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FAO, Govt collaborate to launch National Agricultural and Livestock Census Plan of Action
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The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is working alongside Government to design and implement a National Agricultural and Livestock Census (NALC) Plan of Action.
This effort aims to address gaps in the country's agricultural statistics and contribute to evidence-based agricultural and food systems transformation.
As part of this collaboration, FAO is also assisting Zimbabwe in updating its national food balance sheet (FBS) and developing the project documentation necessary to mobilise resources for the census.
Over the next two weeks, key statisticians and economists are gathering in Harare to outline the data requirements, methodologies, and resources needed for the census, as part of the FAO World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA 2020).
The Director of the Production Statistics Division at the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), Matiwonesa Phiri, emphasised the importance of the census in improving agricultural statistics and policy formulation.
"The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) prioritises the production of high-quality agricultural statistics to facilitate informed decision-making and effective policy formulation within the agriculture sector. The development of the National Agriculture Census project document highlights FAO's strong commitment to supporting the Government of Zimbabwe in addressing existing food security and agricultural production challenges. This is enabled by providing statistical data that fill the existing agricultural data gaps. The project document not only serves as a framework to guide the planning and execution of the agriculture census but is also a resource mobilisation tool to enable ZIMSTAT to get the necessary support and resources for its successful implementation," said Phiri.
FAO's Regional Statistician for Africa, Dominique Habimana, noted that the National Agricultural and Livestock Census project document is an essential milestone in the implementation of the Census of Agriculture.
"The National Agricultural and Livestock Census project document is a key step towards implementing the Census of Agriculture as one of the main statistical outputs of Zimbabwe's Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics (2025-2029), and the Zimbabwe National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (2022 – 2026)," said Habimana.
"The upcoming NALC will provide a snapshot of the current situation of the agricultural sector and serve as the baseline for different agricultural subsectors with complete enumeration. The NALC will also allow for creating, for the first time, a solid sampling frame for subsequent agricultural surveys," he added.
The draft NALC project document will be presented to and validated by key stakeholders, including both Government officials and the donor community, on January 30, 2025.
This will mark a critical step in securing the necessary resources for the implementation of the census, which will move forward once the required funding and support are secured.
This effort aims to address gaps in the country's agricultural statistics and contribute to evidence-based agricultural and food systems transformation.
As part of this collaboration, FAO is also assisting Zimbabwe in updating its national food balance sheet (FBS) and developing the project documentation necessary to mobilise resources for the census.
Over the next two weeks, key statisticians and economists are gathering in Harare to outline the data requirements, methodologies, and resources needed for the census, as part of the FAO World Programme for the Census of Agriculture (WCA 2020).
The Director of the Production Statistics Division at the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT), Matiwonesa Phiri, emphasised the importance of the census in improving agricultural statistics and policy formulation.
"The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) prioritises the production of high-quality agricultural statistics to facilitate informed decision-making and effective policy formulation within the agriculture sector. The development of the National Agriculture Census project document highlights FAO's strong commitment to supporting the Government of Zimbabwe in addressing existing food security and agricultural production challenges. This is enabled by providing statistical data that fill the existing agricultural data gaps. The project document not only serves as a framework to guide the planning and execution of the agriculture census but is also a resource mobilisation tool to enable ZIMSTAT to get the necessary support and resources for its successful implementation," said Phiri.
FAO's Regional Statistician for Africa, Dominique Habimana, noted that the National Agricultural and Livestock Census project document is an essential milestone in the implementation of the Census of Agriculture.
"The National Agricultural and Livestock Census project document is a key step towards implementing the Census of Agriculture as one of the main statistical outputs of Zimbabwe's Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics (2025-2029), and the Zimbabwe National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (2022 – 2026)," said Habimana.
"The upcoming NALC will provide a snapshot of the current situation of the agricultural sector and serve as the baseline for different agricultural subsectors with complete enumeration. The NALC will also allow for creating, for the first time, a solid sampling frame for subsequent agricultural surveys," he added.
The draft NALC project document will be presented to and validated by key stakeholders, including both Government officials and the donor community, on January 30, 2025.
This will mark a critical step in securing the necessary resources for the implementation of the census, which will move forward once the required funding and support are secured.
Source - Online
