With recent advancements in agricultural survey program, Senegal prepares for deeper, sustainable improvements through 50x2030

“Senegal will bring to bear what we’ve already learned as we decide on our 50x2030 program implementation plan,” said Ibrahim Mendy, Director of the Directorate of Agricultural Statistical Analysis and Projections (DAPSA) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment (MAER) of Senegal during a kick-off meeting with 50x2030.

He was joined by Babacar Ndir, Director General of the National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD) and Sylvie Da Sylva, Head of the Statistics Division at DAPSA. In a presentation on the national agricultural statistical system, Da Sylva outlined strengths (e.g. use of modern data collection methods, existence of consultation frameworks on food security (Early Warning Systems)) and challenges (e.g. donor dependence) that can be leveraged and addressed, respectively, under 50x2030. Specifically, the Initiative will help improve data use in the country arising from various data demands; facilitate the further integration of modern data collection methods; and, through its cost-sharing arrangement, promote sustainability through the financial and technical take-over of the program after 50x2030 support expires.

After expanding its annual agricultural survey to cover all 45 territories under the Food and Agriculture Organization’s AGRISurvey program, Senegal is preparing to further develop and consolidate the integrated survey on agriculture with the phased deployment of 50x2030 modules on agricultural labor and machinery and equipment under 50x2030. Additionally, the basic annual agricultural survey questionnaire will be enriched to include other agricultural activities such as fishing and aquaculture, and forest production, and by integrating specific issues on the agricultural household economy.

Through its participation in 50x2030, Senegal will extend its agricultural survey to include non-household agricultural holdings. The country program will also involve a continuation of capacity building within DAPSA and ANSD in data processing, clearance, dissemination and use; improvements to the procedure for calculating SDG 2.3.1; a push for adherence to open data norms; and the integration of questions into the agricultural survey for the calculation of SDG 5.a.1, which tracks gender equality in ownership and secure tenure rights over agricultural land, among others.

Between November 2020 and June 2021, DAPSA and ANSD will work with the Initiative’s implementing agencies – FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Bank – and the 50x2030 Program Management team to articulate an official program implementation plan, in parallel with the implementation of data production activities specifically the Production, Methods and Environment module of the 50x2030 survey program