7 September 2016: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an agreement to boost the capacity of developing countries to track agricultural data and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The FAO-led project aims to design and implement agricultural integrated surveys (AGRIS), a cost-effective approach to collecting agricultural data in developing countries.

SDG 2 aims to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” Under the agreement, USAID will provide US$15 million for the first phase of an FAO-led project that will run from 2016-2021. The project will begin with pilot efforts in two developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, one in Latin America and one in Asia.

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva explained the challenge of producing more food for the world’s growing population while using using natural resources in a sustainable way, and at the same time “coping with the challenges imposed by climate change.” Achieving this will “hinge on the availability of better, cost-effective and timely statistical data for agriculture and rural areas.” Beth Dunford, USAID, highlighted the need for strong national data systems, as “critical for governments and private sector actors to make informed and smart decisions that foster food security and economic prosperity.”

AGRIS is expected to help governments analyze and better understand the impacts of agricultural policies and assess progress towards the SDGs and other goals. The AGRIS methodology will capture improved annual data on agricultural production, as well as detailed structural information related to farms, including data on employment, environmental impacts, farming practices, machinery use and production costs. The FAO states that AGRIS will promote integration of disparate data sources, cut data collection costs and improve data timeliness and usability. By incorporating global positioning systems (GPS), mobile technology, remote sensing and use of big data, AGRIS is expected to result in more objective approaches to measuring agriculture performance. [FAO Press Release] [UN Press Release]