Romeo S. Recide Maura S. Lizarondo

1. FAO/PARIS21 REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON THE INTEGRATION OF AND ACCESSTO AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS FORBETTER FORMULATION AND MONITORING OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIESAlgers, Algeria 8-9 December 2007Back-to-back with the 20th AFCASAW-07-02-2-AThe Philippine Experience in Establishing Metadataand Setting up the CountrySTAT Romeo S. Recide Maura S. Lizarondo Jing B. Jalisan Director, Assistant Director and Senior Statistician, respectively, Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Department of Agriculture, Republic of the PhilippinesPhilippines

2. Structure of Presentation • Introduction • The National Statistical System • Statistical Frameworks • Current Approaches in the Maintenance of Economic Accounts for Food and Agriculture • Data Bases in Support of the SEAFA • Advantages of the SEAFA • Implications of the SEAFA on the Agricultural Statistical System • Improving the Agricultural Statistical Service • Conclusions

3. 1. Background • The CountrySTAT is an Internet-based system that integrates national food and agricultural statistical information to ensure harmonization of national data and metadata collections for analysis and policy making. It provides statistical standards, data exchange tools and related methods without using external data sources such as databases. The data source is a text file in a specific format, called PX-file. The development of the CountrySTAT system started in May 2004 using PX-Web at the FAO headquarters in Rome. In 2005, the system was successfully tested in the statistical offices of Kyrgyz Republic, Kenya, and Ghana. • In recognition of the existence and potential uses of the CountrySTAT, the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) through the Philippine Statistical Association (PSA) has taken on the challenge of establishing the CountrySTAT system in the Philippines. This has been made possible through the Letter Of Agreement between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the PSA to implement the project “Strengthening the National Statistical Systems of Selected Countries in the Asia and Pacific Region”. The key components of the project were the establishment of the CountrySTAT Philippines and its introduction to other countries in Asia, the conduct of the sub-regional workshop on CountrySTAT and Metadata and the preparation and publication of the Metadata for the national agricultural statistics in 16 Asia-Pacific countries. • Upon consultation with the key agencies in the PSS, the PSA designated the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) as the host institution for the CountrySTAT. Collection and integration of data did not pose problems for the BAS since it handles most of the data requirements of the CountrySTAT. The Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC) which is the training arm of the PSS has been tasked to organize and conduct all required trainings and workshops under the project.

4. 2. The CountrySTAT System • The CountrySTAT is an applied Internet-based information system that disseminates statistical information and metadata on food and agriculture. It collects, organizes, integrates and harmonizes data and metadata from different statistical agencies in order for statistical tables to be consistent and compatible at the national, as well as, at the international levels. The CountrySTAT system facilitates access of statistical information in a single source which can provide efficient support to analysis and policy making. In understanding the CountrySTAT system, one should look at the developmental framework on which it is based and the technology that supports and is used in its development.

5. 3. Capacity Building for the CountrySTAT System • 3.1. Training on CountrySTAT administration • As an initial step of the capacity building towards the development of the CountrySTAT Philippines, the PSA sent two BAS personnel to a training workshop on CountrySTAT Administration at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, during the period 01 to 10 February 2006. Earlier in November, one personnel from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) attended a similar training at the FAO HQs. One BAS personnel focused on the CountrySTAT statistical framework while the other was engaged more on the development, management and administration of the CountrySTAT system. Apart from the concepts and the skills acquired about the CountrySTAT system, the other significant output of this training was the identification of the requirements and other considerations to enable BAS to host the CountrySTAT Philippines. This paved the way for BAS and PSA to proceed and lay out the plans covering the main activities of the project like; capacity building, conduct of sub-regional workshop on CountrySTAT and metadata and the installation of the CountrySTAT at the BAS.

6. 3. Capacity Building for the CountrySTAT System • 3.2 National Training Workshops • In the Philippines, the institutions or agencies that supply data to the CountrySTAT system are the National Statistics Office (NSO), National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) and the different operating units of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS). The second stage of the capacity building was the training of selected personnel from these agencies. The project plan scheduled two national training workshops. • The first national training workshop was conducted on 27 to 31 March 2006. The main objective of the training was to provide and enhance the skills of the statisticians and IT staff in using the PC-Axis software suite. The three (3) personnel from NSCB and BAS who have earlier attended the training in Rome served as the resource persons. During the preparations for this training, it has become evident that the resource persons had to study the PC-Axis software suite in detail in order to have a better understanding of the PC-Axis. In the process, the resource persons have discovered other aspects of the PC-Axis and have got to know more than what they have learned from the training in FAO HQs in Rome. • At the end of the first training, the agencies identified other key elements or requirements for CountrySTAT. Since data come from different sources, CountrySTAT needs a document that will serve as a guide to harmonize the data. Specifically, the document should contain guidelines for (1) data submission, (2) standardized file-naming convention, (3) conversion procedure, (4) standardized format for PX file keywords. The guidelines will ensure the consistency of statistical tables when viewed in the CountrySTAT webpage. The CountrySTAT document containing guidelines was drafted by the BAS Webmaster who serves as the designated CountrySTAT administrator with the help of the participants. • .

7. 3. Capacity Building for the CountrySTAT System • 3.2 National Training Workshops • Another important requirement was the forging of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among agencies involved. The MOA defined the responsibilities and the level of data to be supplied by the member agencies. This was drafted by SRTC in consultation with the PSA, NSO, NSCB, BLES and BAS. The MOA underwent several modifications until it was signed by the heads of agencies on August 2006. • The second national training workshop was conducted during the period 08 to 12 May 2006. The first two days from May 8 to 9 served as a follow-up to the first training and had the intention to foster better appreciation and understanding in handling PC-Axis files. This was attended by the participants of the first training workshop. In the next three (3) days, 10 to 12 May 2006, the training workshop on metadata among Statisticians or Sector Specialists was held. The workshop included presentation of agencies’ data and metadata systems. It was interesting to note that none of the agencies have similar metadata format or outline. The major output of the workshop was the draft metadata outline. This metadata outline was further enhanced at the BAS. It was submitted to FAO for information and reference. The draft outline was also circulated among the operating units of the BAS as reference in the preparation of their respective metadata. Thus, when the FAO – prescribed metadata outline was forwarded to the BAS, concerned operating units just did some adjustments in the sequence of presentation of topics.

8. 3. Capacity Building for the CountrySTAT System • 3.3 Sub-regional Workshop on CountrySTAT and Metadata • The FAO-PSA Sub-Regional Workshop on CountrySTAT and Metadata, co-organized by BAS and SRTC, was held in the Philippines from 23-27 October 2006. Basically, the workshop aimed to raise awareness on CountrySTAT, including its opportunities and challenges, based on the Philippine experience and to provide discussions about metadata documents on national agricultural statistical systems prepared by participating countries. The workshop also served as the official launching of the CountrySTAT Philippines. The major output of the workshop was the enhancement and streamlining of the FAO prescribed metadata outline that is agreed upon and understood by participating countries. The Philippines has modified its metadata based on the final FAO prescription. This was published last July 2007 and was made accessible via the metadata link in the CountrySTAT Philippines webpage. • 3.4 BAS In-house PC-Axis Software Training • The administration and updating of data and metadata in the CountrySTAT system suggested additional work and time on the part of the Website operating unit of the BAS. Also, the PC-Axis has evolved as a standard for disseminating statistical tables. These required more involvement in terms of personnel who should be technically knowledgeable in using the PC-Axis software. In solving this, the BAS conducted in-house PC-Axis software trainings in two (2) batches. Technical operating units of the BAS were properly represented in the trainings. The first batch was conducted in 27-29 November 2006, while the 2nd batch was conducted in 6-7 June 2007. The participants of the trainings will help in the conversion of data file to PX files. The BAS plans to conduct similar trainings in the Provincial Operations Centers (POCs) across the country.

9. 4. Installation of the CountrySTAT System • 4.1. Installation Requirements • Just like in any other system, CountrySTAT has system requirements for its successful installation. The CountrySTAT system is a Microsoft Windows-based application. This should be installed in a Windows server either 2000 or 2003 with Internet Information Server (IIS) version 5.0 or 6.0. The system requires that a PX-Web application with license from Statistics Sweden be installed in the web server. The PX-Web is written in ASP 3.0 and uses DLLs to handle all its functions. The directory where the CountrySTAT files are located should be configured with READ and WRITE authorization for Internet User Accounts (or IUSR), Launch Process Account (or IWAM), and local group account (or IIS_WPG). The READ and WRITE authorization is necessary since the system frequently creates temporary files to speed up the process of presenting its output to the users. The functions that require temporary files are (1) when a Query is made to the PX file, (2) when generating charts and maps, and (3) when users download the generated report in other formats such as Excel or PC-Axis file. • The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggested that the CountrySTAT system should be installed as part of the website of the implementing agency. The implementing agency should designate a CountrySTAT website administrator who is knowledgeable in Active Server Pages (ASP) and Visual Basic Scripting (VBScript). The designated administrator should also attend the CountrySTAT administration and PC-Axis Software training which are provided by the FAO.

10. 4. Installation of the CountrySTAT System • 4.2. Obtaining PC-Axis License • The NSCB had acquired a license for disseminating PC-Axis files in their previous project with Statistics Sweden. Through email communications, the BAS contacted Statistics Sweden and enquired on how to obtain a license for BAS similar to NSCB. Based on the discussion with Statistics Sweden regarding the licensing terms on PC-Axis, a country needs only one license. The agency who owns the license should report and request permission from Statistics Sweden for another agency to be covered in the license. Recognizing the terms, the NSCB required a separate MOA with the BAS on the exclusive use of PC-axis in the CountrySTAT system. The MOA was signed on the 21 September 2006. • 4.3. Enhancement of the CountrySTAT System • Prior to the installation of the CountrySTAT system, the designated CountrySTAT Administrator did some modifications on the programs of the original CountrySTAT system. The changes in the programs were due to the following: (1) installation of the Philippines shape map; (2) making the system into a cross-browser; (3) enhancing and speeding up the viewing of metadata in the Query interface, including the quick tables and maps; and (4) linking of data tables with their corresponding metadata.

11. 4. Installation of the CountrySTAT System • 4.4. Shift in Website Hosting Service • Until the early part of May 2006, the BAS website (http://www.bas.gov.ph) was hosted under a shared server of Filipino Web Services, Inc. (FilWeb). The shared server operates in Linux platform (Unix-based operating system) with Apache as its web server. The BAS website uses Hypertext Pre-processor (PHP), PERL, and MySQL Database. All of these languages and software are cross-platform which means that they can be installed either in MS Windows or Unix-based (such as Linux) platforms. • In installing the CountrySTAT system, BAS made some adjustments in its website setup. The FilWeb’s shared server cannot accommodate the CountrySTAT system since it requires Windows platform and installation of PX-Web. FilWeb thought that the system might compromise the operations of other websites in their shared server. As a result, the BAS transferred its website to a dedicated server. The BAS website is now currently hosted by ServoBox, a hosting service trademark of WebFocus Solutions, Incorporated. The dedicated server operates using Windows 2003 server configured with IIS. It provides more benefits than FilWeb’s shared server. The benefits would include faster accessibility, 99 percent uptime, no set-up fee, affordable, less server administration on the part of the BAS. The server is installed with updated Antivirus / Spam filtering, and more importantly only the BAS is using the server. • Transferring the website did not create major problems since the BAS website has been developed using Cross-platform languages and software. The setting up and configuration of the CountrySTAT system and the BAS website were done by the Systems Administrator of ServoBox. The BAS Webmaster coordinated with ServoBox and provided the list of requirements in order for the CountrySTAT system to work. The Philippine CountrySTAT system as shown in figure 3 is working and has been made accessible since May 2006. It is a sub-domain of the BAS website with URL http://countrystat.bas.gov.ph.

12. 4. Installation of the CountrySTAT System • 4.5. Initial Data • In preparation for the first national training workshop, the priority data sets to be loaded in the CountrySTAT were already identified. The priority data were those that support the statistical framework under the Core data set. The SRTC which organized the workshop earlier advised the participants to bring the required data with them in the training. The training included exercises in converting their existing data (in Excel format) into PX files. Towards the end of the training, the resulting PX files were collected. The PX files were further enhanced after finalizing the CountrySTAT guidelines. These PX files served as the initial data of the CountrySTAT Philippines during its installation in May 2006. .

13. 5. The CountrySTAT Philippines • 5.1. CountrySTAT Core Group • The CountrySTAT Core Group was created by the BAS management at the start of FAO-PSA project. This was made up of selected personnel across operating units in the Central Office. The group was tasked to do the following: (1) implement the CountrySTAT activities and advocate for its use; (2) facilitate the consolidation of inputs to the preparation of metadata report; and (3) serve as the Clearing House for the inputs to the CountrySTAT. Thus, the continuous development and maintenance of the CountrySTAT Philippines would largely rely on this group. • 5.2. Major Domains • The CountrySTAT Philippines, as of July 2007, has provided access to 31,399,466 figures (rows x columns) in 112 PX files (or statistical tables) distributed into 10 major domains. The 10 major domains that comprise both the Core and Detail data sets for CountrySTAT Philippines are the following: (1) Production, (2) Trade, (3) Food Consumption, (4) Prices, (5) Agricultural Machinery, (6) Fertilizer, (7) Pesticides, (8) Land use, (9) Labor and employment and (10) Others. The time series data in the Core data set cover at least 12 years. All the statistical tables posted in the CountrySTAT Philippines are adequately backed up by metadata.

14. 5. The CountrySTAT Philippines • 5.3. File Naming Convention • The CountrySTAT Core Group developed and adopted a File naming convention (see figure 4) in organizing the data in the CountrySTAT Philippines webpage. This is included in the CountrySTAT guidelines. The first two-character code represents the domain. This will be followed by a three-character “statistics and indicators” code, and then followed by an integer representing the agency code. The last two characters will serve as the numerical id of the PX-file. The file name should be the same as the Matrix keyword of the PX file. By just looking at the file name of the PX-file, one can identify the location of the domain or category of the file and the source agency. The linking of data to its metadata and vice versa is another significant function of this convention.

15. 4. Current Approaches in Maintenance of Economic Accounts for Food and Agriculture 5.4. Features and Outputs The CountrySTAT Philippines is an applied system of PC-Axis. The features or outputs of the CountrySTAT Philippines are similar to that of the PC-Axis software. Figure 5 shows the sample generated table from a query. Looking at the interface, one can easily change the table format by transposition (or pivoting). Commonly used charts can easily be generated to support data analysis. Conversion to other file formats such as Excel, HTML, CSV and others is straightforward that can used for data exchange. Thematic maps such as shown in figure 6 can be easily generated. All of these features can be made from a single click of a button. • 5.5. Website Maintenance • The process of updating the CountrySTAT Philippines is illustrated in figure 7. Data updates from other agencies such as NSO, BLES and NSCB are submitted via email by their designated point persons. In the BAS, data updates are taken from the BAS Centralized PC-Axis Database System (CPXDBS) by the designated database coordinators and submitted thru the BAS Local Area Network (BASLAN). The CPXDBS is a system developed by the BAS using PX-Web designed for walk in clients and accessible only in the BASLAN. This system serves as a parallel system and source of CountrySTAT updates. After receiving the updates, the CountrySTAT Core Group initiates quality control and ensures that the PX-files are in conformity with the CountrySTAT guidelines. If the PX files pass the quality check, then these will be submitted to website operating unit of the BAS thru the BASLAN. The CountrySTAT administrator will upload the PX-files to the server via FTP. If the uploads are completed successfully, the publishing program of the CountrySTAT will be executed to finally publish the updated PX-files.

16. 4. Current Approaches in Maintenance of Economic Accounts for Food and Agriculture • Capital Formation Accounts • There has been an attempt to develop the capital formation accounts some years ago. The lack of resources has prevented the BAS from implementing a survey on agricultural capital formation which should have enabled the establishment of benchmark data for the economic accounts system for agriculture. The framework for the capital accounts identifies data requirements, defines concepts and describes accounting principles and procedures. Basically, the capital account measures gross fixed capital formation, changes in inventories and consumption of fixed capital and net acquisition of lands by agricultural households. • Fixed capital assets include the following: land improvements and other construction (work completed), plantation development, farm buildings, transport equipment and machineries, tools and implements and work animals for breeding and milking and layers. Stocks include the following: land improvement and plantation development (work in progress), agricultural supplies and materials, harvested crops and livestock for fattening and broilers. • About a decade ago, the then newly created BAS did a pilot capital formation survey in a few provinces. The results of the survey became the basis for the compilation of capital formation accounts. It was unfortunate, however, that for financial reasons, the intended nationwide survey on capital formation in agriculture was not pursued.

17. 4. Current Approaches in Maintenance of Economic Accounts for Food and Agriculture • Capital Formation Accounts • In the conduct of the pilot test exercises re: capital formation, the BAS was guided by the EAA Handbook. It followed the PSNA provisions for the computation of capital formation for each of the item in the account in which the value corresponding to the net acquisition of capital items is being considered. • The following general concepts and procedures were used in the preparation of capital formation accounts : • Gross fixed capital formation was taken as the difference between producer’s acquisitions and disposals of new or existing fixed assets during a given accounting period. This was recorded when ownership of fixed assets was transferred to the institutional unit that would use these assets in production. Similarly, assets produced for own account were considered as gross fixed capital formation even as they were being produced and were not completed or were not yet mature. • Fixed assets were valued at purchaser price so that valuation included all costs involved in the transfer of ownership. In the case of inventories, changes were reflected by subtracting the value of inventories disposed of in the accounting period from the value of inventories acquired by the enterprise.. TABLE

18. 4. Current Approaches in Maintenance of Economic Accounts for Food and Agriculture • Agricultural Indicators System • The accounts discussed thus far served as tools to regularly monitor the performance of the agriculture sector. To complement this objective, an agricultural indicator system (AIS) has been conceptualized to help assess the impacts of various policy measures on agriculture development and the economic conditions of the population dependent on the sector. • The framework for the agricultural indicators system has been developed with the intention of providing measures for assessing socio–economic changes in the agriculture sector, characterizing the agrarian structure of the economy and situating agriculture in the national economy. In the process, the system has to consider the perspectives of the development plans at the national, sectoral and sub-sectoral levels.

19. 4. Current Approaches in Maintenance of Economic Accounts for Food and Agriculture Agricultural Indicators System The indicators system contains 16 broad categories namely: • population and labor force • economic growth • poverty alleviation with equity • agricultural structure and resources • output and productivity • inputs • agricultural credit • prices and marketing • access to technical information • exports and imports • food consumption and nutrition • food self – sufficiency and security • access to community services • redistribution of land • people’s participation • role of women in agriculture

20. 5. Databases in Support of the SEAFA • The compilation of various accounts under the SEAFA is dependent on the availability of data. As far as the major data requirements of the production accounts and the supply and utilization accounts are concerned, these are being supported by the current data systems in agriculture. Please refer to the matrices on concepts and databases for production and supply and utilization accounts. • Data Requirements of the Production Accounts : The data system on agricultural production has to attune itself to the needs of agricultural and national accounting. Regular surveys and monitoring activities should be conducted to generate production and price data in the desired frequency, level of disaggregation and time lag. • For the “uses “ side of the production accounts, we need data on intermediate inputs. These are obtained from costs of production surveys. As mentioned earlier, in the Philippines, the task of estimating the gross value added in agriculture is taken up by the central coordinating agency, the National Statistical Coordination Board ( NSCB ). To date, the BAS has established a sizeable database on production costs which should help in completing the data requirements for intermediate consumption. • An integral item in any of cost of production survey is the disposition of the produce. This data set will allow delineation of output for the market and output for own final use. • Another component of the production accounts refers to agricultural services. Data on agricultural services are hardly available except for the relatively big-ticket items such as irrigation, especially if this is run by the government. In this case, data can be obtained from the irrigation department of the government.

21. 5. Databases in Support of the SEAFA • Data Requirements of Supply and Utilization Accounts : The data on production are compiled on an annual basis. Data on imports and exports are from the foreign trade statistics of the National Statistics Office. A major area for improvement is the updating of parameters used in allocating production to other uses such as processing. It is important that surveys or special studies on utilization be done in order to update the utilization parameters. • Data Requirements of Other Recommended Accounts : The data items indicated in the generation of income account and the allocation of primary income account for agricultural households can be generated by surveys on costs of production or surveys on improved farm management.These surveys may also be able to generate data inputs for compiling the capital formation account for the households. • In the case of environmental accounts, the basic data requirements can be supported by the agricultural data systems in two ways. One, some data items may be collected through existing survey and monitoring activities. Two, a special survey to establish benchmark data may be undertaken. The benchmark data can be updated on a frequency established based on common requirements.

22. 6. Advantages of the SEAFA • The 1996 SEAFA requires more data about agricultural households. Consequently it offers much more information as inputs to policy formulation. The linkages of transactions within the accounting framework make it easier for data users to understand the agriculture sector in a broader context. The framework enables the reader to relate production, income and capital accumulation by the agricultural institutional units, with the households being the main unit, and also look at supply and uses of agricultural goods and services produced by the sector. Specifically, the SEAFA–recommended accounts allow international comparability using indicators to monitor the status or progress of the sector. The various databases that will be created for the SEAFA will require analysis of these data to produce indicators for a structural analysis of the agricultural economy. Because the SEAFA relates in terms of value aggregates, the system becomes the basis of quantity and price indices. Valuation is done at both constant and current prices. Constant price valuation enables aggregation of the outputs and inputs while taking into account differences in quality, importance, locationand other considerations. • The fact that the SEAFA requires comprehensive databases opens a big opportunity for doing further analysis, the outputs of which become important inputs to policy. In particular, the SEAFA databases can be used to support in-depth statistical analyses and econometric modeling.

23. 7. Implications of the 1993 SEAFA on the Agricultural Statistical System • On Data Requirements • The 1996 SEAFA has definitely created additional pressure on agricultural statistical systems. In the Philippines, the system has yet to fully satisfy the requirements of the 1974 EAA and already, it has to gear itself to address the requirements of the 1996 SEAFA. • The sectoring of the accounts would require the agricultural data system to generate data for households as distinguished from establishments. Presently, however, production data do not distinguish households from establishments. This creates a problem since the household is the central institutional unit of interest in agriculture. The recommended accounts or tables to be compiled within the 1996 SEAFA framework indicate the need for statistical activities that can generate more detailed data to characterize agricultural households. The agricultural statistical system has to reorient its commodity – focused data system. • Assuming that a statistical system has succeeded in developing and operating the agricultural accounts systems, its main concern would then be the updating of data bases and parameters to improve the utility of these accounts. One case in point is the need to update the parameters used to estimate utilization components like the share of processing to total production or supply, the share of wastage, and the like. • Many national agricultural statistical services in the region have yet to come up with benchmark data on capital formation in agriculture. The SNA has not had the benefit of obtaining updated benchmark data on capital accumulation. With the adoption of the 1996 SEAFA, it has become all the more important to generate capital formation data. Lastly, there is a need to do profiling of agricultural households to come up with benchmarks on incomes and their sources and other household statistics to support the preparation of household sector accounts. • On Resource Requirements • As indicated earlier, the 1996 SEAFA requires databases that are comprehensive in the sense that they show different levels or types of disaggregation and that they are available at desired frequency and schedule. All these characteristics mean additional resources to support the conduct of necessary statistical activities to generate the data requirements of the accounts and indicators systems. Country experiences show that government allotment for agricultural statistics generally do not meet the financial requirements of the necessary statistical operations. Current resources are often just enough to support the requirements for the conduct of production and price surveys.

24. 8. Improving the Agricultural Service • The improvement of the agricultural statistical service is the underlying objective in developing an agricultural statistical programme. It is recognised, however, that limited financial provisions for the operations of the statistical systems have to be accepted as a given in this process.. The challenge to the statistical systems, therefore, has to do with addressing the statistical needs of policy–makers and other data analysts and users given the inadequate financial resources. In this respect, the use of statistical frameworks become highly relevant and critical. • A statistical framework is an integral part of statistical development planning. It guides the planning process and facilitates the specification of desired results. A good appreciation of the frameworks will help in setting up priorities of statistical activities viz a viz available resources. A framework spells out the current status of data systems and therefore can guide in setting the goals/objectives of a desirable statistical system. • By itself, the SEAFA is important to policymakers as it provides information inputs to decision making. For the national statistical system, however, the accounting framework further serves as the integrating mechanism for agriculture – related statistics. As such, it defines the priority data that the agricultural statistical system has to consider in its development planning. With the SEAFA as the background, statistical planning becomes focused and clear on the following issues : • setting priorities in the use of available resources; • data support to development plans and programs; • data availability and gaps; • alternatives and innovative approaches in data generation and dissemination and others. • In more specific terms, the adoption of the SEAFA provisions calls for efforts to strengthen agricultural census and survey programmes. In this respect, revisit of agricultural sampling frames and survey designs would be in order. On the other hand, the system has to study the utility of data coming from administrative forms being employed by many agencies. • To support the compilation of institutional accounts, the agricultural statistical system needs to generate/establish databases by type of institutional unit particularly, the households. This can be addressed by means of an improved farm household survey. The possibility of integrating or separating the conduct of costs of production surveys and capital formation surveys must be studied. This survey can also support the data requirements for the completion of both the uses and resources sides of the accounts.

25. 8. Improving the Agricultural Service • Improving the agricultural data system will also mean looking into the updating requirements of basic parameters used in accounting. These include conversion ratios for paddy rice, livestock meat and processing ratio in the case of supply and utilization accounts. This would also be true for the source of nutrient equivalents, the FCT. Apparently, some special surveys or studies are necessary. • The price data system should be able to support the valuation requirements of the accounts. Related to this is the question about the relevance of the base year being used. Harmonizing base year for index computations has to be considered for optimum use of indicators. Another consideration is the basket of commodities in the price surveys. Is this being updated to suit the current conditions in the production and market spheres? • The SEAFA highlights the need to establish costs of production data bases. The agricultural statistical system has to establish benchmark data on costs of production. This can be done by means of a sample survey, record keeping, interview of key informants and any other means of data generation. Commodity – based studies produce individual data by commodity while integrated surveys produce total farm cost data. • Balancing production and consumption statistics is a difficult but challenging task. In the absence of any recent consumption survey, the supply and utilization accounts should help in rationalizing production and consumption data. In this kind of analysis, the data reviewer or analyst must be armed with a thorough knowledge of the available statistics and methodology used in generating these statistics so that he could explain the strengths and weaknesses of his results. • SEAFA preparation should take into account the treatment of stocks and flows data in terms of valuation and aggregation noting that stocks are results of accumulation of flows in the previous accounting periods and these are changed by flows within the accounting period. Make better use of existing data; improve data dissemination and use • Prepare master plans in support of PRSPs and other priority needs; involve producers and users (incl. decisionmakers) • Prioritize and define work for different budget levels and define level and modalities of funding from government budget

26. 9. Conclusions • Even as some agricultural statistical systems are still polishing their economic accounting systems, the SEAFA has come to redirect integration in the statisticalsystem. The development and maintenance of agricultural statistical frameworks borne out of the SEAFA require the agricultural statistical system to reassess its current data systems and subsystems. As possible offshoots of this revisit, the statistical system will address these concerns : • Which of the recommended accounts or tables are needed the most? • How can the recommended SEAFA tables be modified to suit policy needs and match them with available data ? • What data are needed to generate SEAFA tables? • The adoption of the SEAFA by countries is desired but this process cannot take place by simply conducting additional statistical activities to produce additional data. The process has to be rationalised based on the correct appreciation and understanding of SEAFA by statistical designers and planners.

27. 5. Implications for Donors • Support the preparation of country-owned master plans in support of PRSP monitoring and evaluation (incl. agricultural and rural sub-systems) • Financially support Master Plans as a whole over the medium to long term • Do not finance ad hoc surveys that are not part of the Master Plan • Require local co-financing • Find balance between being pro-active catalysts and respecting country ownership

28. 5. Implications for Donors (continued) • While supporting National Agr. Statistical System, help to break down “silo mentality” and insure integration with the national system • Support and/or undertake serious multi-country research for estimating agricultural production in general and for livestock, root crops, and horticulture in particular • Support regional and sub-regional knowledge training, knowledge sharing, etc.