THE EVOLUTION OF EMPLOYMENT IN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

The results of demographic censuses and of agricultural censuses apparently differ on the important subject of employment evolution in agriculture. Inspire of the gradual improvement of data collection instruments and of covering by both sources over time, the divergences on the level and direction of employment in agriculture are particularly noteworthy for the 70s. This study aims at analyzing the origin, the form and the significance of the differences between the two censuses. In this first part a detailed comparison is made between their respective concepts, their methodologies, their limitations and their outcomes. The comparison goes back even to the first modern censuses in order to evaluate the evolution of censal instruments and its importance for the seizure and understanding of employment in agriculture. The National Household Sample Surveys, The National Agrarian Reform Institute records and the periodical data from the Institute of Agricultural Economy are also examined, as complementary sources of information on this phenomenon.