Colombia to launch new National Agricultural Census by 2028

Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) have formed an alliance to conduct a new National Agricultural Census. The results of this census are expected to be released in 2028.

This initiative marks the first major update to the sector's data since the previous census in 2014. The 2014 data revealed significant structural challenges in the rural sector, including that 89% of those surveyed lacked access to the financial system, 83% lacked productive machinery, and 73% had migrated to urban centers. Additionally, 66% lacked irrigation systems and only 42.7% had attended school.

The new process will be led by the Vice Minister of Agricultural Affairs, Arturo Dajud, and will include information from both the agricultural and livestock subsectors. The project aims to strengthen information capture mechanisms in coordination with the Rural Agricultural Planning Unit (UPRA) through Municipal Agricultural Evaluations (EVA). Minister Indalecio Dangond stated that updated, high-quality data is essential for making better public policy decisions and providing accessible information to government bodies, industry associations, and agricultural producers.