Recommendations on Sample Design for Post-Harvest Surveys in Zambia Based on the 2000 Census

The Central Statistical Office (CSO) has been conducting the annual Zambia Post-Harvest Survey (PHS) for many years. The current sampling frame for this survey is based on the census supervisory areas (CSAs) and standard enumeration areas (SEAs) defined for the 1990 Zambia Census of Population and Housing. A new listing of households is conducted in the sample SEAs each year for selecting the sample households. Although this is still a representative sample of households, changes in the population distribution during the past decade have made the 1990 sampling frame for the PHS less efficient. Now that the data from the 2000 Zambia Census of Population and Housing are available, it is possible to develop a more effective sampling frame for the PHS. The 2000 census questionnaire included a question on whether the household engaged in the agricultural activities (crop growing, livestock and poultry raising, and fish farming), as well as check items to identify the specific crops grown and animals raised by the household. The purpose of this report is to make recommendations on the new sample design for the PHS based on the 2000 Zambia Census of Population and Housing sampling frame.