Since February, FAO, La Sapienza University of Rome’s department of statistical sciences and the European Master in Official Statistics have been collaborating on a hybrid modality seminar series – the fifth of its kind.

This partnership between FAO and La Sapienza has been in place since 2016, in efforts to enhance food security and sustainability in agriculture through innovative research, knowledge sharing and capacity development.

This initiative came to be after an agreement was signed between the two institutions, with the goal of further promoting and developing the European Master in Official Statistics programme.

Valérie Bizier (Deputy Director, Data and Statistical Governance, FAO Statistics Division), explained that the course aims to provide students in official statistics with concrete examples of how statistical methods applications are applied in the context of food-and agriculture-related statistics, helping to promote understanding and collaboration.

Since then, she said, "It has led to internships, volunteer support of FAO work, and statistical progress - for example, in modelling wood fuel production globally and measuring sustainable agriculture."  

The seminars include both laboratory activities and theoretical introductions to various topics, based on FAO data archives and new initiatives.

Each session features a speaker from the Organization. The introductory session began with remarks from Valérie Bizier, as well as Ashley Steel (Senior Statistician, FAO Forestry Division).

Ashley explained, "This first lecture aimed to give students an overview of the full course, including what types of topics would be covered in each lecture and some of the main statistical themes that would run through multiple lectures."

She encouraged students to participate actively and contact FAO speakers with questions or follow-up ideas, she also shared a framework for student projects using FAO data.

Another recent seminar focused on methods to produce disaggregated estimates of SDG indicators to inform policies and actions aimed at leaving no one behind. The seminar introduced data disaggregation methodologies, computed using survey microdata. It also provided practical examples of possible small area estimation applications in official statistics, and in the context of the SDG monitoring framework, based on the experience of FAO and other international organizations.

"Small area estimation allows integrating survey data with additional information retrieved from censuses, administrative registers, geospatial information systems and other big data sources", Aida Khalil (Statistician, FAO Statistics Division), explained, "to increase the precision of estimates produced for small populations."

On the benefits of the seminars, she highlighted that "students are exposed to practical examples of how official statistics are produced by international organizations like FAO, and the role they play in the design and implementation of evidence-based policies and interventions. On the other hand, the Organization can benefit from the exchange and collaboration with renowned statistical professors and enthusiastic young statisticians." 

Valérie explained that new speakers and topics have since been introduced and that more participatory activities have been added over the years. "Each year the course has evolved, and the addition of focused themes and a big-picture overview lecture this year are great additions to continue that evolution in a positive direction", added Ashley Steel.

"I hope that the course encourages students to apply for internships at FAO, pursue advanced studies or a career in food- and agriculture-related statistics, and collaborate actively with FAO in the future”, concluded Valérie Bizier.

Séverine Huille (Statistician, FAO Statistics Division) reflected, “During my final year of my master’s degree at La Sapienza, I came across an internship opportunity at FAO thanks to my statistics case studies course. My internship at FAO opened my eyes to the world of official statistics and taught me essential methods of statistical disclosure control to protect data quality and confidentiality. That experience four years ago was crucial in shaping my professional path, leading me to my current role as a consultant managing an open-data catalogue website for the Organization. My experience reflects the strong collaboration between FAO and La Sapienza, effectively linking academic studies with practical professional experience.”