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Statistics

Economic statistics

FAO statistics focuses on the collection, processing, compilation and dissemination of economic data as one of its core functions. Country information is collected on economic data through questionnaires and other reporting processes. Economic data disseminated covers related subject areas, among them producer price data, value of agriculture production, agricultural GDP, and various elements of investment related to: capital stock, external assistance to agriculture, and government expenditure on agriculture and rural development.

Prices

International food price volatility by food group (1990−2010)

Source: FAO

There is a growing consensus that the global food system is becoming more vulnerable to episodes of high prices and volatility. The FAOSTAT price domain serves various uses including assessment of markets and price transmission mechanisms between them, measuring margins of various actors in a commodity chain, and evaluating the contribution of various sectors to the economy. The price domain integrates a variety of price statistics and indicators for different levels of the food and agriculture prices to be made accessible to users worldwide.

Investment

Annual change in agricultural capital stock

Investment – the share of production / income which is kept aside and not consumed – drives agricultural growth and development by improving productivity and productive capacity. This can be measured either in the form of physical assets or in terms of financial assets. Investment in agriculture is an important factor for analyzing a number of policy issues related to achieving food security and sustainable growth of agriculture. Apart from giving information on the capital base for agricultural activity, it also provides share and trend information on private and public as well as domestic and external resources diverted from short term consumption and other forms of productive and non-productive expenditures for improving agriculture and rural development.

Monitoring trends in agricultural investment could lead to important conclusions such as:
(a) assessment of causes of variations in investment in absolute or relative terms through time, between countries and groups of countries, among sub-sectors and among investment categories;
(b) evaluation of the productivity of investment in agriculture in the context of prevailing policies and economic conditions.

Data

Meetings and news

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Publications