Basic Concepts for
Development of a National Strategy
for Improvement of Agricultural and Rural Statistics
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Statistics vs. Information
What is a Strategy? How do we proceed to develop this?
Integration
Mukesh K Srivastava
Statistics Division
FAO, Rome
Challenges of a Statistician
• Key persons do not understand the importance
of Statistics
• Demand is always more than the available
resources can provide
– human resources
– financial resources
• Administrative processes or interested agencies
continue to produce “some numbers” which are
used as statistics for lack of an alternative.
– lack of coordination between agencies.
– turf protection
Statistics or information
• Is a Rapid Report on the persons affected by a natural calamity an
statistics?
– Level of Confidence/ Credibility
– It is necessary to get this information rapidly even though it may be somewhat less
reliable than that will be available from a door to survey.
• Administrative Reports: coming out of established systems (relevant
for only short time but is needed urgently for quick intervention)
– Crop Area sown
– Crop condition
• Statistics from administrative sources
– Export/ Import
– Migration
• Historical Statistical Series: Census and Surveys
–
Many users different levels of tolerance of credibility
 The Statistics come with
 A Seal of Quality (confidence)
 Well established calendar (expectation)
 Neutral Source (unbiased)
Distinguish
• Official Statistics
– multi-purpose
– reliable, unbiased, produced by neutral agency
• Monitoring reports
– special purpose
– Limited to project areas
• Forecasts
– based on assumptions,
– available information
• Assessments
 Statistical methods can improve the quality of
information generation.
¿What is a National Strategy?
 It is a road map for development to achieve certain Goals
 Optimum: with in the constraints of budget and human resources
 Feasible: not ideal
 Flexible: could accelerate or decelerate inmplementation without
changing the direction
 It tell us:
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For whom to produce?: priority clients
Who does what?
Priority needs of the country
How to do it?: sound methodology, best use of resources
 A plan of action follows from the Strategy
Steps to develop a strategic vision
 The Goals
 The problems (Challenges)
– Identification: real vs. imaginary
– Define precisely the issues to be focused
 Analysis of present situation
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Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities and
Threats
 Brain Storming involving all stake holders, without
prejudice
 Search for solutions (options)
 Evaluations of options from different angles
– (users, interest groups, donors, government, public,
implementers ...)
 Develop a shared National Vision
 Strategy: a vision to follow for long term (10-15 years)
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From where to begin?
What road to follow?
Consider scenarios (most favorable and the worst)
Flexibility: preparatory action for risks
 Planning: for both scenarios (5 year)
– Long term and short term
– Concrete objectives and resources
 Implementation: on the basis of available resources
– year by year
 Revision of Plans: according to changes in priority,
maintaining the strategy (ex. high way, livestock)
¿What is an Integrated
System?
A set of similar objects
Savings of
efforts and
resource
Move
together in
synergy
and
efficiently
And this one?
Integration of Statistics
• ¿Why?
– Cost-efective production and avoidance of
duplication of efforts
– Coherent Statistics
– Greater Scope of Analysis
• ¿How?
– Shared cartographic material, classification,
standards, concepts, definitions….
– Planinning of all the surveys in an integrated
manner: A national calender of surveys
– Integrated Samping design for all the surveys in
the calender.
¿Does there exist a ready
made product?
The design is developed as
per:
- the national requirements and
- the available resources
More benefits
• Flexibility
 differnt agencies can implement the module in which
they are interested,
 at differnt times,
 in differnt zones of their choice,
 according to avaialbility of resources,
 Leave the door open for
 more survey modules to be added to the plan based
upon already existing master sample frame, or
 to drop modules in case of budget cut.
Shukaran
Jazeelan.