1. Improve Agricultural Statistics in Africa
A component of the ISI Global Strategy
Satellite Conference on Agricultural Statistics
Maputo, 13th and 14th of August, 2009

2. Outline: Focus on Africa
What has already been done
The initial AFCAS Vision and the landscape of institutions and initiatives
The agreed framework for Statistical Capacity Building
Achievements
Existing commitments and resources
Gaps and support requests in FANRS
Options for donor coordination and support

3. The 1999 AFCAS Vision already integrated the elements of the new ISI strategy
An integrated approach to National Agricultural Statistics Systems
Including food security, forestry and fisheries statistics, market information, early warning, and crop forecasts
Inclusive of broader household data, especially panels
Supporting monitoring and evaluating and impact assessment
Harmonisation and rationalisation of data collection and dissemination activities

4. More AFCAS consensus
Creating an efficient link between agricultural and population censuses
Requires agricultural module in the population census
Integration of community information into population and Ag censuses
Sample-based approaches to agricultural censuses
With census enumeration units as first stage units
Integrate an agricultural module in national household data collection efforts
Stronger linkages between data producers and users

5. Implementation
The TA program designed at time was never properly funded
And therefore the AFCAS consensus has not yet been realized
Despite limited support FAO and AFCAS have refined vision and approaches
Via FAO technical assistance projects, FAO-CP, and a dedicated Trust fund
Via Sector Support operation, as realized finally in Ghana and Mozambique

6. FAO has also implemented, developed or disseminated
International Handbooks
on Rural Household, Livelihood and Well-being
On sampling
And more
Disseminated new approaches to collection of livestock statistics, and nomadic livestock statistics
Modernization of FAOSTAT and implementation of CountrySTAT
But since 1999 then the landscape of institutions and initiatives have changed significantly
Handbook developed by a consortium Members of consortium:

7. African Commission agricultural
FAO
African Commission agricultural
Statistics
(AFCAS)
UN STAT COMM
UN Stat Institute
Stat Comm for Africa .
AfDB.
World Bank, IMF...
UK, EU, Norway...
ICP-AFRICA
GDDS
Trust funds
Program support
Training
INT STAT INSTITUTE
Professional Assoc
Agricultual
Statistics Committee
5 AFRICAN
TRAINING CENTERS
With supporting international
training
Institutions
INT HOUSEHOLD
SURVEY NETWORK
SUBREGIONAL
INITIATIVES
AFRISTAT
3 AFRITACS
others
PARIS 21
Partnership of 300 Member
Task Team on AgStatistics (FAO)
UNECA
Afr Stat Coord Comm
Afr Center for Stat.
Afr Symp on Statl Development
Ref erence Regional Strat Framew

8. Marrakesh Action Plan for Statistics (2004)
National statistical development strategies for all low- income countries by 2006
Preparations for the 2010 census round
Increase financing for statistical capacity Building
Estimated at mio dollars/year
Build on and expand Global Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (TFSCB)
Set up an international Household Survey Network

9. Resources for Statistical Capacity Building in SSA
Annual commitments for was roughly $ 70 mio
Biggest contributors: UK, World Bank, European Union, Norway, and African Development Bank;
Fund increasingly funneled through sub-regional organizations, especially in the case of AFDB, EU, IMF;
A number of partners shifting to budget/sector programs
Therefore statistical support needs to be identified early in the project cycle to get funding

10. Statistical Training Capacities in SSA
Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics, Uganda
Eastern Africa Statistical Training Centre Tanzania (EAST);
Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée, Côte d’Ivoire (ENSEA);
Institut Sous-Régional de Statistique et d’Economie Appliquée, Cameroon;
Ecole Nationale d’Economie Appliquée, Senegal (ENEA).
Supported by various developed country statistical and economic institutes

11. Funding for Statistics Education
ENSEA, ENEA and EASTC received US$ 2.2 million for , and reported about 390 students
Funding to statistical training centers and for student scholarships is decreasing, however
This is a serious problem for the strategy under discussion

12. Existing Commitment of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
To CountrySTAT initiative
Support to 17 countries
To rescue effort of AG CENSUS data
Also consumption, cost of production data
U Pretoria and Minnesota, IFPRI/Harvest Choice (at IFPRI)
Zambia, Tanzania, Niger, Uganda, Mali….
To the WFP data collection on food security indicators in 16 countries
To the LSMS household panel data collection with strong agricultural modules managed by the World Bank (see presentation tomorrow)

13. AFCAS support priorities
From a review of AFCAS meeting minutes over last ten years
Enhanced overall support for National AG Statistics from FAO
Via strategy development (link to PARIS 21 and NSDS), support to CountrySTAT
Via more workshops for info exchange and training
Via more research and technical guidance
Implementation of sex-disaggregated data
In line with Africa Gender & Development Index
Via concepts of sub-holder and sub-holding

14. More AFCAS Support priorities
Collection of fisheries data
What about soils and forestry?
Support with GIS and remote sensing
Including plot measurement and crop forecasting
Support to analysis of agricultural data
especially sector modeling (FAO-IFPRI link)

15. Possible additional support
An Africa-wide technical assistance team for Agricultural Statistics
Who can efficiently manage it? FAO, PARIS 21, its Ag task team, or UNECA Afr. Center of Statistics?
An agricultural statistical training initiative for Africa
perhaps via a grant fund for scholarships
perhaps via support to several of the five institutions
Support to research issues on agricultural data collection
especially those involving GIS, remote sensing
Support to analysis and analytical capacity building
Especially for the emerging micro and/or sector-wide data

16. Implementation strategy questions
How to generate additional ideas from African stakeholders?
Should there be
an international technical assistance team for Africa?
a special training program on agricultural statistics?
Who could lead these programs?
Who to lead the effort to mobilize finance?

17. Africa need not wait for the final ISI strategy
Then what should be the next steps?