Next Monday (1), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) will launch the first pilot test of the 12th Census of Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture, a key step to assure the quality and scope of the survey that will be undertaken in the entire country.

It aims at testing and improving the data collection instruments, operational procedures and logistics capacity in different agricultural contexts, assuring a high precision and efficiency in the implementation of the Census.

Besides validating traditional methodologies, the pilot test brings a historical innovation: the inclusion of productive agrifood systems of traditional peoples and communities. These groups will be portrayed in a detailed way for the first time ever, assuring their representativeness in the national statistical survey.

Marcio Pochmann, President of the IBGE, talked about the importance of the pre-test. "It is key to assure the quality and feasibility of the census operation, as it allows to assess, on a small scale, all the methodological, technological and operational aspects involved in the data collection. As a result, it strengthens the precision of the data, the efficiency of the operation and the credibility of the IBGE in the production of key official statistics for the territorial and agricultural planning of Brazil."

Fernando Damasco, Coordinator General of Census Operations, reinforced that it is the moment in which the IBGE takes to the field everything that the technical areas prepared until now for the 12th Census of Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture.

"As a fully digital census, we need to carefully test the performance of the data collection application, the transmission of the data to the database and the visualization of the data in the managing systems. It is also the moment to assess the approach to agricultural producers and the understanding of the questions of the questionnaire," told him.

The IBGE prepared some material to be distributed to the teams, like folders, displays, fans, car stickers and post its. And artwork for visual dissemination as well. 

The General and Traditional Peoples and Communities (PCT) data collections follow these dates: December 1st in the municipalities of Nova Friburgo (RJ), Juazeiro (BA), Sobradinho (BA) and Alfenas (MG). In Juazeiro and Sobradinho, data collection of traditional peoples and communities will take place on December 2, the same date scheduled for Grão Mogol (MG). Bacabal (MA) begins its participation on December 4.

Selected municipalities

Located in the Mata Atlântica biome, the city of Alfenas, in Minas Gerais, was selected due to the predominance of coffee-growing and dairy farming, which allows to assess the application of the instruments in structured productive chains. The municipality is located in the vicinity of Furnas Dam, which counts on an aquaculture activity, allowing to assess the data collection instruments for this issue.

Grão Mogol is located in the Cerrado de Minas biome and gathers a great diversity of traditional peoples and communities. Communities of geraizeiros, veredeiros and extrativistas, among other peoples in the municipality.

The IBGE Superintendent in the state, Rúbia Lenza, also talked about the importance of the Census to the region. "We are happy and very excited with this test, especially due to the importance of the Census of Agriculture, both for Brazil and for our state. In Minas Gerais, currently, the largest source of income is agriculture, with this activity having surpassed mining. So, it is extremely important to have a good Census of Agriculture in Minas Gerais. And a  good Census begins with a good test."

"They were right decisions as Alfenas, in the south of Minas Gerais, is a municipality with many agricultural establishments and of different types, which will help us to test the questionnaire in different realities. In Gão Mogol, in the north of Minas Gerais, the situation is completely different, as we will test the questionnaire in a community of traditional peoples," completed her.

Juazeiro, in Bahia, is located in the Caatinga biome. It has a large-scale irrigated fruit farming and provides conditions to test surveyings in agro-industrial poles. The city has a great internal diversity of agricultural establishments, with a strong presence of family farming. The municipality also has families in settlement projects, allowing to assess data collection in these realities. Enumeration area located in Conservation Areas have been selected as well. Concerning traditional peoples and communities, the emphasis will be on backland and closure pasture communities, quilombola and extractive communities, as well as fishing, riverside and other peoples and communities in the municipality.

Also located in the Bahian Caatinga, Sobradinho is in the irrigated semiarid and the presence of large production perimeters demand different logistical solutions. Sobradinho has a great internal diversity of agricultural establishments, with a strong presence of family farming. The city has also the presence of families in settlement projects, allowing the assessment of data collection in these realities. In relation to traditional peoples and communities, the emphasis will be on background and closure pasture communities. Fishing, riverside and other existing peoples and communities will be visited as well.

André Urpia, the IBGE Superintendent in Bahia, highlighted the importance for the state. "Receiving the first pilot test of the Census of Agriculture is extremely important for Bahia, since we have the highest number of agricultural establishments and the highest proportion of rural population in Brazil, as well as a wide diversity of products and forms of production."

Also in the Northeast Region, the city of Maranhense de Bacabal, located in the transition area between the Amazônia and Cerrado biomes, has been selected. It also gathers quilombola, babaçu coconut shellers and extractive communities, among other groups in the region. The presence of lakes and Mearim River with aquaculture areas stands out. The pilot test in Bacabal will also be extended to the municipality of Bom Jardim to carry out specific tests in Indigenous villages.

The IBGE Superintendent in Maranhão, Marcelo Melo, stated that the pilot test for the Census of Agriculture is a crucial element for the preparation of the operation. "We will test equipment, operational and technical procedures, as well as systems for monitoring data collection."

The list ends with the city of Nova Friburgo, in Rio de Janeiro. Located in the Mata Atlântica biome, the municipality was chosen due to its horticultural production and mountainous terrain, which require specific approach methodologies.

For José Francisco Teixeira Carvalho, the IBGE Superintendent in Rio de Janeiro, the pre-test is an essential step to evaluate and monitor the entire survey process before it is effectively put into practice throughout the territory. “Our objective will always be to portray the reality of the field faithfully and, to achieve this, we need to test the methodology, questionnaire and new features implemented to improve the reception of information and approaches to informants.”

  Lançamento do pré-teste ocorreu em Salvador e Belém

Apresentado no último dia 17 de novembro em eventos realizados em Salvador (BA) e na COP30, em Belém (PA), o 1º pré-teste do 12º Censo Agropecuário, Florestal e Aquícola marca uma etapa fundamental para esse importante levantamento, que vai, de forma inédita, contemplar a produção de povos e comunidades tradicionais em todo o território nacional.

Com o lema “Juntos vamos colher a maior safra de dados do Brasil”, o 12º Censo Agropecuário, Florestal e Aquícola deve visitar cerca de 5 milhões de estabelecimentos agropecuários, nos 5.571 municípios do país, gerar aproximadamente 35 mil empregos temporários e atualizar o retrato detalhado de atividades essenciais, que produzem alimentos, riqueza, trabalho e renda.

Confira abaixo os lançamentos: