Piloting new approaches for long-term sustainability of ASTI

In today's rapidly evolving world, science and technology stand as the cornerstones of progress, driving innovation and shaping our collective future. As we navigate complex global challenges, informed decision-making is paramount, and data plays a pivotal role in guiding policies and investments towards effective solutions.

With that view, the FAO Statistics Division and the Office of Innovation (OIN) conducted a workshop on the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI), a global leading programme compiling and analysing agricultural research data for over two decades. The intensive two-day workshop which took place from 15 to 16 April was focused on the country implementation and preparation of the upcoming ASTI pilots in selected countries.

ASTI is an important global reference on agriculture research. It focuses on institutional developments, investments, human resources capacity, and research outputs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and operates through a vast network of national research agencies, regional coordinating bodies, and international institutions. The 20 year-long programme, formerly managed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)/ Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), is now transitioning into FAO.

“Integrating ASTI into the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presents a compelling and timely opportunity to resume and revitalize the programme, expand its scope, coverage and timeliness”, said Piero Conforti, Deputy-Director of the Statistics Division (ESS), who also pointed out FAO’s commitment to implement this project.

The workshop was executed by FAO ASTI Team, which is led in ESS by Hernán Daniel Muñoz, and brought together 12 key stakeholders from national agricultural research institutes (NARIs) and national statistical offices (NSOs). The training successfully concluded with a national implementation plan for 6 pilot countries – Albania, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Georgia, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

“In this era of data, science and innovation driven development, role of ASTI data and evidence on research and development investment and capacity is indispensable. It informs both policy and investment decisions that has huge impact on enabling innovation” said Delgermaa Chuluunbaatar from the FAO Office of Innovation.

Workshop participants were introduced to the ASTI programme and its new operational mechanisms. They also initiated dialogues to unveil and deliberate on the new data collection approach, while exploring strategies for effective integration of ASTI into National Statistics Systems mechanisms, a crucial step for providing collecting agencies with a clear mandate, ensuring quality, and official validation of the data.

Next steps

To test the new data collection approach and the redesigned questionnaires, FAO and ASTI partners will carry out the data collection in 11 countries (Albania, Argentina, Cambodia, Colombia, Côte D'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tunisia). Insights gained from these pilots will help build a solid foundation for the long-term institutionalization of ASTI through the adoption of fit-for-purpose data collection models and the integration into official mechanisms at country level. The outcomes of the pilot will serve as a critical input to designing the ASTI survey for the global roll out in 2025.

Looking ahead, FAO will expand on ASTI´s existing network of partners. These efforts will provide a valuable avenue for advancing sustainable agricultural research data collection, ultimately contributing to Achieving Zero Hunger.