Workshop: Piloting new approaches for long-term sustainability of ASTI

The Agricultural Sciences and Technology Indicators (ASTI) has been a global leading programme in compiling and analyzing agricultural research data for over two decades. It focuses on institutional developments, investments, human resource capacity, and research outputs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and has functioned through a vast network of national research agencies, regional coordinating bodies, and international organizations. The programme, formerly managed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), is now transitioning into FAO.

From 15 to 16 April, FAO organized a workshop in Rome to convene key national stakeholders to introduce them to the ASTI methodology and procedures as well as initiate dialogues between national agricultural research institutes (NARIs) and national statistical offices (NSOs). These dialogues aim to unveil and present the new data collection approach while deliberating on and exploring strategies for effective integration of ASTI into National Statistical System (NSS) mechanisms, a crucial step for providing collecting agencies with a clear mandate, ensuring quality, and official validation of the data.

Objectives:

The specific objectives of the two-day workshop were to:

• Introduce the ASTI programme and its new operational mechanisms.
  
• Discuss strategies to enhance the long-term institutionalization of ASTI and to maximize
  policy uptake of ASTI outputs at the national level.
  
• Initiate dialogues between NARIs and NSOs to build a common understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the new approach.
  
• Train participants on the ASTI methodology, data management portal and survey processing monitoring.
  
• Discuss and collectively formulate an agreed methodology and way forward for implementation of the ASTI pilot in each country, including series of activities to be carried out during the country survey pilots.

About 12 participants from the FAO Statistics Division (ESS), the Office of Innovation (OIN) as well as NARIs and NSOs from six countries (Albania, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Georgia, Nigeria and Pakistan) attended the workshop.