Origin

The African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS) is a statutory body of FAO and meets every two years. The FAO Conference at its Eleventh Session in 1961 approved the creation of the regional Agricultural Statistical Commission for Africa, and established by the Director-General in October, 1962.

Purpose

The African Commission on Agricultural Statistics aims to review the state of food and agricultural statistics in the African Region and advise Member Nations on the development and standardization of agricultural statistics within the general framework of FAO's work, and to convene study groups or other Subsidiary Bodies of national experts required for this purpose.

Contributions

Through the Commission, the FAO in recent years has been able to intensify its efforts to develop Food and Agriculture Statistics in countries of the region, particularly in the conduct of national censuses of agriculture within a common framework of definitions, concepts, standards and guidelines to help countries generate databases that are internationally comparable and the provision of basic statistics on food security in a manner readily adaptable to understanding the food security situation.

National Agricultural Statistical User/Producer workshops have been organized in various African countries which helped to improve their agricultural data collection process.

The reinforcement of gender concerns in agricultural statistical data collection buy cialis online exercises has been undertaken in several countries. In order to ensure a sustainable collection of improved gender disaggregated data, the scope of these exercises has been extended to include sensitizing planners and others on the need to increase the availability and use of gender disaggregated agricultural statistical information in gender relevant planning of agricultural development programmes.

A manual "Conducting Agricultural Censuses and Surveys" has been published and distributed to countries. A new manual has also been produced by FAO on current agricultural surveys using multiple frame probability sampling methods which incorporates the use of remote sensing techniques for area frame construction.

Guidelines for updating fishery statistics in countries of the region have been revised and made available to countries.

Consultations on Forestry Statistics have been held and assistance has been provided for implementing forestry statistics projects.

The AFCAS sessions gathers heads of national Statistics Offices and Agricultureal Statistics Services to review and monitor the implementation of regional and global statistical initiatives involving FAO and the Member countries. At the sessions, the members of the Commission are also updated about several initiatives including the implementation of the Global Strategy to improve agricultural and rural statistics, the Africa action plan and CountrySTAT projects.