Data Users Needs & Capacity
Building
International Programs
National Agricultural Statistics Service
United States Department of Agriculture
November 2009
Who is a Data User?
• Anyone who uses data or information
that will affect –
• Government Policy
• Private/Public Investment
• Marketing Decisions
• Monitoring and Evaluation
What do Data Users’ Expect?
•
•
•
•
•
Comprehensive Coverage
Accuracy
Timeliness
Comparability
Availability
Comprehensive Coverage
• Cover all vital aspects of agriculture
• Acreage, yield, production, stocks,
imports, exports, consumption
• Livestock inventories, births, deaths,
consumption
• Employment rates, earnings, number of
workers, price and other economic
indicators
Accuracy Measures
• Coverage – completeness
• Entire country versus part
• Complete count versus most
• 1st estimate versus final
• Comparison with Administrative
sources
• Comparison with Utilization
Timeliness
• Data still relevant when available
• Punctual
• Varies by kind of Statistic
• Forecast versus Estimate versus
Census
Comparability
• Comparable over time
• Crop yields defined same way over
time
• Comparable over space
• Crop yields defined same way over all
provinces
• Comparable reference periods
Availability
• Is information available to everyone?
• At same time?
• Easily accessible?
NASS Approach to Capacity Building
• Try to understand the situation in
collaborating country—organizational
structure, resources, data needs,
unique cultural factors, methodologies
in place
• Workshop to provide case study of
procedures in USA, not a how you
should do it example, but to
demonstrate methods and concepts
NASS Approach to Capacity Building
• Explain procedures and technology we
have developed or have observed in
other countries
• Assist counterparts in
a: developing an overall agricultural
statistics improvement plan
b: decide on what methods to
implement first; training needed initially
NASS Approach to Capacity Building
• Collaboratively develop a test or pilot
activity that would transfer a
methodology
• Provide training on concepts and
procedures during pilot activity
• Implement country wide after proof the
concept was successful in a pilot test
NASS Approach to Capacity Building
• Effective collaboration concepts:
• Advisors are counterparts, not supervisors
• Need to respect local traditions, culture, and
procedures
• Recognize counterparts have capability; but not the
opportunity to have similar experiences or access
to methodologies in past
• Not all methodology is effective in every setting,
need to adjust to country specific needs
NASS Approach to Capacity Building
• Project needs to plan for sustainability
• Data users needs must be addressed,
not just what is thought they might
need/want
• High level officials support is critical:
they must see need for data and how it
would be useful to them and others
Building an effective agricultural statistics system
Considerations for building an effective agricultural statistics system...
Goals & Objectives
Organization & Infrastructure
responsibilities, coordination, staffing requirements
Program
content, scope, coverage, frequency
Concepts, Definitions & Standards
Sound Statistical Methodology
sampling frames & sample design, survey design, data collection, processing, statistical analysis
Data Dissemination & Archival
Training
data providers, data generators, data users