Issues in constructing a Handbook on Statistics on

Rural Development and Agricultural Household

Income

Mary Bohman Economic Research Service

On behalf of Berkeley Hill and Jan Karlsson

Quote from paper (p3)

“Policy is likely to be more effective if the design and operation of programmes are based on reliable information about the extent of the problems the policy is attempting to tackle and how they are changing over time”. “Statistics clearly play an important part in this by helping establish base-lines and in assessing the extent to which policy actions using public funds have led to improvements over time”.

The need for a Handbook Many examples are found in which

Handbooks or Manuals are the basis of good quality, internationally comparable statistics (SNA, Canberra Group on household incomes etc.)

IWG-Agri identified the need for a Handbook that covered Rural policy Agricultural household income

Issues in compiling the Handbook

One handbook or two? Coverage of countries at all levels of

development? Descriptive or prescriptive? Final or an evolving working

document?

Practicalities IWG-Agri formed the background Task Force set up – 5 meetings Two general editors appointed Contributing experts invited Review of contents by entire Task Force Endorsed by the Joint Meeting on Food

and Agriculture Statistics (2005), and by Un Conference of European Statisticians (2006)

Main contents Introduction Part A – Rural development Part B – Agricultural household

incomeEach contains: description of policies;

main concepts behind the statistics; inventory of national statistics and basic findings; review of data sources

Recommendations for good practice

Dissemination Electronic versions

initially (2005) on UNECE and FAO websites (files now under FAO care)

CD version available (UNECE and ERS)

ERS provided publicity material

www.fao.org/statistics/rural/

Dissemination (cont.) Hardcopy version

published by UNECE (editorial revisions carried over to electronic versions)

Already evidence of use (Eurostat 2007 feasibility study on farm household incomes)

Updating/improvement Formation of the Wye City Group

successor to the Task Force Endorsed by UN Statistical Commission

2007 First meeting 8-9 April in York (England)

develop work plan of updating/improvement

Expand membership to other countries concerned with rural development and agricultural household income statistics