In the first month of collection, the 18 thousand enumerators hired by the IBGE to work in the 2017 Census of Agriculture have already visited more than one million agricultural establishments. Other 4.2 million, located all over the country, are expected to be enumerated by the end of February 2018. 

After one month of collection, 1,036,867 establishments have been enumerated in this tenth edition of the Census of Agriculture. That means about 19.74% of the estimated total, according to information relative to 2007, used as a reference for the current operation. The Southeast leads the ranking of Major Regions, with a total 22.48% of its agricultural establishments enumerated so far. See the status of data collection by Federation Unit in the table below. 

The enumerators will spend five months to visit more than 5.2 million agricultural establishments all over the country, in order to obtain information about area, characteristics of the employed population, use of irrigation, use of pesticides, among other themes. The important role of family agriculture in the Brazilian farm production is part of the survey once more. The first results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture are expected to be released in the middle of 2018.

2017 Census of Agriculture: an entirely digital operation monitored on the Internet 

Data for the Census of Agriculture is being collected by means of Mobile Collection Devices (DMCs), which look like regular smartphones. Digital questionnaires have replaced previous paper versions. The DCMs use an application developed by the Institute which, by means of GPS technology, makes use of GPS and satellite images to indicate the position of each enumerator Paper questionnaires are no longer being used. The DCMs run an application that uses GPS and satellite images of each census tract, and indicates the position of each enumerator and the addresses of the establishments yet to be visited.  

In digital collection, data editing takes place during the census operation. The DCM application guides questionnaire filling. Data starts being sent online and checked by the supervisors as the enumerators finish their daily tasks.

National agriculture will also be investigated by means of a sample survey 

The 2017 Census of Agriculture will make it possible to create a registry of agricultural establishments. That will allow the creation of an annual sample survey, aimed at the rural sector. The National Sample Survey of Agricultural Establishments will collect detailed data on production revenue and expenditure, rural credit and insurance, protection of sources, fauna and flora conservation, production techniques, besides the social and family status of field workers, and so on.