R-PATA 8029: Improving Agricultural and Rural Statistics for
Food Security
Workshop on Developing the Country Action Plans
2 – 4 May 2012 Asian Development Bank Headquarters
Manila, Philippines
Country Statement on
“Agricultural Statistics System in LAO PDR”
A. Lao National Statistics System
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Lao Statistics Bureau
Ministry of Planning and Investment
Province Statistics Centre
District Statistics Centre
Village Statistics Unite
Village
Provincial
District
Central
Central
Government
Reporting system
Province Statistics Section
District Statistics Unite
Ministries Statistics Centre
Vertical line
Technical direction
Line Ministries
Horizontal line
Establishment
Statistics Unite
Technical advisors
A. National Statistics System
• Government endorsed Statistics Law in June
2010 : – Role and Function of Statistics organization of both vertical
and horizontal offices
• Government commitment to support National
Statistics System (local cost contribution for
Censuses, Surveys,…)
• Restructuring national statistical office from central to
local office, particularly vertical line
• Resources available in 5 years (Economic Census,
LECS V, partly Population Census)
B. National Statistics Develop
Plan 2005 to 2010 “least acceptable statistical system” produced by the “leanest”
possible organization may serve as a guide.
For economic statistics: – Monthly (or quarterly) consumer price index
– Quarterly producer price index of main outputs
– Benchmark estimates of GDP by activity and by expenditure every 5-year using the reporting system between benchmark years
– Annual foreign trade statistics
For socio-economic statistics: – Population censuses every 10-year combined with demographic analyses
– Multi-purpose household survey every 5-year on household economy and welfare, well coordinated in time and contents with National Health surveys
– The Village Book on poverty assessment
B. National Statistics Develop
Plan 2005 to 2010: NSS’s desired production
• NSC needs to develop its own production to comprise a regular survey program.
– with self confidence and reasonable quality,
– fulfill its role as coordinator
• There is also a strong demand from the Lao government as well as from other users of reliable statistics
• NSC has also during the last recent years developed its skills in using internationally accepted methods and standards
Strengths and Weakness in
implementation in the past Plan • Strengths
– Experienced senior staff with good skills
– Experience of organising and fieldwork of censuses and surveys
– Legal framework established
• Weaknesses
– Highly depend on donor supports
– Quality control of data collection process
– Resource planning, coordination
– Dependency on few key persons,
– Legal framework not sufficiently strong
B. Strategic Plan for for National Statistical
Development 2010-2020
How to address &overcome key problems and
challenges?
Problems and issues are indentified
Goals, and targets are set
Issues have been articulated with respect to strategic goals and will be the
seed for statistical outputs and the development activities.
Key strategic goals include:
• Improving Policy, Regulatory & Institutional Frame work
• Developing Statistical Infrastructure
• Data Development and Management
• Rationalizing Investment in Physical Infrastructure & Equipment
Twelve strategic objectives (SO) have been formulated
NSS Development Framework 2010-2020
Statistical Framework
Statistics Indicators
Economic Others Social and
Culture
• NSA &Price • Agriculture • Industrial and
manufacturing • Energy and
mining • Transportation
and Post and communication
• Services • Others
• Education • Health • Labor • Others
Data
• Data collection, sharing and analysis • Metat data compilation and assesment • Harmoniation and Classification • Adopt/adaptation of international
recoganized methodologies • Quality and timeliness
Enabling Mechanism
• Institutional framework, Legislation • Infrastructure • HR and HRD /Capacity building • Data network /information system • Support Budget
Programmes
Development partners
Statistical Outputs/Use
Dissemination/Communication
Yearbook
Other Communication
Survey’s Reports
Web site and Lao Info
Database (micro data)
Prodcucer and User Forum
• Population and demographics Gender
• Environment • Poverty ….
Indicators
National Sectoral
Adminis-trative
Survey
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C. Status of the compilation of agricultural
and rural statistics
• The Lao Census of Agriculture 2010/11 was the
second agricultural census undertaken in Lao PDR;
the first was conducted in 1998/99.
• The Lao Census of Agriculture 2010/11 covered the
whole of Lao PDR, including all 143 districts in the
country. The census had three components: – Village component: a survey of all villages in the country to collect data
from village heads on rural infrastructure and services.
– Household component: a survey of all households in Lao PDR to collect
basic data on crops and livestock.
– Sample farm household component: a sample survey of 41,660 farm
households to collect detailed data on agricultural activities.
C. Status of the compilation of agricultural
and rural statistics (Continue..)
• The Government of Lao PDR is also appreciative of the
support for the census provided through FAO by the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation and to other
donors – IFAD, Aus AID, AFD and GIZ – who supported the
census data collection and processing. Financial assistance
was also received from the Sustainable Natural Resource
Management and Productivity Enhancement Project
(ADB/IFAD).
– Note: Information on the census methodology is given in Annexes 1:
Status of the compilation of agricultural
and rural statistics (Continue..)
JICA is helping MAF in conducting crop cutting and area
estimation surveys.
– Since 2007 MAF attempts has been made to introduce
modern methods of surveys based on interview with farmers,
measurement of area planted and crop cutting.
– Two stage sampling method has been employed for the
survey. Villages are the primary sampling unit (PSU) and
farm households in the sample villages are the secondary
sampling unit (SSU). Number of PSUs is 10 villages per
DAFO. Number of SSUs is 2 farm households per village. 2
spots per sampled household have been randomly selected to
carry out the crop cutting experiments. The probability
proportional sampling to size of planted area is applied to
PSU sampling Villages have been selected using
systematic random sampling technique.
Rice Assessment Survey 2008 wet season crop
• The project, TCP/LAO/3202 – Strengthening capacity for statistical
assessment the situation and outlook of rice in Lao PDR, which has been
executed under the leadership of the Department of Planning, Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry (DOP MAF) with cooperation from the Department
of Statistics, Ministry of Planning and Investment is part of the commitment
of the FAO to assist developing member countries strengthening national
statistical systems.
• Moreover, to meet its objective, the project embarked to do four specific
strategies, all national in scope:
a) Secondary analysis of important parameters for a knowledge-based
assessment of the rice economy in the country;
b) Rice assessment survey of households and villages;
c) Rapid assessment of stock and marketing systems for paddy/rice; and
d) Desk research on small area estimation to generate selected parameters
at district level.
What are the agricultural and rural statistics that you compile regularly? How
frequent do you compile each one? Which units are responsible for the compilation?
What is the compilation method?
The government of Lao PDR adopts a decentralized
system for agricultural statistics
• National Statistics Center (NSC) under the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry (MPI) is responsible for population
census and other survey concerned with agriculture sector.
• Center for Statistics and Information of the Planning
Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been
assigned the collection and compilation of data relating to
agriculture and livestock from various sources to prepare and
distribute an annual yearbook on agriculture and forestry
statistics. It is also responsible for the cooperation and
coordination with other relevant agencies for specific survey
activities for example: Rice survey, livestock survey, Crop
cutting survey...
• Department of Agriculture and Extension collects and compiles
data on crop situation and prepares monthly and seasonal reports
on important economic crops based on information received
from provincial and district offices of the department.
• Department of Livestock and Fishery collects and compiles data
on numbers and disease of various livestock reported by
provincials, district and village levels officers.
• Department of Forestry collects and compiles data relation to
forestry, their quantitative exploitation and replanting of tree,
source of water/river, national forestry resource.
• Besides the above mentioned departments, the Department of
Meteorology and Hydrology, Irrigation department, rural
development division, Personnel department also collect data
mostly for their use, case study, monitoring and planning
activities.
What are the agricultural and rural statistics that you compile regularly? How
frequent do you compile each one? Which units are responsible for the compilation?
What is the compilation method?
How is data quality of agricultural statistics assessed?
How is data quality maintained?
• The quality of data collected by field staff could be improved by
providing training to data collectors. Provision of pre-designed data
collection schedules along with comprehensive instruction manual
would result into improvement in quality of data. Instead of entire data
being collected by complete enumeration on reporting basis, the
collection of agricultural statistics should be started on sample basis in
1 or 2 provinces on a pilot basis by deploying trained data collectors.
• This would result into :
+ collection of greater range of data through sample surveys;
+ improvement in quality of data through scrutiny and verification;
• The supervision of the data collection process should be made
mandatory.
How is data quality of agricultural statistics
assessed? How is data quality maintained
• Presently, with the transport facilities to villages being
very limited and budgetary constraint severe, the
perception is that District staff generally fills up the farms
based on their perception rather than collecting the data
from records. Since, there exists no system of supervision,
the data reported by District staff goes unchecked. As a
result, the estimates are inaccurate and unreliable.
How are the agricultural and rural statistics disseminated?
Who are their major users?
• Statistical data are officially reported through an annual
publication “ Agricultural Statistics “. MAF and its departments
and institutions internally use most of other data. There is a plan
to disseminate the data through Internet Web Pages.
• We are now happy to participate in the development of an
ASEAN-wide information network. MAF has already to open
the Lao Web Page for agricultural statistics within the
framework of a joint project by ASEAN and FAO for
information network system. We uploaded Agricultural
Statistics on the Web Page in March 2004.
• Address Website: http://www.faorap-apcas.org;
http://afsis.oae.go.th
• The major users are Researchers, Policy makers, planners. . ,
International Organization, Student, etc.
• Does the government’s development plan use
agricultural and rural statistics for monitoring purposes?
• MAF Policies in Agriculture are: – Food production program
– Promotion of commodity production support program
– Reducing shifting cultivation
– Irrigation development scheme
– Agricultural & forestry research program
– Human resource development
– Rural development & poverty alleviation.
• Does the government’s development plan use
agricultural and rural statistics for monitoring purposes?
• To effectively monitor the progress of
development in the agricultural sector and
to carry out effective agricultural planning,
Government needs good statistics.
• For Example: Using Census Data for
monitoring and Evaluation for rural poverty
and what are the changing in the last 10
years.
E. Preparatory Steps for the Country Action Plan
Problem & Constraints (1)
1. Problems
• Availability of agricultural statistics:
Mostly production-related
• Accuracy, reliability and timeliness:
Need to be improved
• Data analysis and dissemination
Insufficient
Problems & Constraints (2)
2. Constraints
• Organization and responsibility
• Data collection methods
• Manpower and human capacity
• Budget
• Infrastructure
What are the major plans for
improving agricultural and rural
statistics in the next few years?
Strategies for Statistical
Improvement • Establish higher priority in statistics &
information
• Strengthen link between MAF and Province
• Focus on human resources development
• Optimum combination of survey methods
• Long-term perspectives & phased approach
• Cooperation with international donors
Activities
(1) Widen data coverage
(2) Improve data collection technology
(3) Utilize information technology
(4) Promote data utilization and
dissemination
(5) Strengthen capacity of organization
and human resources
The Future Plan
• Lao PDR intends to develop its capacity of
data collection, analysis and dissemination
for agricultural statistics.
– Improving Food Security Data
– Human Resource Development
– Developing Information Network
Action Plan
• Preparing National & Sub national
Analytical Report from Lao Census for
Agriculture, 2010/11
• LECS V 2012-2013
• In September 2012, Risk & Vulnerability
Survey support through FAO by Aus Aid
• Rice Market Intelligence and Policy
Support Project (RIMIPS), Lao PDR
support by FAO, 2012 ?? (GCP/LAO ???)
What is the level of government support? How can
the government support be improved?
• The budget and human resources for statistics and
information for MAF are constrained by financial
situation of the Government. Certain development
efforts are being made through our own fund and
contributions from other international donors.
However, technical and financial resources
available to us are not sufficient. Therefore, we
desire to achieve the above-mentioned targets with
the support from the Donors or Existing Project in
the Region.
THANK YOU !
For your Kind Attention