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A Review of Methods for Measuring Crop Production from Smallholder Producers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

Derek Poate
Derek Poate
Affiliation:
ITAD Ltd, Lion House, Ditchling Common Industrial Estate, Hassocks, West Sussex, England
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Summary

Four methods of measuring crop production are reviewed in the context of different survey objectives. A popular technique, crop cutting, tends to overestimate yields and does not produce good estimates of individual plots. For high accuracy, harvest of the whole plot is the best method. If statistics of regional production are required output can be sampled after harvest, or, if the farmer harvests in consistent units, his own estimate can be taken. Limited evidence shows that farmers' estimates may be no more biased than crop cutting, but require fewer resources and supervision. There is no best method. The method used must be chosen for the purpose of the study. Whichever method is chosen a distinction should be made between biological and economic yield and correction must be made for threshing and moisture content.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , January 1988 , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

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References

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