The Expert Consultation on Analysis and Dissemination of Census and Survey Data was held at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific from 18 to 21 July 2005. It was designed to contribute to the improvement in analysis and use of agricultural sector data; to examine various types of analyses and approaches that have been taken by practitioners and to make recommendations for optimal strategies under various scenarios; to consider the availability of various types of food and agricultural sector data, their processing and analysis, in terms of appropriate strategies for overcoming limitations and difficulties with processing, analysis and dissemination; and to assist FAO in the development of capacity building and technical assistance programmes in the future years with respect to analysis and dissemination of census and survey data.
Proper use of timely and reliable agricultural sector data is essential for agriculture policy formulation and programme development. However, in many cases the information available is incomplete or unreliable. To fill these information gaps, alternative methods are needed to complete the analysis. This expert consultation helped to identify some of these approaches and illustrated the use of various analysis procedures. In addition, procedures and analyses related to formulation, monitoring and evaluation of relevant policies critical to poverty alleviation and food security were considered, bearing in mind that the ultimate objective of policy-makers and of FAO is to enable stakeholders to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of the world's malnourished by 2015.
Early warning systems, food balance sheets, crop forecasting, time series and seasonal price indices, trade flow data for estimation of production, principal components analyses and agricultural census tabulation and analysis are all important inputs to this process. However, the availability of information alone is not sufficient; it is also necessary to ensure that users have access to it. The expert consultation looked at the way in which FAO is developing a database system for countries to organize national data (at sub-national levels) and how the Data Warehouse can be used to present information from censuses and surveys.
Experts from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand and from the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), as well as concerned FAO technical officers from headquarters and the regional office, contributed to discussions on these issues and developed recommendations. It is hoped the summary account contained in this report will be useful to both decision-makers and information practitioners in meeting the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of the region's malnourished by 2015.
He
Changchui
Assistant Director-General and
FAO Regional Representative for
Asia and the Pacific
