BRIEF SUMMARY OF COUNTRY ASSESSMENT

1. BRIEF SUMMARY OF COUNTRY ASSESSMENT Hiek Som FAO Statistics Division

2. Sources and major findings of the Statistical Capacity Study • Review by FAO Statistics Units • Independent evaluation of FAO’s role and work in statistics, in 2008 • Review by other institutions, e.g. PARIS21, Michigan University • Findings: • quantity and quality of data from national official sources are on steady decline after early 1980 • Causes: weak institutional capacity in many countries as a result of lower priority by donors and govts for stat. work

3. NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK • Centralized: Majority of Asian countries, and if decentralized strong coordination; Europe • Decentralized: MoA or specialized agencies in agriculture, fishery, forestry or water responsible for sub-sector statistics; 60% of African countries, predominance in North africa, Near East and some Central Asian countries. Mixed in North and Latin America • Issue: Lack of coordination if decentralized

4. AGRICULTURE IN NSDS • Few countries have incorporated agriculture in NSDS • Separate presentation on the subject

5. POPULATION AND AGRICULTURAL CENSUSES • Limited number of countries have included data items on agriculture in their population census questionnaire • FAO and UNSD have recommended that countries coordinate better their population and agricultural census for 2010 round • Number of countries participating in WCA has trended upward over the decades: 81 in WCA 1950; 103 in WCA 1980; 124 countries in WCA 2000; 71 has plans for ag. census so far in WCA 2010.

6. SURVEYS AND SAMPLING FRAME • Countries use list frames from different sources • Area frame is not widely used by developing countries, except the Americas • Most countrieslack integrated master sampling framewith linkages agric survey units and household survey units • Annual agric. production surveys by MoA or NSO, but issues remain for root or mixed crops • Households surveys have widened to MDG indicators

8. CAPACITY AND AVAILABILITY OF FISHERY AND AQUACULTURE STATISTICS • When fisheries are managed based on scientific stock assessment, good capacity for monitoring catch and effort but not for socio-economic data • Issues: freshwater fisheries, small scale fisheries and aquaculture • 90% of countries with fisheries and aquaculture report some production data, but only 40-60% report fishing vessels, trade and disposition of fish production • Strategy for improving information on status and trends of capture fisheries was adopted in 2004; for aquaculture in 2007

9. CAPACITY AND AVAILABILITY OF FORESTRY STATICS • Developed countries have detailed forest monitoring systems on tree resources & yield, but limited for other forest goods & services • Very few developing countries have nat. forest monitoring systems (some in 1970s and 1980s with external funding) • Responses to Joint FAO/ITTO/EUROSTAT questionnaire: 50% in 2008 representing 80% of global production; 25% for Africa, 40% for Asia • Global Forest Resources assessments, with extra-budgetary funding: Responses for FRA 2005 was 75%; South America 100%, Asia 83%, Europe 79%, Africa 76% • Issues; non-wood forest products, species composition, employment, assessments based on very old data, even from remote sensing which on average is from 1988 in Africa

10. WATER AND LAND DEGRADATION STATISTICS • FAO does detailed continental-regional updates every 5-10 years, based on 75 variables: quality varies, but mostly below standard • Land degradation assessment being done on pilot basis

11. DISSEMINATION • 90% of countries produce statistical yearbooks, with 75-80% able to produce agricultural yearbooks • Website in most countries, and a few now have CountrySTAT

12. THANK YOU