© FAO 

Critical gaps in the production, availability and use of high-quality agricultural data pose a major challenge across developing regions, particularly in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, due to a number of issues such as limited funding for agricultural statistics, limited human resources, and limited technical capacity in data collection and analysis. In response to the need for more and better statistics for the agricultural and rural sector that are both cost-effective and timely, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through the 50x2030 Initiative to Close the Agricultural Data Gap, has committed to support countries in building national statistical systems that produce and use high quality and timely agricultural data through survey programmes.

Through the implementation of the 50x2030 Initiative, FAO supports countries in their efforts to expand, improve and strengthen their national agricultural survey systems and enable better and broader access to agricultural statistics, thus promoting evidence-based policy and decision-making at the national level, and enhancing country capacities to monitor the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and other indicators, particularly in relation to agriculture.

The Initiative supports countries through the provision of technical assistance and trainings, specifically on data production and dissemination, and co-financing the national survey programmes. 

The Subprogramme helped several partner countries of the Initiative to achieve important milestones and to progressively bridge the data gap in agriculture:

Armenia:

Following the three-year implementation of the programme in Armenia, the country resulted in increased capacity among national statisticians in collecting, analysing and disseminating farm-based agricultural statistics data. Moreover, the Initiative helped to build trust in the national Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia (Armstat)’s work and the awareness of the importance of reliable and timely agricultural data. Read more: https://www.fao.org/in-action/agrisurvey/news-and-events/detail-events/ru/c/1467770/

Cambodia:

Thanks to the implementation of the programme, Cambodia was able to scale up the production, dissemination and use of agricultural statistics as a solid foundation for improved policy and decision-making in the agricultural sector. The Initiative helped to strengthen the national capacity, ownership and autonomy of the national agricultural statistical system, which in turn contributed to the establishment of an efficient data collection system. Read more: https://www.fao.org/in-action/agrisurvey/news-and-events/detail-events/ru/c/1393853/

Georgia:

The country made outstanding progress in the calculation of complex indicators with data coming from national agricultural surveys. The national statistical office, Geostat, was able to calculate indicators relevant to the national agricultural policy, along with economic indicators linked to the labour productivity and income of agricultural holdings, disaggregated by size of holdings and by sex of the holder.

Nepal:

In Nepal, national capacity in designing agricultural surveys was enhanced, with several training sessions on topics such as sampling methodologies, weight adjustment and calibration, data processing and analysis, and data dissemination and use. Read more: https://www.fao.org/in-action/agrisurvey/news-and-events/detail-events/ru/c/1413438/

Senegal:

In Senegal, the implementation of the Initiative helped improving the data collection process significantly, in particular thanks to capacity building activities on the use of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). Special attention was also given to building the country’s capacity in data processing and dissemination. As a result, a range of statistical outputs – such as annual survey reports, thematic statistical tables and the national agricultural survey microdata – were released to the public across various national data portals, thereby providing policymakers in the country and other national and international stakeholders with easy access to critical information for agricultural policy design and monitoring.

Read more: https://www.50x2030.org/news/senegal-releases-main-results-annual-agricultural-survey-2020-2021

Uganda:

With the 50x2030 Initiative support, Uganda implemented three agricultural surveys to meet the growing demand for agricultural statistics in the country. The programme supported the integration of the national annual agricultural survey (AAS) and the Uganda National Panel Survey (UNPS) into the Uganda Harmonized and Integrated Survey (UHIS). Launched in October 2021 and currently underway, the UHIS integrates the agricultural survey and the living conditions survey into one survey programme, measuring both poverty and agricultural and rural development. Read more: https://www.50x2030.org/news/50x2030-support-uganda-continues-provide-regular-and-reliable-data-national-agricultural