Workshop on ASTI Pilot Results and Agricultural R&D Data Collection (Tirana, Albania)
Tiranë (Albania), Hybrid Event, 11/03/2026 - 12/03/2026
From 11 to 12 March, FAO and its partners convened international experts and national stakeholders in Albania for a two‑day workshop focused on strengthening agricultural R&D data systems. The event served to review the results of the ASTI pilot in Albania, deepen participants’ understanding of ASTI methodologies, and co‑develop strategies for institutionalizing agricultural research data collection across participating countries.
On the first day, international participants received technical insights into the ASTI methodology and explored lessons learned from country pilots to deepen their understanding of various models and approaches.
On the second morning, the results from the country pilot were presented and validated with national stakeholders, in the presence of international observers. In the afternoon, international participants worked with the FAO-ASTI team to develop action plans for ASTI data collection and institutionalization in their respective countries.
Objectives
The specific objectives of the workshop were to:
- Introduce the ASTI program and its new operational mechanisms.
- Discuss strategies to enhance the institutionalization of ASTI and to maximize policy uptake of ASTI outputs at the national level.
- Present and discuss the ASTI country pilots reports, including the key findings and lessons from the pilots, as well as recommendations for the global rollout.
- Present the results from the pilot test in Albania, collect feedback from national stakeholders and discuss next steps.
- Train international participants on the ASTI methodology for answering new FAO questionnaire and ASTI operational mechanisms.
- Present and discuss the Guidelines for Developing ASTI at the national level.
- Discuss and co-develop a work plan for countries in the region to institutionalize ASTI and report to FAO.
Collaboration
This event was organized in collaboration with the Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) and FAO’s agricultural R&D statistics team.