Workshop on improving statistics for food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development: an action plan for Africa. Kigali, Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda, 19 - 21 June 2012

Over 90 participants from 36 African countries and development partners including the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), African Union (AU), Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) attended the workshop. The workshop marked the launch of activities to improve agriculture statistics as envisaged in the Action Plan for Africa prepared within the framework of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics.

The objective of the workshop was to familiarize the participants with the Action Plan for Africa and train them on the use of instruments designed for carrying out assessment of country capacity to produce agriculture statistics, foreseen as the first country level activity under Global Strategy.

During the workshop presentations were made on the Global Strategy; its three components, i.e. training, research and technical assistance; the core set of data expected to be available as a result of the Global Strategy; and the experience of Asia in carrying out the Country Assessments.

The outcome of the workshop, as expressed in a resolution adopted at the end of the workshop, included:
    - Feedback on the Country Assessment tool and related software
    - Operational arrangement for carrying out the assessments
    - A time line of activities