Area harvested refers to the total area from which the crop is gathered. Thus, area destroyed because of drought, flooding, pest attack or any other reason is excluded. In this regard, a certain percentage loss criterion – for example, yield is less than 20 percent of normal – is used to determine if a crop is destroyed. Crop that is damaged but not destroyed is included in the area harvested. If possible, the area harvested should exclude uncultivated patches, footpaths, ditches, headlands, shoulders and shelterbelts.

World programme for the census of agriculture 2020n, volume 1. Programme, concepts and definitions