Census of Agriculture 2007

The 2007 St. Lucia Census of Agriculture has captured vital statistics as regards the changes in the structure and scope of agriculture in the country. Such data is indispensable to the process of realizing the full potential of the agricultural sector’s limited resource base and competitive markets. The Government of St. Lucia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has undertaken this agricultural census with the technical backing of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Special mention must be made of the efforts of the Corporate Planning Division and the Census Advisory Committee, as well as other supporting public and private sector institutions. The enumerators, supervisors, field co-ordinators, data entry clerks, editors, coders and other census staff must be commended for a job well done.

The 2007 Census of Agriculture had the following main objectives:

1. To provide data on the structure of agriculture, especially for small administrative units.
2. To provide data to be used as benchmarks for current agricultural statistics.
3. To provide frames for agricultural sample surveys.
4. To provide data to help monitor progress towards global development targets, in particular the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s).
5. To increase the capabilities of the Corporate Planning Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to plan, design, collect, process, analyze and disseminate agricultural information.

It had the following specific objectives:

1. To provide information at national level, administrative district level and enumerationdistrict level on:
   i) Number, area, number of parcels and form of tenure of agricultural holdings.
   ii) Legal status of holders.
   iii) Agricultural land utilization.
   iv) Sex, age, main occupation of individual holders and size of their households.
   v) Proportion of household income from agriculture.
   vi) Agricultural labour force.
   vii) Holdings growing specific crops, area under these crops and the spatial distrib ution of crops.
   viii) Number and type of livestock.
   ix) Equipment and selected agricultural practices on holdings.

2. To feed with desegregated information the Geographic Information System (GIS) of the Ministry of Physical Development, Housing, Urban Renewal and Local Government.

3. To train technical personnel on census taking, data processing, sample surveys and data analysis.

4. To set the basis for:
   i) The establishment of a system of “current” agricultural statistics on planted and harvested area, production, yield and forecasting at the Corporate Planning Unit (CPU) level.
   ii) The establishment of a system of “current” agricultural statistics on livestock at the CPU
   iii) In-depth surveys on agricultural practices, costs of production, environmental conservation, agricultural labor force, marketing of agricultural products, credit, income, consumption and the living conditions of farmers and their families, the role of women in the agricultural sector, etc.

5. To provide information for studies on agricultural and agricultural-related projects. The 2007 St Lucia Census of Agriculture was undertaken under the framework of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2010 of the FAO.