GSARSII Conducts Comprehensive Statistical Software Training to Bolster Agricultural and Rural Statistics in Zambia

The Global Strategy for the Improvement of Agricultural and Rural Statistics (GSARS) reinforced its commitment to enhancing the caliber of agricultural and rural statistics by conducting a pivotal training workshop on the utilization of software packages used for the analysis of statistical data in Zambia. This workshop, taking place from July 24th to August 4th, 2023, elucidated the profound role accurate and timely data plays in decision-making and policy formulation, particularly in the agricultural sector.

The Global Strategy, in its unwavering mission, seeks to enhance the institutional, human, and financial capacities of statistical systems, advocating for timely, reliable, and cost-effective methods of data collection. Recognizing the indispensability of precise data analytics, the program emphasizes superior data processing and analysis, leveraging renowned statistical packages such as SPSS, STATA, and R.

Zambia, in its pursuit of data-driven excellence, has recognized these statistical softwares as vital tools for analysis. With this shared vision, GSARS, in collaboration with FAO-Zambia and the GSARS Global Coordination Office, orchestrated a training workshop in Lusaka. The training encompassed Modules 1 and 2 of the GSARS TOOLS package.

The primary objectives of this workshop were to enhance the capability of National Statistical Systems (NSS) in adopting quality-centric approaches in data processing and analysis, and to facilitate the exchange of experiences and expertise in data analytics using the SPSS suite.

The workshop equipped participants with comprehensive knowledge on pivotal functionalities, enabling them to proficiently process data and generate insightful statistics, crucial for informed decision-making in the agricultural and rural sectors.

Representatives from key organizations, including the Zambia Statistics Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, actively participated. Out of 14 attendees, 5 were women, signifying the workshop's focus on inclusivity and diverse representation.

The Global Strategy continues to remain dedicated to its mission, fostering an environment of knowledge exchange and capacity building, which is instrumental in realizing the vision of data-driven sustainable agricultural practices and policies. The insights and skills imparted in this workshop underscore the significance of robust data analytics tools in crafting a brighter and sustainable future for Zambia's agricultural sector.