Global Strategy

to Improve

Agricultural Statistics

Food and Agriculture June 22, 2009Organization

Global Strategy

• An initiative of the United Nations Statistical Commission

• FAO and UN Statistics Division—secretariat—other partners including World Bank, African Development Bank, Eurostat, US Dept of Agriculture

• Should be viewed as a medium to long term plan and a living document

Challenges for Policy

• Agriculture primary source to feed and clothe a growing population

• While doing so, must:– Raise millions out of poverty– Reduce agriculture’s affect on the

environment and global warming– Sustain water and land resources

• Determine information needed to make policy decisions, monitor their effect

Vision: global strategy to support decision making in 21st century

• Countries will agree upon a set of core data that meet data requrements and pledge to provide annually.

• To meet data user expectations, agriculture will be integrated into the national statistical system.

• Integration will be achieved by introducing methodology so that results are comparable across countries and over time.

Overview of the presentation

• Why need a global strategy?– Basic and emerging data requirements– Conceptual framework for agriculture– Assessment of current agricultural

statistics

• Developing the strategy

• Governance to meet strategic goals

• Data quality and the way forward

Crop productionForecasts

And estimates

LivestockInventories

And production

Prices Stocks

Aquaculture & Fishery

Production

ForestryInventory

& Production

Basic Data Requirements

Declining quantity andQuality of data,

Or simplyNot available

Food price Crises

GlobalEconomy

Energy CostsBio Fuels

AgricultureAffect on TheEnvironment

Land and

Wateruse

Global warmingClimate change

MillenniumDevelopment

Goals

Emerging Data Requirements

Happening atSame time,

Are inter-related,Much data not available

Conceptual Framework—Agricultural production

Natural Environment

Output andUtilization

Factors of Production

Socio-economic,political

InstitutionalFrameworkOutcomes and

results

The production process

Conceptual Framework

• Broaden scope to include forestry, fisheries

• Statistical units: Agriculture holding, household, and establishments

• Inclusion of rural and rural communities

• Scope includes production by households

• Land cover and use, Water use

Statistics—Current StatusDeclining response

--Percentage Response to FAO by region-- Region

Production Land use Machinery

Europe 66 71 64 Asia & Pacific 63 32 33 Americas 38 17 28

Africa 34 13 13 Near East 37 37

Statistics—current status

• Declining number of countries reporting basic production

• Loss of statistical capacity

• Agriculture left out of National Strategies for Development of Statistics

• Duplicative efforts-conflicting numbers

• Forestry, fisheries outside national and agricultural systems

Statistics current status -The Dilemma – who does what

• National Statistics Offices

• Ministry – Departments of Agriculture

• Land Management/Natural Resources Agencies

• Marketing Boards/ Commissions

• Health, education agencies

• Development efforts by donors, WB

Each Collects

data for own use

with results that

do not always

agree – and limited

ability to

share data

Steps to determine the strategy

• Developing a menu of indicators– FAO evaluations– World Bank/FAO Source Book of Indicators– FAO World Programme for Ag Census

• Identifying a minimum sub set of core data items that meets most urgent data needs

• Determining how to meet data needs by integrating agriculture into national system

Menu of Indicators

• Meets basic and emerging requirements– Data to estimate each indicator, sources,– Technical notes/ classifications, etc– More than any one country can do annually

• Shows where indicators require overlapping data (crop production/ land/water use/ input use, etc.)

• Determine a minimum subset of core all countries agree to provide annually

• Evaluate national needs to select additional items, determine frequency

Choice of Core

• About 15 major commodities accounting for over 95 percent of world production– Production, prices, trade,--balances– Value added, food security, productivity– Land, water use– Plus Forestry, aquaculture & fishery

• Major economic variables– Labor, household income, agricultural income

inputs, demographics, consumption

How meet core requirements?

• Points to need to integrate agriculture into national statistical system

• Agreed upon set of methodology– Master Sample Frame – Integrated survey framework– Master data file (data warehouse)

Integrate agriculture into national statistical system

• Avoid duplication of resources for frames, data collection, analysis

• Avoid different data bases and conflicting numbers

• Provide linkage between agriculture, land use, the environment, and houshold income

• Improve statistical capacity• Combine and focus scarce resources

Global Strategy to ImproveAgricultural Statistics

Data requirements andConceptual Framework

Menu of indicatorsMinimum set of

“core” Data items

Integrate Agriculture into

National statistics System

Methodology to Integrate

Agriculture

MasterSampleFrame

IntegratedData Base

Integrated SurveyFramework

Governance and Statistical Capacity Building

Integrated data bases

• Official statistics– Harmonized definitions and classifications– Each item appear one time; i.e. one official

number for everything from population, GDP, to maize forecast or production.

• Micro data—long term view– Connect across surveys over time– Increase analytical capabilities

The governance challenge

• How coordinate efforts of Ministries of Agriculture, National Statistical Offices, and others?

• Who does what—Master sample frame, Integrated Survey Frame work, Integrated data base?

• Starting point—form a Statistical Council• Build off strengths of each stakeholder

– Technical expertise– Subject matter knowledge

The governance challenge

• Role of national organizations– Add agriculture (forestry and fisheries) to National

Strategies for Development of Statistics– Focus fund raising on national statistical system

• Role of international organizations– Focus capacity building and support for statistics

on overall national statistical system– Centers of excellence-statistics, remote sensing?

• Role of Donors– Work with Statistical Council instead of separate

sectors

The way forward

• National input—Min of AG, National Statistical Offices & other stakeholders– Review and update National Strategies for

Development of Statistics

• International input from stakeholders– ISI Satellite meeting on agricultural

statistics

• Develop final strategy for 2010 UNSC• Develop Implementation Plan

Thank you!

Questions?

Comments--Suggestions