The role of agricultural censuses in the agro-information system (1895-2010)

Laczka, Éva

Keywords: statistics, listing, information system, farm structure, agro-history

Regular collection of agricultural information goes back to nearly two hundred years. The surveys, which began in 1828, addressed land use, crop cultivation and animal husbandry. The first ‘land use register’ – a temporary cadastre – was set up in 1853. The first Hungarian statistics for viticulture and winemaking were created in 1873 upon international request. By the end of the 19th century, the need to obtain more detailed information about agricultural activities and agricultural production had grown substantially. The methodology for the first general agricultural census in Hungary was developed under the personal supervision of Károly Keleti, the first head of the first independent Hungarian Statistical Office. This ambitious job could only be completed after his death, in 1895, because of the great difficulties of obtaining funding for its implementation.

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