A Review of Methods for Measuring Crop Production from Smallholder Producers

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Abstract
Four methods of measuring crop production are reviewed in the context of different survey objectives. A popular technique, crop cutting, tends to overestimate yields and does not produce good estimates of individual plots. For high accuracy, harvest of the whole plot is the best method. If statistics of regional production are required outoput can be sampled after harvest, or, if the farmer harvest in consistent units, his own estimate can be taken. Limited evidence shows that farmers'' estimates may be no more biased than crop cutting, but require fewer resources and supervision. There is no best method. The method used must be chosen for the purpose of the study. Whichever method is chosen a distinction should be made between biological and economic yield and correction must be made for threshing and moisture content.

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