FAO’s AGRISurvey Programme provides technical assistance to the Government of Costa Rica to improve and expand its national agricultural survey, the Encuesta Nacional Agropecuaria (ENA).

The annual survey, designed and developed by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) collects data on crops, forestry products, flowers and livestock on a total sample of approximately 11 400 agricultural holdings.

FAO and INEC, with the financial support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, work together to expand the scope of the survey and improve the ENA questionnaires with the implementation of the AGRIS methodology, in particular with the introduction of the rotating modules on economy, labour and machinery, equipment, assets and decisions. The use of AGRIS methodology enables the measurement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators, in particular SDG2.

Improving data quality, promoting the use of data for agricultural policy making and strengthening the analytical capacity of the staff (statisticians, economists, political analysts) of INEC and other national institutions working in the agricultural sector, are among the main objectives of the collaboration between FAO and INEC.

As one of the activities aimed at achieving these objectives , FAO delivered a five-days online training course on data use and agricultural policy, focused at strengthening the capacity of the Executive Secretariat for Agricultural Sector Planning (SEPSA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), INEC, the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR), the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), the National Seed Office (ONS), the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE), the Comprehensive Agricultural Marketing Program (PIMA), the Rural Development Institute (INDER), the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA), the National Institute of Innovation and Transfer in Agricultural Technology (INTA), the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Development of the University of Costa Rica (CIEDA-UCR), the National Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage Service (SENARA), and the National Production Council (CNP).

The training took place from 21 to 25 June 2021, in the presence of 35 participants. The training was delivered through lectures and practical sessions, using survey microdata produced by ENA. Participants had the possibility to apply the tools learned during the course, participating in working groups and producing relevant policy documents and summary.

The training introduced to participants several concepts such as production and farmgate price indexes, rates of agricultural growth, crop and economic yields, drivers of agricultural growth, nominal rates of protection among others, and presented the challenges faced by the agricultural sector to increase productivity, and the opportunities to enhance the contribution of agriculture to the broader economy.

Participants were provided with quantitative assessment tools to understand these concepts issues and to analyze data, indicators and trends. Topics as income generation for small farmers, agricultural exports, were addressed, introducing pragmatic interpretation of simple economic formulas helping to analyze the sector and inform potentially agricultural policies.

“As data producer, it is rewarding to see how many applications can be given to our microdata to produce indicators that contribute to understanding better the agricultural sector. I did not know that so much could be done!!!” Ms. Johanna Quesada, statistician at INEC.