[dataset] Agricultural Inventory Data

We collected agricultural census and survey information on the areas and yields of 175 crops from the smallest political units reasonably obtainable for 206 countries. Data availability varied for different crops within each country, with most countries having subnational statistics for some crops but national statistics for others. Subnational data are one or two administrative levels below the national (i.e., state/province and county/district). These include 2299 political units one level below the national from 150 countries, and 19,751 units two levels below for 73 countries. The largest single source of subnational data is Agro-MAPS, a joint project between the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE).

Agro-MAPS is a collection of subnational statistics on crop area, production, and yield for most countries in the world. For some crops, however, the Agro-MAPS data was missing or insufficiently detailed. To cover these gaps, we collected additional data from national census agencies and agricultural surveys. In particular, we turned to additional censuses and surveys to ensure county level data for the largest countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, India, the United States, and China. In certain instances we were only able to obtain subnational information on major crop groups (e.g., fruits or vegetables), which we used to proportionally distribute national level data from FAO to the state or county level.

When subnational statistics were unavailable, we relied on national figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s statistical databases [FAO, 2006a]. We collected independent national level data for four countries that were absent from FAO: Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and Taiwan.