Article published in El Comercio , Monday December 14, 2009
For Fort Ricardo, Economist, GRADE
The last national census was conducted in agricultural Peru for 15 years. As if nothing important had happened in rural areas in recent years, the design of policies for the sector continues to be used as the basis of structural information the number of farm units, producers, land and crops that were in the country for over a decade and a half .
In this context, information is lacking on key issues such as the tendency to re-concentration of land ownership in certain regions and the propensity for extreme fragmentation in others, or the magnitude of the "modernizing effects" of economic reforms of the nineties the country's agrarian structure. The lack of this knowledge analysis does not allow either overall or broken down, and what can be evaluated only based on case series or anecdotal evidence, sufficient to propose appropriate policies and interventions.
But national agricultural censuses not only allow us to identify structural features of the sector and all agricultural units at a time, but set a new world of production units (sampling frame) from which it can be studied detailed and accurate sample survey identified these producers.
The Ministry of Agriculture (Minag) , for example, is resuming a process of modernizing its systems continuous information (such as calculation of the gross value of agricultural production is of great importance for the national accounts), which is indispensable for national updates have only a census of this kind can provide. In this sense, a new census is essential as a starting point to monitor the effects of new policies that will influence the sector over the next few years (a large baseline).
Despite being announced for the past three agriculture ministers, including the present-and to have significant progress in its planning and budget, it seems clear that the lack of political will and account for a steadily marginalized sector is the main cause for the delay. The concentration of efforts on generating short-term policies and establish direct benefit to farmers most in need only be efficient and be more effective when we know better the current structure of the industry, we understand the reasons for their changes, and be able to raise guidance medium and long term development.
Failure to obtain approval for implementation in short, it is likely that this important task has to be postponed for a couple of years because it would conflict with the electoral process of 2011. Hopefully then see published soon Presidential Decree declaring the national interest to completion of the new agricultural census, and allocate the necessary budget for implementation during 2010. Perhaps in these days that the Congress discussed the state budget next year our representatives set an example by promoting this assignment in the House.
In this context, information is lacking on key issues such as the tendency to re-concentration of land ownership in certain regions and the propensity for extreme fragmentation in others, or the magnitude of the "modernizing effects" of economic reforms of the nineties the country's agrarian structure. The lack of this knowledge analysis does not allow either overall or broken down, and what can be evaluated only based on case series or anecdotal evidence, sufficient to propose appropriate policies and interventions.
But national agricultural censuses not only allow us to identify structural features of the sector and all agricultural units at a time, but set a new world of production units (sampling frame) from which it can be studied detailed and accurate sample survey identified these producers.
The Ministry of Agriculture (Minag) , for example, is resuming a process of modernizing its systems continuous information (such as calculation of the gross value of agricultural production is of great importance for the national accounts), which is indispensable for national updates have only a census of this kind can provide. In this sense, a new census is essential as a starting point to monitor the effects of new policies that will influence the sector over the next few years (a large baseline).
Despite being announced for the past three agriculture ministers, including the present-and to have significant progress in its planning and budget, it seems clear that the lack of political will and account for a steadily marginalized sector is the main cause for the delay. The concentration of efforts on generating short-term policies and establish direct benefit to farmers most in need only be efficient and be more effective when we know better the current structure of the industry, we understand the reasons for their changes, and be able to raise guidance medium and long term development.
Failure to obtain approval for implementation in short, it is likely that this important task has to be postponed for a couple of years because it would conflict with the electoral process of 2011. Hopefully then see published soon Presidential Decree declaring the national interest to completion of the new agricultural census, and allocate the necessary budget for implementation during 2010. Perhaps in these days that the Congress discussed the state budget next year our representatives set an example by promoting this assignment in the House.
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