The implementation of the Agricultural Census, plays a decisively role for the characterization of the country's agriculture, namely in what concerns to production structures, rural population and agricultural production methods. This knowledge is crucial for taking decisions in different areas such as economic, regional, social and even business policies. It is assumed, moreover, as the only source of comprehensive agricultural information - collects data on all farms - so you get results at a very detailed geographic level such as Parish or Municipality. This data is of great interest to users such as enterprises, regional institutions, universities, scientific research. Moreover the fact that the data allow the establishment of a sampling basis (selection of representative sets of farm sector and certain realities that constitute the samples of these surveys) for the agricultural sampling surveys carried out in the next 10 years, ie until agricultural census to the next.

The implementation of the Agricultural Census allows meeting the statistics needs at a national and international (FAO - United Nations Food and Agriculture and the EU - European Union) level. EU legislation applies to all Member States, ensuring the existence of the same general framework (conceptual and methodological) for the different EU countries, which gives results comparable and harmonized.

The agricultural census is mandatory in view of the existing Community rules seek to respond to national and international statistical requirements, including:

• Characterize the farms structure and analyze their evolution with previous structural operations (census and intercensal);
• Analyze the representativeness and the evolution of agricultural production systems;
• Provide data on the main agriculture production methods;
• Characterize the agriculture population and labour force;
• Provide information on the source of the income of the farmer;
• Introduced a set of information related to rural development and other gainful activities of the holding;
• Report on the evolution of the succession of the farm;
• Establish a farm register and establish the Agricultural Base Sampling (BAA) for agricultural surveys of the next decade