• Cultivated area, total production, quantity of lost production, self-consumption quantity, sold production, and farm gate value of field crops (grains and fodder) and open field vegetables according to crop type, status, irrigation method, and agricultural season.
• Cultivated area, number of greenhouses, total production, lost production quantity, self-consumption quantity, sold production, and farm gate value of protected vegetables and cut flowers according to crop type, status, and greenhouse type.
• Total production quantities and numbers, lost production quantity, self-consumption quantity, sold production, farm gate value of palm trees, number of fruitful palm trees according to tree type, and irrigation method.
• Total production quantities and numbers, lost production quantity, self-consumption quantity, sold production, and farm gate value of evergreen trees (except for palm trees), number of fruitful trees according to tree type, and irrigation method.
• Livestock (sheep, goat, camel, cow) by type, breed, age group and sex.
• An Estimation of total production, lost production quantity, self-consumption quantity, and sold production of milk and dairy products, organic fertilizers, as well as the numbers of births, and deaths for sheep, goats, camels and cows.
• Number of domestic poultry by type, number and value of sold poultry, as well as egg production for chicken.
• Number of beehives, total production, lost production quantity, self-consumption quantity, sold production, and farm gate value of honey by beehive type.
• Quantity and value of agricultural production requirements used during the year of agricultural surveys.
• Agricultural holding land usage.

Second Stage: Design

It is the stage of designing statistical work as an integrated product. It also involves identifying the statistical population, designing the statistical framework and the survey sample, designing the survey questionnaire, identifying the method and tools of data collection and identifying the sampling units. Clients are made partners in all these procedures to benefit from their observations, meet all requirements and ensure that they are part of the statistical product.

The most important outputs of this stage are:

         1.  The Statistical Population:

The target statistical population of the Agricultural Production Survey consists of all the agricultural holdings in the KSA.

       2. Statistical Sources:

The Agricultural Production Survey depends for its data on a field survey conducted by GaStat on a yearly basis and for the first time in 2018. The survey falls under the category of “agricultural statistics” and collects data through a representative sample of holding visits spread out across all administrative regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and an electronic questionnaire containing multiple questions. Estimates and indicators regarding agricultural production (crops and livestock) in the Kingdom are consequently obtained.

      3. Agricultural Production Survey Terminology and Concepts:

• Agricultural Year: For the purposes of agricultural surveys, the crop production agricultural year starts on (1/3/2017) and ends on (28/2/2018), corresponding to (3/6/1438 - 12/6/1439 AH).

For the holdings’ livestock and poultry statistics, however, (31/12/2017), corresponding to (13/4/1439 AH, counts as the reference day).   

• Agricultural Season: The agricultural season is divided into two main types, namely:

1. Winter Season: Winter crops are grown during this season, and its production cycle is less than a year. Crops are usually planted between: November and the end of December, and are harvested by March each year, whether the crops are cultivated in open fields, or under evergreen crops like fruitful trees. Some examples of winter season crops include: (onions, garlic, carrots, peas, cauliflower, celery, arugula, spinach, lettuce, and radish ...).
2. Summer Season: Summer crops are grown during this season, and its production cycle is less than a year. Crops are usually planted during: March, April and May, and are harvested during: August and September of each year, whether in open fields or under evergreen crops. Examples of summer season crops include: (watermelon, melon, tomato, cucumber, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, mallow, and beans...).

• Cropping System: The method used in growing crops.
• Harvested Area: The actual area of crop production. In the case of sequential cropping on the same land within the same year, the area is recorded as many times as it is cultivated to yield the total harvested area.
• Open Field Agriculture: Cultivating fields with crops without protection from weather conditions.
• Protected Agriculture: The cultivation of crops in greenhouses (areas covered in glass, plastic or another material) to protect them from weather conditions, such as light, temperatures, air and humidity. This creates a favorable environment for different kinds of plants to grow throughout the year. This method is usually used for cultivating vegetables and cut flowers.

The following are different types of greenhouses:

1. Regular plastic:Made from single or air-inflated double polyethylene, this is the most widespread type of greenhouse, and lasts for one year.
2. Air-conditioned plastic: The only difference between this type and the regular plastic greenhouses is that it is equipped with artificial air-conditioning.
3. Glass: As a covering material, glass allows good light transmission (88%) and lasts the longest among greenhouse types.
4. Fiberglass: Also called glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), it is made from plastic, glass fibers and a binding material. It is more durable and lasts longer than plastic houses.
5. Other types: Greenhouses made from other materials.

• Holding: It is an economic unit of agricultural production, in both crops and livestock, under single management, comprising all kept livestock and all land used totally or partially for agricultural production purposes regardless of ownership, legal form or area. The holding may be run by one single person or by a household. It also may be run jointly by two or more individuals or households. Such management may be undertaken by a juridical person such as a corporation, cooperative, government agency, etc. The land of the holding may consist of one or more parcels under one name, on the condition that the parcels shall share the same means of production, such as workforce or agricultural machinery and equipment. The  association may be obvious and visible to be considered one economic unit.
• Holding Type: There are two types of holdings:

1. Traditional holding(unregulated): It is the most common type of agricultural holding in the Kingdom. Traditional holdings do not require previous approval or licenses from concerned authorities, and their production activities may be crops based, livestock based, or both.
2. Specialized holding(regulated): This type of holding includes the preapproved holdings (projects) that have acquired licenses from the concerned authorities after submitting technical and economic studies for the establishment of such holdings, whether they are holdings specialized in crops, livestock, poultry or fishery production, or projects that mainly adopt modern unconventional irrigation methods, the use of agricultural mechanization and modern technology in agricultural production and specialization in production with regard to open or protected agriculture, raising cows to produce milk or fattening calves, sheep and poultry.

• Main Activity of the Holding: The main activity of a holding is the prevailing activity carried out by the holding which is consistent with its economic revenues, such that it represents more than 50% of the annual income of that holding.

For the purposes of this agricultural census, the main activities of holdings have been divided into five categories:

1. Crop Holding: A holding in which the agricultural activity represents more than 50% of its annual income during an agricultural year, depending on various permanent and temporary winter and summer crops. 
2. Livestock Holding: A holding in which the livestock activity represents more than 50% of its annual income during an agricultural year, depending on various types of animal resources and livestock farmed on the holding (lamb, sheep, camel, cow, riding and draught animals) and on beehives.
3. Poultry Holding: A holding in which the poultry production activity represents more than 50% of its annual income during an agricultural year, depending on various types of poultry (boiler chicken, laying chicken, parent chicken, grandparent chicken, free range chicken, other birds such as ostrich, duck, goose, or quail). Rabbits are also considered poultry.
4. Fish Holding: A holding in which fish production activity represents more than 50% of its annual income during an agricultural year, depending on the farming and aquaculture of fish in internal ponds such as farms dedicated to fish or shrimp production.
5. Mixed Holding: When the activity at the holding is mixed and none of its components represent more than 50% of the holding’s annual income during an agricultural year, provided that the holding practices three or more different activities from the following crops, livestock, poultry or fish activities, and that each component represents less than 50% of the holding’s activity.

• Legal Status: The legal status can be one of the following: individual, establishment, company, partnership, government entity, cooperative, etc. They are defined as follows:

1. Individual: It is the common status found in traditional holdings where the holder is one person or one household where all members of the household work together to conduct agricultural operations and produce goods.
2. Establishment: It is the status chosen by holders who want to invest their holdings in the form of a single establishment with a set regulation, an officially recognized legal name registered at official entities, and has a commercial registration.
3. Company: A term used to indicate a legal status that is officially registered under a legal name according to the Saudi Companies’ Law. The holding’s capital is owned by a number of individuals or entities that all form a private company, regardless of the type (partnership, joint stock, limited partnership, limited liability, etc.)
4. Partnership: Any form of partnership concluded between two people or more to manage, fund, and invest in a holding. One of the partners may be a work partner and the other a funding partner whereby the two divide production revenues according to an agreement. The effective holder in this case is considered to be the partner responsible for managing the holding, or the partner whose place of residence is the holding if he lives on the holding’s land.
5. Government Entity: The holder is a government entity when the holding belongs to a government entity that has the power to dispose of its resources and to manage it, either directly or through a paid manager or establishment.
6. Co-operative: A co-operative status applies to collaborative work that takes a separate status from the individuals who make up the cooperative organization. Each member of the co-op in this case has the right to vote on administrative, production, and organizational decisions regardless of their funding contribution or financial contribution to its investments.
7. Other:Any legal form not mentioned above. The legal status should be specified in this case.

• Main Purpose of Production: The main purpose of production may be:

1. Sale: When more than 50% of the production value achieved from various holding activities during an agricultural year is allocated for sale. Production granted to third parties outside the holder’s household is considered up for sale.
2. Consumption:When more than 50% of the production value achieved from various holding activities during an agricultural year is allocated for the household’s direct consumption as is common in simple traditional holdings.

• Agricultural Production: The plant production of an agricultural holding, such as crops, vegetables, and evergreen trees; as well as all animal and livestock production. It includes grains, fodder, open-field and protected vegetables, cut flowers, fruits (including dates), as well as sheep, goat, cow and camel count; milk and dairy products, number of boiler chicken, table eggs, chicks, hatchery eggs, fish, ostrich and quail eggs and meat, and amount of rabbit meat and honey, in addition to secondary products, such as organic fertilizers and ostrich feathers and skin.
• Average farm-gate value of a cultivated product: The average price for the sale of of a cultivated product direct from the producer within the year. It is is the market value of a product minus the selling costs (transport costs, marketing costs).
•    Holding Irrigation Method: The holding is irrigated in one of the following ways:

1. Flooding Irrigation: It is one of the oldest and most-used methods to irrigate the holding’s cultivated lands. This method relies on watering crops by using surface earthen canals to distribute water among crops.
2. Modern Irrigation: Modern irrigation includes all methods applied to irrigate holding cultivated lands through a modern irrigation system such as drip irrigation, pivot or stationary sprinkler irrigation, gun sprinkler irrigation or any other modern irrigation method. In most cases, these techniques are used in large,specialized and modern holdings that have special irrigation systems. Some of the most prominent modern irrigation methods are:
   • Drip irrigation:Drip irrigation is a type of irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly and constantly near the base of the plant through a system of tubing, pipes, valves and emitters. This method of irrigation leads to increased agricultural production as it facilitates the addition of fertilizers and controls the amount of water that reaches the plants which reduces the growth of weeds and saves the amount of water used in the irrigation process.
   • Sprinkler irrigation: Sprinkler irrigation is a method of applying irrigation water which is similar to natural rainfall. Water is distributed through a system of pipes usually by pumping at a certain pressure. It is then sprayed into the air through sprinklers so that it breaks up into small water drops which fall to the ground and cover the entire area with water. This method is often used to irrigate field crops such as wheat, barley and alfalfa.​
   • ain Irrigation: This method relies on rain to water the holding cultivated lands. This system is widely used in the south of KSA in general.
   • Other: Any irrigation method other than the above mentioned methods.

• Cropping System: The method used in growing crops, which is one of 3 types:

1. Monocropping: Cultivating a single type of crop in an area designated for that crop alone, for example growing only tomatoes or cucumbers.
2. Intercropping: Planting crops under evergreen trees in part or all of the field. The temporary crop proportion is recorded separately, while the total evergreen crop proportion counts as the total area.
3. Sequential cropping: Growing two crops in the same field, one after the other in the same year. The area of each crop is recorded separately while planting or growing them. Therefore, an area would be recorded twice if two different crops are grown in it in the same year. It is worth noting, that sequential cropping should not be confused with sequential harvest of the same crop, where the area is recorded only once.

       4.   Indicators:

The Bulletin includes many results and indicators regarding agricultural production, mainly:

       5.    Adopted Statistical Classifications:

Classification is defined as being an arranged set of related categories used for data collection according to similarity. It is the basis for collecting and publishing data in all statistical fields, such as economic activity, products, expenditures, jobs or health,  etc). The classification of data and information by assigning them to meaningful categories allows for the production of useful statistics. Data collection requires accurate and systematic arrangement based on similar features so that statistics can be reliable and comparable. The agricultural production survey is subject to international standards with regard to the collection and classification of their data. The survey relies on the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The programme provides support and guidance for countries to conduct national agricultural censuses and surveys. It also offers an overview of the state of the agricultural sector in a given country, inclusive of holding area, agricultural holding, land uses, harvested plots, irrigation, livestock, workforce and other agricultural inputs. Such information is vital for agricultural planning, policymaking, research and development, as well as monitoring the effect of agriculture on the environment. 

       6.  Design of Survey Questionnaire:

The survey questionnaire was drafted and designed by agricultural survey experts at GaStat. International recommendations, standards, and definitions were considered during the design of these questionnaires, which were presented to agricultural statistics experts and specialists. They were also presented to concerned entities for insight and comments. The questions were redrafted based on a specific scientific approach aimed at unifying the structure of questions asked by researchers.