Quality control in Italian agricultural censuses

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schirinzi, Gualtiero M.F.

Affiliations: ISTAT – Studi e Ricerche sui Settori Produttivi, Via Adolfo Ravá, n. 150, Rome, Italy

Abstract: The system of agricultural surveys is essentially based on census data, for the execution of sample surveys at various intervals, in order to determine the structural characteristics of farms. The information collected by the census is utilized for agricultural policy formulation and studies on the production process of farms. It is necessary to guarantee the quality of data gathered with a description of the phases of the data production process to identify the main sources of non-sampling errors and measure, and when it is possible, the individual error components. Quality surveys have been carried out with the third and fourth agricultural census in order to evaluate distortion and enumerator effects. Other quality indicators have been calculated through a standard census procedure.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1994-11101

Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1-17, 1994