The Need for Agricultural Information and Data: Researchers and Policy Makers

Mail surveys were used to analyse the needs of policy makers and researchers of agricultural information and data. A 56% response was achieved with the policy makers. Policy makers showed a high degree of interest in information and data concerning imports and exports, yields, volume of production, producers' prices, stocks and areas planted annually to field crops. In terms of horticultural crops, volume of production, quantities and value of trade and areas of annual crops are required by most. These statistics are mostly desired quarterly. The livestock statistics desired by most policy makers involve quantities and value of imports and exports, abattoir slaughter volumes and producer prices, mostly monthly. Policy makers also express interest in forecasts of the important crops and livestock. In terms of basic statistics, policy makers showed interest in information on marketing methods and income from farm activities. Scant interest was shown for data regarding employment. A disappointing response rate of 28% was obtained from researchers. Among those who responded, there was a high level of interest in statistics concerning planted areas, imports and exports, producer prices, volume of production, consumer prices, yields and areas harvested of field crops. Researchers showed a lower level of interest in horticultural crops. In the case of livestock, interest centred mainly on livestock numbers, imports and exports, producer prices and costs of production, mostly on an annual basis. The only basic statistics for which over 60% of the researchers showed much interest, was the income from farming activities.