Symposium 2001/31E 1 August 2001 English and French
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Symposium on Global Review of 2000 Round of
Population and Housing Censuses:
Mid-Decade Assessment and Future Prospects
Statistics Division
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations Secretariat
New York, 7-10 August 2001
2000 General Population and Housing Census in Mauritania:
specific characteristics of the nomadic environment*
Mohamed Laghdaf Cheikh MALAININE**
1.
Formerly the country most closely identified with
nomads and the nomadic way of life, Mauritania has, since its independence in
1960, seen its nomadic population become sedentary at a spectacular rate.
Nomads accounted for 75 per cent of the total population in 1965, but by 1988
that proportion had decreased to 12 per cent and by 2000 was estimated at a
little under 6 per cent. The rapid, unprecedented rate at which the nomadic
population became sedentary can be explained by several factors, most notably
the drought of the 1970s and 1980s and the improvement in living conditions,
particularly among the sedentary population, which encouraged nomads to settle
around the main urban centres.
2.
Mauritania has relatively wide experience in data
collection, having conducted three general population censuses and more than 10
household surveys.
3.
Nevertheless, for a developing country like
Mauritania, conducting a census of a population of 2.5 million inhabitants
scattered over a vast territory of more than 1 million square kilometres
in area is still a laborious and very costly operation. The difficulties are
compounded when it comes to a nomadic population, estimated at less than
150,000 inhabitants, that is in constant movement over an immense territory and
sometimes beyond the country’s administrative borders.
4.
It is in this context that the third general
population and housing census was conducted in November 2000 for the sedentary
population and in April 2001 for the nomadic population. This note briefly
outlines the main methodological aspects of the census of the nomadic
population and the main difficulties encountered.
1. Preparatory phase
5.
A number of activities prior to enumeration were conducted
to ensure that enumeration was exhaustive and that there was no double
counting. These included census cartography, a pilot census and a public
awareness campaign.
a. Cartography
6.
The aim with respect to the nomadic population was
to supply the list and the location by geographical coordinates of the water
points frequented by nomads throughout the national territory. This operation
took six months of fieldwork (March to August 2000) and involved 11 mobile
teams. By the end of this period, some 3,000 water points had been located.
b. Pilot census
7.
The pilot census of the nomadic population was
conducted in May 1999. Its purpose was to test the entire methodological
approach to be used for the census of the nomadic population and to evaluate
the workload of census workers. After the results of the pilot census were
processed, important methodological changes were made to the overall
methodology, including:
·
Preparation of a specific questionnaire for the
nomadic population;
·
Confirmation that nomads would be in the national
territory during the period from February to May; and
·
Validation of the choice of the water points
method.
c. Public awareness campaign
8.
The public awareness campaign for the nomadic
population relied purely on rural radio stations and the role of local
authorities, notables and elected officials. Other means of raising public
awareness, such as television, newspapers and public meetings, were ruled out
as being largely ineffective in a nomadic environment.
In keeping with their
tradition of hospitality, the nomads cooperated fully with the census teams,
not only by providing the requested information but also very often by helping
the teams whenever the need arose.
2. Data
collection
a. Data-collection tools
9.
Data-collection tools include the questionnaire,
the various instruction manuals and technical data sheets. The questionnaire
covered the essential variables on nuptiality, fertility, mortality and other
socio-economic characteristics of the population. It also had a special section
on nomadic living conditions which enquired about housing, intentions of
becoming sedentary, household possessions and the type of livestock raised.
b. Period and duration of data
collection
10.
Since
nomads are extremely mobile, the choice of a data-collection period is
absolutely decisive for the success of the census. Enumeration of the nomadic
population took place from 10 March to 20 April 2001, whereas that of the
sedentary population took place from 1 to 15 November 2000. The period was
chosen following consultations with local authorities and based on the
experience of earlier data-collection operations. The processing of the pilot
census confirmed this choice.
11.
The period chosen is one in which the nomadic
population is relatively stable around water points and, more importantly, one
in which nearly all nomads are still in the national territory before beginning
the transhumance (seasonal migration) to bordering countries such as Mali and
Senegal.
12.
The transhumance varies from one region to another
and according to the type of livestock raised. Generally speaking, it begins
around June and lasts until October of each year.
c. Organization of data
collection
13.
The
data-collection method most suited to conditions in Mauritania is the so‑called
water points method, the principle of which is to identify the presence of
nomadic camps around water points and then take a census of the nomads, camp by
camp and household by household, for each separate water point. For
verification purposes and to avoid double counting, a census receipt is issued
to each household after it has been enumerated.
14.
With the results obtained from census cartography,
the country was divided into eight nomadic census zones (each comprising one or
more regions), which were in turn subdivided into one or more sectors. Each
zone was supervised by an official from the central census office appointed for
this purpose, and each sector was assigned to a team consisting of three census
workers, a guide, a driver and a team leader.
15.
Questionnaires were filled out in situ by census
workers by directly interviewing the head of household or another adult member
of the household.
16.
The team leader was responsible for systematically
checking on a daily basis every questionnaire filled out in situ.
17.
Given the huge distances to be covered, teams were
provided with all the necessary means (four-wheel drive vehicles, fuel, water,
etc.). No problems were experienced in this regard. Teams operating in sectors
classified as “difficult” (12 of the 26 sectors) were also each given a GPS
(Global Positioning System) and a multifrequency radio antenna linked to the
central base set up on central census office premises in Nouakchott. In all, 28
mobile teams were set up—26 operational
in the field and two in reserve.
18.
Several problems emerged in the course of the
census. The main ones are described below.
1. Difficulties of access
19.
Access is difficult to some water points and camps in
remote desert areas. In these areas, teams went out with vehicles equipped with
radio antennas, GPS and, above all, plenty of water. Teams reported their
position regularly to the central census office and the local authorities.
2. Nomads outside the borders
20.
Some nomadic tribes, albeit few in number, were
reported to be outside the country.
3. Absence of a post-enumeration
survey (PES)
21.
There was no post-enumeration survey for the
nomadic population. Two measures were taken to address this problem:
22.
Administrative
safeguards. Meetings with minutes signed by the local
authorities attesting that, after analysing the results presented by the teams,
the authorities certify that, based on their knowledge of the area, the results
presented by the teams are exhaustive and no nomadic camp or water point has
been omitted. It should be mentioned here that the authorities generally know
their area well.
23.
Technical
safeguards: Inspection missions carried out in situ
throughout the data-collection period by officials of the central census
office, enabling the quality of the data collected in situ to be checked. An
expert from the United Nations Population Fund took part in some of these
missions.
24.
In concluding this brief outline, I wish to raise
the following points for discussion:
25.
Given the specific characteristics of the nomadic
environment, particularly population mobility and the high costs of data
collection, is it possible to conduct a survey of coverage for the nomadic
population? If so, how? If not, should methods more suited to the nomadic
environment perhaps be developed to evaluate errors of coverage and data
quality?
26.
Even if censuses concern only residents within the national
territory, should we involve national nomads who are in the territory of
bordering countries at the time of enumeration, given that the concept of
residence does not mean very much in a nomadic environment and the nomadic way
of life scarcely recognizes borders between states?