    surveys.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Selection of the best staff from the census trainers and enumerators
    and set up a national network of specialized trainers and
    enumerators needed for the further statistical surveys in
    agriculture.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Awareness of other Romanian institutional bodies, involved in
    agricultural policy and research, for the need of using the new set
    of indicators developed under the agricultural census.

-   Create the basis for a new institutional building frame by assessing
    responsibilities and tasks of different bodies involved in
    agricultural statistical system, particularly INS and MoAFRD.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Get the interest of the users in the census results and increase
    their trust in agricultural statistical data.

*2.4. Threats*

-   Overlapping of projects timetables, as the census was carried out
    simultaneously with the National Phare 2000 Program.

-   Changing the statistical system is a great challenge as new
    requirements are to be implemented at once in all the agricultural
    statistical domains.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Insufficient human resources for developing on new foundations all
    the agricultural statistical system, considering the milestones
    imposed by the constraints established for speeding the accession
    process.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   The structural changing affecting on-going the Romanian agriculture,
    generates an important issue when the Statistical Farm Register will
    have to be updated, as it will include a large number of units and,
    consequently, a consistent sample for the Farm Structure Survey is
    foreseen to be drawn.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Update of time series, as other methodological approach was in place
    up to present.

-   Difficulties in reconciliation historical statistical data based on
    administrative sources with the one obtained from the census

\*

\* \*

Romanian institutions and people involved in census operations were
making a great effort to successfully accomplish this difficult task.
The overall activity was supported by solid organizational links between
central and local units, careful planning of activities and continuous
evaluation of the obstacles and factors in play, aimed to the
individuation of proper organizational and working solutions. Carrying
out a General Census of Agriculture was a large and complex project, in
particular when several decades have passed since the last experience in
this field. The first preliminary results, show that data obtained are
consistent and, consequently, it may be considered that the census was a
success. In the future INS and MAAP will be in charge for the
development of the Romanian agricultural statistical system - a general
challenge that impacts the long-term possibility to properly develop the
statistical system in this domain.

It may be assessed that the work done for designing the General Census
of Agriculture is an important chapter in the field of agricultural
statistics, but it represents only the beginning of a new long run way
in the development of the Romanian agricultural statistical system on
new foundations.