One of the most important elements of the survey, the questionnaire that will be used during the 12th Census of Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture will include new thematic blocks that respond to contemporary society's demands. In addition to the topics already covered in the last edition, in 2017, the fieldwork, starting in June of next year, will encompass other issues such as the environment and losses due to climatic events, family succession in farms, the municipal destination of the production sold, and the use of technologies.

To explain how the questionnaire is developed, the second episode of the IBGE Podcast special series interviews rural sociologist Juliana Queiroz, who is part of the Institute's Division of Agricultural Survey  as a Technical Advisor for the operation. In the conversation, she highlights that the survey follows international standards and recommendations, such as those of the World Agricultural Census Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

"We carry out a questionnaire based on these recommendations to validate what we are doing and to compare the results with those from other countries", adds Ms. Queiroz.

Schedule

The 12th Census of Agriculture, Forestry, and Aquaculture will be conducted in all agricultural establishments located within the national territory. This type of establishment encompasses any production or exploitation unit dedicated, totally or partially, to agricultural, forestry, and aquaculture activities. An agricultural establishment is considered to be any establishment whose objective is production, whether for sale (commercialization of production) or for subsistence (farmer's and family's livelihood), regardless of its size, legal form, or whether it is located in a rural or urban area.

Two pilot tests have already been carried out, in December 2025 and May of this year. As a whole, IBGE teams and observers from other institutions visited 12 municipalities to test equipment, questionnaire application, and the logistics involved in the operation. The next scheduled stage is the Experimental Census, in November.