Agricultural Statistics Leaders Connect at ICAS 2023

Leaders of the 50x2030 Initiative recently attended the ninth International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS) in Washington D.C. ICAS 2023 was organized by the World Bank and USDA in coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Key topics of focus for the conference included Food Security, Climate Change and Sustainability, Rural Development and Data for Policy Development.

Members of the 50x2030 Initiative Program Management Team were in attendance and joined by leaders from each implementing partner: Data Production component led by FAO, Data Use component led by IFAD, and Methods and Tools component led by the World Bank. 50x2030 attendees were featured in panels on topics including Data Use for Decision Making and Better Methods for Better Data: Improving Agricultural Statistics. Key 50x2030 data and research were also presented, including findings on Unpacking the Gender-differentiated Impacts of Survey Design Choices on Understanding Land Tenure Security: Evidence from Armenia. 

In panels, discussions, and interviews conducted, the importance of and urgency for data for agricultural policy development was evident. For donors like USAID, ICAS provided an important stage for discussion. According to Isobel Coleman, Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming: “Analysis and use of agricultural data is a priority for USAID. The other priority area of work that we're investing in is really building local capacity to collect, analyze and use agricultural data.” To fill the agricultural data gap, the 50x2030 Initiative is a key mechanism through which this can be achieved.