CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE
In Minas Gerais, pre-test of Census of Agriculture begins in Alfenas and reaches Grão Mogol
December 04, 2025 04h13 PM | Last Updated: December 08, 2025 02h52 PM
Last Monday (December 1), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) launched the first pre-test of the 12th Census of Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture. In Minas Gerais, data collection in the municipality of Alfenas, in the south of the state, began on Monday afternoon, while in Grão Mogol — where the questionnaire aimed at Traditional Peoples and Communities (PCT) will be administered — the activity was carried out the following day (December 2).
Logistical preparations began on Monday morning (December 1), with the setting up of the data collection station at the IBGE branch in Alfenas. The responsible team is made up of 12 Surveying and Mapping Agents (APMs), two Data Collection and Quality Supervisors (SCQs), a Technical Coordinator and an Operational Coordinator, all of them officers from SES/MG or IBGE branches in the state. The operation also counts on the help of six observers and three support agents, responsible for monitoring and evaluating the data collection stages.
Altogether, 16 enumeration areas will be visited over the ten days of activity in the municipality. Alfenas, where data collection has already started, was selected due to its productive diversity, ranging from large coffee areas and soybean crops to family farming establishments, covering livestock and aquaculture production in the Furnas Lake area.
Initially, the main challenges focus on testing the equipment and processes that make up the new census operation, in order to enable data collection to begin in the most organized way possible. It involves dividing and planning the teams' routes, carrying out initial reconnaissance of some enumeration areas, locating those responsible for agricultural establishments to answer the questionnaire and, when necessary, scheduling returns to complete the interviews. In the field, the goal is to identify possible bottlenecks and points for improvement in the questionnaire and survey operations.
The pre-test is the first of three preparatory tests that precede the 12th Census of Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture – Pilot Test I, Pilot Test II and Experimental Census. The test seeks to cover different biomes and different agricultural activities, allowing a comprehensive evaluation of the questionnaire, the functionalities of the data collection management system and the innovations proposed for the census operation.
“The 12th Census of Agriculture brings several innovations, both in the questionnaire, especially in socio-environmental issues, and in the use of georeferencing technologies, which will bring greater geographic precision to the data. The pre-test is essential to test the incorporation of these innovations into the data collection process,” highlighted the technical coordinator of the pre-test in the state, Humberto Augusto.
In Minas Gerais – the only state, besides Bahia, with data collection stations in two municipalities – Grão Mogol was chosen because it is located in the Cerrado biome and brings together a great diversity of Traditional Peoples and Communities (PCT). Communities of geraizeiros, veredeiros, extractivists, among other groups present in the municipality, will be visited. The data collection station was set up on Wednesday morning (December 3), with data collection starting in the afternoon, during a visit to the Americana Settlement.
