Phnom Penh: The National Institute of Statistics of the Ministry of Planning (MoP), the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the EU-FAO FIRST Programme in Cambodia jointly organize a workshop on Innovation in Data Collection, Presentation and Analysis for Agriculture and Fisheries. The event is to be held on 17 May 2017 at Sunway Hotel, Phnom Penh, from 8.30 AM to 4.00 PM.  

The workshop will highlight the new ideas and the technology including the introduction of Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) technology for the conduct of survey and census work by the MoP. This will be demonstrated by Mr Anthony Burgard for FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, as part of the Global Statistics Programme and in readiness for trailing the equipment in the CIAS 2018. Oher experts from development agencies and the private sector will present the latest in ICT applications for agriculture and fisheries, including an innovative knowledge platform with interactive mapping capabilities, developed by WFP in Cambodia.

According to HE Rin Virak, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Planning, “The purpose of the CIAS 2018 is to collect up to date information on specific topics of interest for the agricultural sector, to update structural data collected during the Census of Agriculture 2013 and to inform policy makers and decision makers guiding the development sector. The results will be utilized for National Account Calculation and for monitoring achievements towards goal two of the SDGs by 2030. We thank to all Development Partners for their kind technical and financial support on the CIAS 2018”.

Mr Alexandre Huynh, FAO Representative in Cambodia, said FAO has a continuing interest and a commitment to assist the Royal Government of Cambodia to access and use the best possible sources of information. “The use of quality information is very important for the improvement of policy and decision making in agriculture and fisheries.”

According to Mr Huynh, “these technologies can make a tremendous difference in the collection of information, sharing information back to farmers and extension workers in the field, for commercial activity involving production and marketing and for the management of humanitarian responses in times of crisis.” The workshop will present experiences from Cambodia and elsewhere in the world and highlight the great potential of these new technologies for improving rural life and livelihoods and for improving policy and decision making for the effective management of fisheries and agriculture, and for food and nutrition security.

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For further information, please contact:

Mr. Khin Sovorlak, Deputy Director General, National Institute for Statistics< Tel: 012 449 790, E-mail: [email protected]

Dr Iean Russell, Senior Policy Officer for FIRST, FAO Cambodia, Email: [email protected]  

Note to Editor:

• If you wish to have pictures of the project for your story, please contact Dr Iean Russell via [email protected]  

• Background information: The workshop objectives are to promote evidence based dialogue and decision making in the agricultural and fisheries sector; to present the broad plan for conduct of the Cambodia Intra-censal Survey of Agriculture (CIAS) 2018 and to share experience in large scale data collection, information and communication technologies (ICT) and knowledge management with other branches of government, organizations, academia and the private sector.
  
  Donors including the European Union, USAID, Australian Aid and Sweden have recognized the need for timely and accurate data for decision making, often as part of the major investments they have made to support these sectors working closely with UN Agencies.
  
  The Royal Government of Cambodia is grateful for this support and committed to improving both the quality of the information available and providing greater access to these data for planning, development, investment and research purposes. The two Ministries concerned will present plans for conduct of the CIAS 2018, including the application of the latest data collection technology to meet the challenges involved in cost effective and accurate survey work.