Background | Agricultural integrated survey programme (AGRISurvey)

Reliable data is essential for providing the evidence policymakers need to shape effective policies for agricultural growth. However, the lack of high-quality, timely agricultural data at the national level often hampers governments and organizations in developing robust, evidence-based policies. The scarcity and limited use of data obstruct the effective design, implementation, and monitoring of agricultural policies, leading to suboptimal outcomes, poor investments, decreased productivity, reduced agricultural income, and, ultimately, increased hunger and poverty. Moreover, the absence of comprehensive data prevents accurate measurement of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), and other key national and international development targets.

The need for better, more accessible data is critical to support informed policy decisions, drive sustainable development, and meet the growing demand for effective monitoring of policy agendas.

To overcome these challenges, it is essential to strengthen national agricultural data systems. A robust statistical infrastructure enables countries to collect, analyze, and disseminate accurate agricultural data, providing the foundation for informed decision-making and effective policy interventions.

FAO’s Agricultural Integrated Survey Programme (AGRISurvey) helps countries strengthen their national agricultural survey systems and enhance access to agricultural statistics. By supporting the development of national survey programmes, FAO employs a cost-effective modular survey approach that leverages innovative technologies to reduce costs and improve data quality. This approach enables countries to produce and disseminate a steady flow of reliable statistical data and indicators. The data generated with FAO's support empowers countries to analyze and assess the impact of agricultural policies, meet monitoring requirements, and drive evidence-based decision-making. Through improved data systems, AGRISurvey facilitates informed policy development and supports sustainable agricultural growth.

In 2019, FAO joined forces with other development partners to address the data gap in agriculture and became one of the implementing partners of the 50x2030 Initiative. 50x2030 aims to bridge the agricultural data gap by transforming data systems in 50 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America by 2030. The Organization leads the data production activities in the Initiative's partners countries.

Core objectives

Build the capacities of beneficiary countries to produce better agricultural statistics, for improved policies;
Develop skills for sustainable national statistical systems;
Promote cost-effective agricultural surveys and produce a regular flow of high-quality, disaggregated data and indicators on the technical, economic, environmental and social dimensions of agricultural holdings;
Increase access to agricultural statistics and improve the dissemination practices for greater readability, usability and findability of data, including microdata;
Provide support to countries in their effort to monitor SDGs indicators, specifically indicators 2.3.1; 2.3.2; 2.4.1; and 5.a.1.

Our flagship initiatives

The Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics

The Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics (GSARS or the Global Strategy) is a long-term coordinated initiative to address the decline in the agricultural statistical systems in developing countries and enable the production of more and better agricultural statistics. The Global Strategy was designed to provide a “framework for national and international statistical systems enabling developing countries to produce, and to apply, the basic data and information needed in the 21st Century.” The first phase (2012-2018) of the Global Strategy, was a ground-breaking effort to strengthen agricultural and rural statistics. The second phase of the Global Strategy is focusing on strengthening the overall capacity of countries to implement complex integrated agricultural surveys in the future and is complementing data collection efforts that already exist in the African countries. By doing so, GSARS facilitates the implementation of the 50x2030 Initiative to close the agricultural data gap in countries eligible to the Initiative.

The 50x2030 Initiative to Close the Agricultural Data Gap

The 50x2030 Initiative is a multi-partner programme that seeks to bridge the global agricultural data gap by transforming country data systems in 50 countries by 2030. This unprecedented initiative aims to improve the availability of official national statistics on the agricultural sector by building stronger national agricultural survey programmes. The Initiative is implemented through a unique partnership between the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). National statistical offices (NSOs) and ministries of agriculture (MoA) are at the center of the solution and lead the development and implementation of the programme to suit their country's needs, with technical support from the three Organizations. The Initiative scales up and builds upon the experiences of existing and tested survey methods: FAO’s Agricultural Integrated Survey (AGRISurvey) Programme and the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA).