CountrySTAT Technical Working Group Workshop of the Project GCP/GLO/208/BMG for Ethiopia

05/01/2011

1. Introduction:

The first Ethiopian Technical Working Group (TWG) workshop on CountrySTAT was held from 03 to 05 January 2011, in Adama/Nazareth, Ethiopia at the Teatas International Hotel in a Mini Conference Center/Hall. This workshop was jointly organized by the Central Statistical Agency (CSA), Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and FAO within the scope of the implementation of the project GCP/GLO/208/BMG, "CountrySTAT for Ethiopia,”

The technical working sessions included people from the CSA and the MoA who are involved in the system of national food and agriculture statistics. Annex 3 contains the list of participants. The purpose of the workshop has been to bring together the CountrySTAT working group members in order to collect and harmonize data to be uploaded to CountrySTAT Ethiopia website.

2. The objectives of the workshop were:

General objective: The secretariat will identify, collect and validate at most 20 data sets to be uploaded to the CountrySTAT Ethiopia website.

Specific objectives:

(i) to identify 20 datasets which are included in the standard Core indicators for CountrySTAT;

(ii) to collect and validate the 20 datasets;

(iii) to upload the data to the CountrySTAT Ethiopian website;

(iv) to approve the Key indicators on the website;

(v) to finalize the Correspondence Table for Ethiopia

(vi) to prepare Trade Data for the CountrySTAT Team

3. The Outcome of the meeting

Eighteen datasets were identified and collected during CountrySTAT Ethiopia TWG workshop. For the time being the technical working group verified 15 datasets and made them ready for uploading to CountrySTAT Ethiopia. Annex 2 contains the datasets which were identified, collected and validated during TWG workshop. The verification of the datasets involved checking the compliance of the existing data and reviewing the reliability, relevance and completeness of data under consideration.

4. Strategy

The technical working group workshop followed the predesigned program schedule (Annex 2). The meeting was intended to include plenary session and group discussions. To facilitate easier group work, three subgroups were formed and each worked on a set of different datasets. Accordingly, the first group was assigned to work on Live Animals, Female Animals, Milking Animals, Production of Milk, Laying Animals, Production of Eggs, and Slaughtered Animals. The second group focused on Land Use, Fertilizer, Seed and the cross-checking of the Key Indicators. The third group worked on Population, Labor, Producer Price, CPI, Food Availability, Forestry, Fishery and Trade Data for the CountrySTAT team.

During the plenary session presentations were made by the members of each working group that mainly focused on the problems encountered during the collection and validation of datasets. Annex 1 shows the datasets identified collected and validated by the TWG. As the result of the validations made, the group found out that some datasets need further verification and these datasets are indicated in the Annex. Furthermore, discussions were initially made by the participants on the Core Standard Indicators and how to work on the identification and collection of the 18 indicators during the workshop.

5. Main constraints encountered

    Due to time constraint, the technical working group was unable to attain collecting and verifying the 20 datasets during the meeting.
    Some datasets identified at the Core Standard level (National), could not have equivalent datasets at the Sub-National level.
    Due to time constraint, the technical working group could not asses and collect data related to food and agriculture (such as datasets related to Meat Production, Water, Rainfall etc. ) from institutions outside of CSA and MoA.

6. Recommendation

    A second technical working group workshop, including the training of the TWG, has been suggested to be conducted before launching Ethiopian CountrySTAT website.
    FAO should provide more support to Ethiopia CountrySTAT; example providing further training to the technical working group and other concerned professionals to enhance the implementation of CountrySTAT.

Annex 1 – Identified, Collected and Verified Datasets