FAO.org

Good decisions are based on accurate information. That truth is especially critical in the agricultural sector where national programmatic and policy decisions impacts the well-being for citizens. Yet, the scarcity of high-quality and timely national data to inform decisionmaking across low and lower-middle income countries is widely recognized, hampering the efforts of governments and organizations to shape good policies, encourage investment, target programs, and measure progress. The dearth of data is especially profound in the areas of agriculture and food security where long-term investments are lacking to create sustainable data systems. Most developing countries have not conducted regular annual agricultural surveys or censuses in the last 15 years. To adress this problem, FAO in collaboration with USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GRAInS, is working with countries to build their capacities to implement AGRISurvey programme. The AGRISurvey programme aims to accelerate and improve the collection and dissemination of data on agricultural production as well as the technical, economic, environmental and social dimensions of agricultural holdings through training and technical assistance geared towards the implementation of an integrated system of agricultural surveys.