PAPI Sânger, the „heart” of the Agricultural Census

30.03.2011

On one hand, Electronic Network of the Local Community employees were involved in training census personnel, so they can correctly gather data and thus ensure good conditions for the Agricultural Census. Also, the headquarters of PAPI were turned into the data collection centre.

“Our part in this census was not passive, we were not simply hosting members of the central desk of the census. We were actively involved, meaning we effectively collected data, offered the necessary consultancy for representatives of companies who needed help in filling in the required forms”, IT administrator Dana Moldovan explains.

Representatives of the local administration say that after the census is completed nation-wide, they will start preparing for the future Population Census to take place next year. Since there was a good partnership between local administration, the census central data collection desk and PAPI personnel, the future census will also take place using PAPI facilities.

People say they will ask for PAPI help in the future

Entrepreneurs in PAPI whom the RECL employees helped fill in forms are saying they will come to PAPI for other services in the future. “For us, who have had no training, unlike census officials, filling in the forms was rather difficult. They are complex forms requiring a lot of attention. In order not to make mistakes we asked for support at the PAPI centre. They helped us on the spot. People were very kind although that’s pretty uncommon in Romania. People there, however, and Ms. Moldovan, especially, will help us in the future with the forms for Governmental and European subsidies. It would make our work much easier because they can get everything online and we don’t have to go queue at the Agricultural Chamber. We need to have production in our farms, not go stand in lines”, says farmer Nicolae Baba, who works as part of an association.

Similar support in the KEP

According the European Union rules, Romania must carry out an Agricultural Census once every ten years. In order to collect the data, most communities used resources at the PAPI centres. The equipment allowed forms to be edited and printed, for use by field operators. PAPI coordinators became supervisors themselves. For instance, in Călăraşi, personnel in all nine PAPIs decided to get involved in the Agricultural Census.

Although it was a new activity for them, managers of RECL and PAPIs did a very good job in coordinating teams of survey operators who did the field work and collect statistics about land surfaces, animal counts, irrigation systems, number of producers and existing equipment.The results of the General Agricultural Census 2010 will be an important documentary sources for creating policies for rural development policies and the development of the Romanian farming sector, in motivating economic and sectoral decisions, strategies and balanced development programmes for macro-regions, development regions and counties in Romania.

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Activities of PAPI Păsăreni, popularised during the Agricultural Census