Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics for Lesotho (SPARS_LES) 2019/20 - 2023/24

II V VI VIII IX 1 2 2 2 3 4 6 6 6 7 9 10 10 10 11 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 14 14 Table of Contents List of Figures & Tables ............................................................................................. Abbreviations and acronyms ..................................................................................... Foreword ..................................................................................................................... Executive Summary ................................................................................................... CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY .................................... 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1.2 The Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics ........................ 1.3 Implementation of the Global Strategy .................................................................. 1.4 Policy Context and Rationale for SPARS LES ..................................................... 1.5 Methodology for Development of SPARS LES .................................................... 1.6 Institutional Environment ...................................................................................... 1.6.1 Administrative Structure .................................................................................. 1.6.2 The National Statistical System ....................................................................... 1.6.3The National Agriculture Statistics System (NASS) ........................................ CHAPTER 2: EVALUATION OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM .......................................................................................... 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 2.2 Assessment of the Current Capacity of National Agricultural Statistics System ... 2.2.1 Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator ........................................................ 2.2.2 Human Resources ............................................................................................ 2.2.3 Infrastructure, Equipment and Information Technology .................................. 2.2.4 Financial Resources ......................................................................................... 2.2.5 International Support ........................................................................................ 2.2.6 Coordination Mechanisms for Agricultural Statistics ...................................... 2.3 Assessment of Current Data Collection Activities ................................................. 2.3.1 Agricultural Census .......................................................................................... 2.3.2 Agriculture Production Surveys ....................................................................... 2.3.3 Crop Forecasting Surveys ................................................................................ 2.3.4 Horticulture Production Survey ....................................................................... 2.3.5 National Nutrition Survey ................................................................................ III 14 14 14 14 14 15 15 15 15 17 17 21 22 22 24 24 24 27 28 32 33 36 37 37 39 43 43 43 44 44 44 2.3.6 Livestock Products Statistics ........................................................................... 2.3.7 Livestock Disease Surveillance System .......................................................... 2.3.8 Agriculture Marketing Information System .................................................... 2.3.9 National Accounts ............................................................................................ 2.3.10 Other Surveys and Assessments .................................................................... 2.3.11 Sources of Administrative Agricultural Data ................................................. 2.3.12 Data Quality ................................................................................................... 2.4 User Needs and Data Gaps .................................................................................... 2.4.1 Summary of Priority Data Needs ..................................................................... 2.4.2 The Gap between Available Agricultural Statistics and Users’ Needs.............. 2.5 SWOT Analysis of the National Agricultural Statistical System ........................... CHAPTER 3: STRATEGIC PLAN ......................................................................... 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 3.2 Challenges ............................................................................................................. 3.3 Vision and Mission ................................................................................................ 3.4 Strategic Objectives, Calendar and Implementation Plan ..................................... 3.4.1 Objectives & Strategies ................................................................................... 3.4.2 Strategic Objective 1 ....................................................................................... 3.4.3 Strategic Objective 2 ....................................................................................... 3.4.4 Strategic Objective 3 ....................................................................................... 3.4.5 Strategic Objective 4 ....................................................................................... 3.4.6 Strategic Objective 5 ....................................................................................... 3.4.7 Strategic Objective 6 ....................................................................................... 3.4.8 Calendar for Implementation of Main Statistical Operation ........................... 3.5 Financing Strategy ................................................................................................. 3.6 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework ................................................................ 3.6.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 3.6.2 Results Based Logical Framework .................................................................. 3.6.3 Reporting& Feedback ...................................................................................... 3.6.4 Risks& Mitigation ........................................................................................... 3.7 Awareness and Communication Plan ..................................................................... IV 46 47 49 54 59 61 Annexes ....................................................................................................................... Annex 1: List of Participating Persons/Organizations ................................................. Annex 2: Detailed Action Plan with Budget ................................................................ Annex 3: Results-Based Logical framework: .............................................................. Annex 4: Risk and Mitigation ...................................................................................... References .................................................................................................................... V Figure 1: Production (mt) by Crop, 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 Agricultural Year ......... Figure 2: Governance Structure for SPARS LES......................................................... Figure 3: SPARS LES Budget by Activity .................................................................. Figure 4: SPARS LES Financing Strategy .................................................................. Table 1: Summary of Data Needs for Agricultural and Rural Statistics ....................... Table 2: SWOT Table for NASS .................................................................................. Table 3: Objectives, Operational Strategies and the Challenges Addressed ................ Table 4: Integrated Census and Survey Programme ................................................... Table 5: Staff Recruitment for NASS ........................................................................... Table 6: Implementation Calendar for Main Statistical Operations ............................. Table 7: Financing Strategy (M 000) ........................................................................... List of Figures & Tables 3 5 40 43 16 19 26 29 35 38 41 VI Abbreviations and acronyms AfDB African Development Bank AFSSD Agriculture and Food Security Statistics Division AP Action Plan APS Agricultural Production Survey BMGF Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation BOS Bureau of Statistics CAADP Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme CEDAMA Committee on Environmental Data and Management CFS Crop Forecasting Survey CHS Community and Household Surveillance DAR Department of Agricultural Research DFID Department for International Development of United Kingdom DFS Department of Field Services DLS Department of Livestock Services DMA Disaster Management Authority DPPA Department of Planning and Policy Analysis DOC Department of Crops EA Enumeration Area EACAS Expert Advisory Committee on Agricultural Statistics EP Economic Planner EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FNCO Food and Nutrition Coordinating Office GDP Gross Domestic Product GS Global Strategy HEA Household Economy Approach HPS Horticulture Production Survey LAC Lesotho Agriculture College LENAFU Lesotho National Farmers’ Union LFNP Lesotho Food and Nutrition Policy LMS Lesotho Meteorological Services LNDB Lesotho National Dairy Board LVAC Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee MAFS Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security MDAs Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDGs Millennium Development Goals VII MDP Ministry of Development Planning MEM Ministry of Energy and Meteorology MFRSC Ministry of Forestry, Range and Soil Conservation MOH Ministry of Health MOS Measure of Size MSBDCM Ministry of Small Business Development Cooperatives and Marketing MTEC Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture MTI Ministry of Trade and Industry M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NAESD National Accounts and Enterprise Statistics Division NAPFS National Action Plan for Food Security NASCC National Agricultural Statistics Coordination Committee NASS National Agricultural Statistics System NRM Natural Resources Management NSC National Statistical Council NSC National Strategy Coordinator NSDP National Strategic Development Plan NSDS National Strategy for the Development of Statistics NSS National Statistical System NSWCP National Soil and Water Conservation Policy NUL National University of Lesotho PPS Probability Proportional to Size PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper PSU Primary Sampling Unit SADP Smallholder Agricultural Development Programme SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SPARS Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics SPARS LES Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics, Lesotho SSU Secondary Sampling Units TTWG Thematic Technical Working Group UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNECA United Nations Economic Commission for Africa VAA Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis WB World Bank VIII The agriculture sector in Lesotho plays the critical role in the economy, and is the main source of employ ment and income for the majority of rural households. In recognition of the importance of the agriculture sector with regards to job and wealth creation, it is necessary that agricultural policies are based on sound information. It is in this regard that the development of the Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statis tics for Lesotho is essential to address agricultural data needs. The Global Strategy is an initiative to improve agricultural and rural statistics adopted by the United Na tions Statistical Commission in 2010. This strategy provides a framework and blueprint to meet current and emerging data requirements and needs of policymakers and other data users. It is in the context of this framework and the Action Plan for Africa of the Global Strategy that Lesotho undertook to develop Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics for Lesotho (SPARS LES). The SPARS LES sets out medium and long term objectives and targets for the development of agricultural and rural statistics, covering all the sub-sectors (crops, livestock, forestry, range and environment). The achievement of these objectives and targets will have an impact in many ways but most importantly in as sisting policy makers to make decision on a well informed manner and to monitor and evaluate the impact of agricultural policies and programmes. This strategic document has been designed in a participatory and inclusive manner. The preparations of this plan were undertaken by the key stakeholders, and thanks to the technical and financial support from the African Development Bank (AfDB). Technical working groups were formed at the subsector level and they comprised stakeholders in the National Agricultural Statistical System (NASS), which are involved as producers, users or both. Each of the technical working groups contributed in a comprehensive manner during the in-depth assessment of agricultural statistics in its subsector and developed an Action Plan accordingly. Both the Assessment and Action Plans reports are used to inform the development of the SPARS LES. On behalf of the Lesotho Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and Ministry of De velopment Planning acknowledge with thanks the African Development Bank, the AfDB experts who backstopped the project, and other stakeholders for their contributions in the development of the Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics for Lesotho. Foreword Mrs. Mabolaoana Lucia Phakisi Acting Director Department of Planning and Policy Analysis Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mrs. Malehloa Celina Molato Director Bureau of Statistics (BOS) Ministry of Development Planning IX Executive Summary The development of SPARS LES is part of the already existing development initiatives. These include the National Vision 2020, National Strategic Development Plan II (NSDP II) 2018/19-2022/23, National Action Plan for Food Security (NAPFS): 2007-2017, Lesotho Food and Nutrition Policy (LFNP): 2016 – 2025, and other national and sectoral strategic and policy frameworks. These frameworks support the use of evidence-based decision making to address multifaceted challenges faced by the country. The evidence-based approach requires quality statistics for systematic measurement and reporting of develop ment results as well as for monitoring and evaluation of these development initiatives. Agriculture contributes around 5 percent of GDP in Lesotho. The sector provides employment and income for most rural population and it is important for reducing poverty and improving food security. Over a half of the population live below the national poverty line, mainly in rural areas. Lesotho has food deficit, with a large part of the population exposed to chronic food and nutrition insecurity. Crop production is rain-fed and mainly charactirised by subsistence farming with little commercial activity while livestock production faces challenges of overgrazing and extreme weather variability. All these have adversely affected produc tion of crops, livestock and livestock products. The Government of Lesotho is committed to sustainable agricultural growth that will contribute towards food security and poverty reduction. This commitment is portrayed in the National Strategic Development Plan II (NSDP II) 2018/19-2022/23, where agriculture sector has been identified as a pillar for econo mic growth. The implementation of this strategy requires a system of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to measure progress and impact. This system requires the sustained availability of comprehensive, reliable, up-to-date and consistent statistical data. The National Agricultural Statistical System (NASS) needs to evolve in order to strengthen its capacity to produce, analyse and disseminate agriculture, food and nu trition security information. The Government of Lesotho acknowledges a need for a comprehensive and coherent response to the weaknesses of the NASS by developing an appropriate strategy to upgrade the system and hence requested assistance from the AfDB to develop this Strategic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics in Lesotho (SPARS LES). The development and implementation of SPARS by countries is one of the recommendations of the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, which was adopted by the international statistical community in February 2010 at the United Nations Statistical Commission meeting. The Action Plan of the Global Strategy for Africa encourages countries to develop and implement SPARS, which aims to improve evidence-based decision making for poverty reduction, increased food and security, sustainable agriculture and rural development. X The development of SPARS LES follows guidelines developed by the Global Strategy Office in coordina tion with the AfDB. The process followed participatory approach where key stakeholders were identified and four Thematic Technical Working Groups (TTWGs) were created. The TTWGs covered four thematic areas: (i) Crops (including irrigation) and Food Security; (ii) Livestock (including aquaculture); (iii) Forestry and rangelands (including environment aspects related to agriculture); and (iv) Cross-cutting areas (Trade data, prices, gender, capacity building, Governance, Research, etc.). Each TTWG designated a coordi nator to represent the TTWG on the National Technical Working Group (NTWG). A National Strategy Coordinator (NSC) and a deputy were appointed. International and national consultants were contracted by AfDB, to consolidate the outputs from the TTWGs leading to the production of SPARS LES. The plan is based on priorities identified by the stakeholders of the agricultural and rural statistics systems of Lesotho, while being realistic about funding levels. It covers a 5-year period from 2019/20 to 2023/24. The plan is also based on an assessment of the current status of the agricultural and rural statistics sys tem, aimed at answering the question, where are we now? The assessment was the primary input into the development of the SPARS LES Action Plan. It was carried out through literature review, face-to-face interviews and questionnaires sent to key stakeholders and group discussions with teams of experts re presenting each of the subsectors in the agriculture sector. The vision and mission statements for production and development of agricultural and rural statistics was based on the analysis of the result of the sectoral evaluation of NASS and the ambition of Lesotho to de velop its agricultural and rural statistics. The Vision for SPARS LES is: An integrated, sustainable and coordinated national system of agricultural and rural statistics with ability to produce reliable and relevant data for measuring development results. The Mission for SPARS LES is: To facilitate the processes of producing, disseminating and archiving quality, sustainable, and coordinated agricultural and rural statistics. Implementation Plan The identified SPARS LES strategic objectives have a number of activities. The implementation of these activities would lead to the achievement of the objectives and eventually the achievement of the vision. The planned activities have been costed on the bases of estimated time for implementation. In the case of census and surveys, the lead agencies were identified and cost has been estimated based on the timing and frequency. The detailed action plan showing the priorities in the implementation of each census and XI survey activity has also been included. The total cost for census and all surveys for the period of the plan (2019/20-2023/24) is estimated at 155 million Maloti, while the total cost of all activities in the plan of action is 188 million Maloti. The detailed plan of action for all planned activities is given in Annex 2. In line with the vision and mission statements of the SPARS LES, the overall goal of the NASS is to provide users with quality agricultural statistics that support national agricultural development in an objective, timely and cost-effective manner. The Strategic Plan has been developed to address the challenges identified in the assessment of the cur rent status of the NASS. The plan is structured around the following six Strategic Objectives: S.O 1: Strengthen coordination of NASS and its integration into the NSS S.O 2: Improving the production, analysis and accessibility of agricultural statistics S.O 3: Improving the quality of agricultural statistics S.O 4: Ensuring the availability, capability and motivation of NASS staff S.O5: Strengthen the physical infrastructure for efficient and effective statistical operations S.O6: Develop sustainable funding for agricultural and rural statistics activities: Activities associated with this strategy include presenting SPARS LES to the NSC and development partners as well as reporting on progress every 6 months. A team of experts will be hired to conduct inde pendent mid-term and end-of-term evaluations of the implementation of the strategy. An Awareness and Communication Plan to promote SPARS LES will also be implemented. Other activities include sensitisa tion events and working with the media to develop programmes that will help to increase awareness of the importance of agricultural and rural statistics. The total budget for all activities under SPARS LES over the 5-year period is M 188 million, of which M119 million (63%) is anticipated to come from government or other sources, mainly for the Agriculture Census (M 49 million), Annual Agriculture Production (M 35 million), Horticulture Surveys (M 27 million), National Range Condition Assessment (M 6.4 million) and Food security Survey (M 0.75 million). In the remaining M 69 million, less than two-thirds (M 42 million) is for priority activities. Monitoring and Evaluation Implementation of the strategy needs to be monitored and evaluated so that managers will be timeously informed on any difficulties that may impede the implementation and, if necessary, suggest modifications or corrective measures for the successful implementation of the plan. It is imperative to have a continuous process of data collection and analysis so that assessment of the efficiency and effectiveness of the imple XIIXII mentation programme will be results-based. The NASCC (composed of representatives of producers and users of agricultural and rural statistics) will be responsible for producing monitoring and evaluation reports for the implementation of this Strategic Plan. The reports will be submitted to NSC for endorsement and be disseminated through stakeholder meetings, workshops and review seminars and any other possible means. Progress reports will prompt formulation of corrective measures where appropriate. The Logical Framework for monitoring this Strategic Plan presents the results chain, showing the expected impact, effects and products, together with performance indicators (baseline and targets), and the means of verification. The indicators will be used to track the implementation and achievements of the Strategy. In addition, for successful implementation of SPARS, activities should be prioritised in annual work plans and aligned to implementing institutions budgets and performance contracts. The identification and evaluation of risks that would prevent or delay SPARS from achieving expected results was done as it is considered as part of the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the strategy. It was done with a purpose of establishing their likely impact, chances of occurring and suggesting appro priate mitigating measures. CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY 2 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 1.1 Introduction This chapter introduces the development of Strate gic Plan for Agricultural and Rural Statistics for Lesotho (SPARS LES) which is an action plan for Global Strategy for Improving Agricultural and Ru ral Statistics. It further sets out the policy context, rationale and methodology for developing SPARS LES. It describes the institutional environment for the NSS and NASS and their linkage with the Na tional Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS). 1.2 The Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics The United Nations Statistical Commission adop ted the Global Strategy (GS) to Improve Agri cultural and Rural Statistics1 in February 2010 in response to the declining availability and quality of agricultural statistics in many countries in recent years as well as the need to provide statistics to inform emerging issues in agriculture. The GS is a response to the shortcomings of existing statistics to meet the needs of users especially needs that relate to the identification, monitoring and evalua tion of agricultural policies. The GS provides a framework and methodology to improve the quality and availability of national and international agriculture and food security statistics to guide policy analysis and decision-making. The strategy aims at: (i) Strengthening the statistical capacity of developing countries to produce reliable statistics on food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development (ii) Encouraging the formation of a long-term vision for the development of agricultural statistical systems in developing countries The Global Strategy is based on the following three pillars: Pillar 1: Establishment of a minimum set of core data required to meet current and emerging de mands Pillar 2: Integration of agriculture into NSS Pillar 3: Establish suitable governance processes and build the necessary statistical capacity to en sure sustainability of agricultural statistical systems 1.3 Implementation of the Global Strategy A Global Office has been established within FAO, in Rome, to provide the overall technical coordi nation of GS activities. At the regional level, work on the GS is supported by partners who provide technical and other assistance to countries. Speci fically, the partners that are assisting in the imple mentation of the GS in Africa are: (i) The AfDB, which has been assigned the responsibility of providing technical assistance and governance to African countries (ii) The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which has been assigned the responsibility of providing training (iii) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which has been assigned the responsibility for conducting research into new and 1 Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and United Nations Statistical Commission, 2011. 2 Improving Statistics for Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture, and Rural Development: An Action Plan for Africa 2011-2017, African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations (FAO), and African Union Commission (AUC). STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 3 increasing demand of quality agricultural statistics that supports development of policies, implemen tation, and monitoring and evaluation of agricultural programmes. Agriculture contributes about 7.9 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. It is the source of livelihood for most of the rural population and it is certainly the key to food se curity and poverty reduction. Crop production in Lesotho is mainly from subsistence farming with minimal commercial farming. The main crops produced are maize (the main staple in country), sorghum and wheat. Maize production has been fluctuating from 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 with a decline from 2013/2014 to 2015/2016 where it was at its lowest. However, it rapidly increased in 2016/2017 and decreased drastically again in 2017/2018 (Figure 1). Sorghum and wheat shows a similar pattern from 2013/2014 to 2015/2016 whereby their production slightly decreased. No netheless, this pattern changed from 2015/2016 to 2017/2018 where there was moderate increase in sorghum production while wheat production did not show much change. cost-effective data collection methods A regional action plan has been prepared to sup port the implementation of the GS in Africa 2. One of the recommendations of the “Action Plan” is that countries should develop a Strategic Plan for Agri culture and Rural Statistics (SPARS), to be inte grated into the NSDS and serve as a framework for the long-term development of agricultural statistics. It is in this context that Lesotho decided to address the weaknesses in its agricultural statistics sys tem through the development of the SPARS LES. Subsequent to this decision, the Ministry of Agri culture and Food Security (MAFS), in collaboration with the Bureau of Statistics (BOS), the depart ment within the Ministry of Development Planning (MDP), requested for technical assistance from the AfDB for the development of SPARS LES. 1.4 Policy Context and Rationale for SPARS LES The demand for agricultural statistical data and in formation has increased dramatically over the past few years. The increase has been brought by the Figure 1: Production (mt) by Crop, 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 Agricultural Year Source: Bureau of Statistics 4 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 weaknesses of the NASS by developing an ap propriate strategy to upgrade the system, and re quested assistance from the AfDB to develop this Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Statistics. The objective of this strategic plan is to strengthen the system of Agricultural and Rural Statistics for production of relevant and reliable data required to develop, analyse, monitor and evaluate agricultural policies. 1.5 Methodology for Development of SPARS LES The development of SPARS LES was highly inclu sive and participatory. It engaged all stakeholders in the agricultural statistical system including all sub-sectors to ensure ownership of the process at all levels. Four Thematic Technical Working Groups (TTWGs) were established to ensure complete coverage as well as to support and lead the de velopment of SPARS LES. The groups were as follows: TTWG 1: Crops and Food Security TTWG 2: Livestock (including Aquaculture) TTWG 3: Forestry and Rangelands (including Environment aspects related to agriculture) TTWG 4: Cross-cutting areas (Trade, Prices, Gender, Capacity Building, Governance, Research, etc.) In addition, each TTWG could create sub-groups and call upon other institutions to make contribu tions on specific questions and issues (e.g. Leso tho Meteorological Services). The governance structure for SPARS LES is pre sented in Figure 2. According to the Statistics Act 2001, National Statistical Council may esta The Government of Lesotho is committed to ini tiating interventions to advance sustainable agri cultural growth in order to attain food security and poverty reduction objectives and has endowned the agricultural sector with instruments that meet these objectives. Therefore the sector (crops, li vestock, fisheries, forestry and natural resources) as featured in the national development agenda and policy statements is identified as an avenue through which sustainable economic growth can be achieved. These development plans and policy statements include: National Vision 2020 National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP II) 2018/19-2022/23 National Action Plan for Food Security (NAPFS): 2007-2017 National Forestry Policy (2008) National Range Resources Management Policy 2014 Lesotho Food and Nutrition Policy (LFNP): 2016 2025 The implementation of these plans for agricultu ral development requires a system of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), based on a set of indicators which measure progress in the implementation and the impact of agricultural policies and programmes. This M&E system requires the sustained availabi lity of comprehensive, reliable, up-to-date and consistent statistical data that are understandable and practicable for a variety of users. The existing NASS needs to evolve in order to strengthen national capacity to produce, analyse and disseminate agriculture, food and nutrition se curity information. Government decided it needed a comprehensive and coherent response to the STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 5 and technically approves documents to be pro duced to develop SPARS LES and was given a timeframe of about 9 months to complete its work. The day-to-day business of the design process of SPARS LES has been led by the National Strate gy Coordinator (NSC) from MAFS, together with a deputy from BOS. Each TTWG designated a coordinator to represent the TTWG on the National Technical Working Group (NTWG), chaired by the NSC. One international and one national consul tant, both contracted by the AfDB, consolidated the TTWG sector reports into one overall docu ment, leading to the production of SPARS LES. blish National Agricultural Statistics Coordination Committee (NASCC). Since this committee has not been established, it was agreed that the BOS should establish an ad hoc Expert Advisory Com mittee on Agricultural Statistics (EACAS), on be half of the Council. This ad hoc committee would be replaced by an effective NASCC, once formally established by the Council. The EACAS is com posed of members from the various subsectors of Agriculture and it is co-chaired by the Director of BOS and the Director of the Department of Plan ning and Policy Analysis (DPPA) of MAFS. The EACAS is the supervisory body for the preparation and implementation of SPARS LES. It officially Figure 2: Governance Structure for SPARS LES 6 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 The existing Bureau of Statistics within the Govern ment of Lesotho shall be deemed to be established as a Semi-Autonomous body under this Act, and it shall be responsible for all matters relating to of ficial statistics, and shall also ensure that official statistics are produced in an objective, scientific and unbiased manner. The Act provides for NSC to furnish the Minister and the Bureau with the annual report in respect of its activities, including advice and outcome of the advice to the Minister, not later than a month after the end of each finan cial year. The membership of the Council includes representatives from key Ministries, major suppliers and users of official statistics,local universities and Central Bank of Lesotho. The Act further stipulates the powers of the Minister in charge of statistics, the statistical information to be collected and ma naged, the power to obtain information, access to records and confidentiality of personal information and restrictions on publication. Lesotho’s NSS is built on a centralized organizatio nal structure with the BOS at the core to provide operational leadership. The BOS is responsible for censuses and major surveys as well as coordination of the NSS and data dissemination. As a result, BOS coordinates field operations from its field of fices in the 10 districts. The BOS with a Director as the Head, has 9 Divisions namely: Agriculture and Food Security Statistics; Environment and Energy Statistics; Population Statistics; Socio-economic Statistics; National Accounts and Enterprise Sta tistics; Foreign Trade and Price Statistics; Survey Methodology and Cartography; Field Operations and Information and CommunicationsTechnology (ICT).In particular the BOS is responsible for: The formulation of policies, development of strategies and programme activities for the development and supervision of the NSS The elaboration of SPARS LES has followed the same principles for elaborating NSDS as descri bed in the new Partnership in Statistics Develop ment in the 21st Century (PARIS21) manual as well as in the guidelines for the formulation of SPARS. This approach has ensured that SPARS LES can be integrated into the second generation of NSDS that Lesotho is planning to produce. SPARS LES will be a building block of NSDS II with respect to Agricultural and Rural statistics. The activities proposed for the improvement of agricultural and rural statistics, build on existing surveys and capa city building programmes which are formulated in a realistic manner according to priorities identified by the relevant stakeholders, while considering availa bility of funds. 1.6 Institutional Environment 1.6.1 Administrative Structure Lesotho is divided into 10 administrative District, namely, Botha-Bothe, Leribe, Berea, Maseru, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek, Quthing, Qacha’s Nek, Mokhotlong and Thaba-Tseka. Districts are divided into constituencies and further sub-divided into Community Councils for ease of administration and development. There is ever-growing demand for agricultural and rural statistics, especially for plan ning and implementing agriculture programmes at all administrative levels. 1.6.2 The National Statistical System The National Statistical System is defined in the Le sotho Bureau of Statistics Act 2001 to include all agencies in Lesotho, Governmental and non-go vernmental, whether under enactment or otherwise for gathering statistical data directly through sur veys or through administrative action. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 7 agenda and the specialized nature of their statis tical requirements. 1.6.3 The National Agriculture Statistics System (NASS) The agricultural information system in Lesotho collects and produces information related to pro duction and marketing in the agricultural sector. The main stakeholders in the agricultural informa tion system are BOS, MAFS, Ministry of Forestry, Range & Soil Conservation, Disaster Management Authority (DMA), Lesotho Vulnerability Assess ment Committee (LVAC), Lesotho Meteorological Services (LMS), Ministry of Health (MoH), Food & Nutrition Coordinating Office and Ministry of Small Business Development Cooperatives and Marketing (MSBDCM). BOS is the main producer of agricultural statistics, followed by MAFS in this respect. The Division of Agriculture and Food Security Sta tistics in BOS is responsible for collecting agri cultural statistics and producing a number of agri cultural reports. The Division is divided into three sections; Crops, Livestock and Horticulture Sta tistics, respectively. This Division generates statis tics on agriculture through the Agricultural Census conducted decennially and the annual Agricultu ral Production Survey (APS). NASS releases, in printed and electronic format, the following publi cations related to agricultural statistics: The establishment, harmonization and standardization of definitions, classifications and statistical methods used in the production and dissemination of official statistics Promotion of production, dissemination and utilization of official statistics The promotion of cooperation, coordination and rationalization among users and providers of statistics at central and local levels The provision of guidance and training to other users and producers of statistics The review of all initiatives to collect data at the national and local government levels and approve instruments developed for data collection The main sources of data produced within Leso tho’s NSS are censuses, sample surveys, adminis trative records and surveillance. The BOS gene rates survey data for most Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to meet their planning, monitoring and evaluation requirements, and this reflects the cost effective use of resources. The MDAs work in collaboration with BOS in produ cing data from administrative records, censuses and surveys. Several MDAs carry out statistical functions with resources from the Government and development partners. This is done in considera tion of the priorities of the national development 8 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Table 1: Institutions by Agricultural Statistics Activities Institution Agricultural Statistics Activity / Output BOS • Livestock Statistics Report • Livestock Products Report • Crops Statistics Report • Crop Forecasting Report • Availability and Utilization of Cereals Report • Horticulture Production Statistics Report • Agricultural Census Reports MAFS • Agricultural Situation Report DMA • Vulnerability Assessment of Food Security and livelihoods • Crop Assessment FNCO • Nutrition Surveillance Systems The Survey Methodology and Cartography Divi sion of BOS is responsible for the development and improvement of survey methods and designs, maintenance of up-to-date master sample frame, development and maintenance of statistical stan dards and classification systems. In addition, this division manages and coordinates all cartographic and GIS projects relating to mapping and data generation including activities such as documen tation, design, maintenance, and enhancement of GIS information to meet the needs of BOS and other MDAs. The ICT Division supports all divisions including the Agriculture and Food Security Statistics Division. It provides ICT services by developing systems, sup porting and maintaining ICT infrastructure, equip ment and existing software systems to facilitate that all divisions operate efficiently and in a cost effec tive manner. MAFS has five departments, namely Crops, Lives tock, Research, Field Services and Planning & Po licy Analysis (DPPA). DPPA has two divisions: Po licy Analysis and Statistics Division, and Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning and Budgeting Division. The Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI) conducts surveys on prices on a weekly basis. The MoH in collaboration with BOS conducts Lesotho Demo graphic and Health Surveys (DHSs), which provide nutrition indicators for children under five, as well as some indicators on maternal nutrition. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 9 CHAPTER 2: EVALUATION OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM 10 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 that are required for efficient production of agricul tural and rural statistics. This includes human and financial resources, infrastructure, equipment and information technology. The AfDB uses the Agri cultural Statistics Capacity Indicator (ASCI) to as sess African countries capacity to produce quality agricultural and rural statistics to inform the conti nent’s agricultural development. 2.2.1 Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indica tor Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator is a com posite indicator measuring the development of the NASS, aggregated across four dimensions, namely the Prerequisite Dimension (institutional infrastruc ture); Inputs Dimension (resources); Throughput Dimension (statistical methods and practices); and Output Dimension (availability of statistical informa tion). The Statistics Department of the AfDB has been carrying out biennial assessments of the capabi lity of African countries to produce timely, reliable and sustainable agricultural statistics. The results are encapsulated in an ‘Agricultural Statistics Ca pacity Indicator’ (ASCI). The scores for Lesotho by dimension for ASCI are presented in Table 2. The overall ASCI score for Lesotho shows an im provement in each of the assessments between 2013 and 2017, though Lesotho’s ranking amongst African countries remained at 24th or 25th out of the 52 countries assessed. 2.1 Introduction This chapter gives an overview of the current sta tus of the agricultural and rural statistics system in Lesotho, aimed at answering a question, where are we now? The evaluation is based on an in-depth country assessment of the existing agricultural sta tistical systems and is an essential input into the development of the strategic objectives and the action plan of the SPARS LES. The assessment was carried out through review of the relevant li terature, face to face interviews, self-administered questionnaires sent to a number of stakeholders (see Annex 1) as well as group discussions with technical teams of subject experts in each of the subsectors of the agricultural sector that were for med for purposes of developing SPARS LES. The chapter provides a summary of the current capacity of the NASS to produce agricultural and rural statistics with respect to human, financial and physical resources. This include an assessment of current data collection activities and users’ per ception of the adequacy of existing statistics, user needs, data gaps and coordination mechanisms. The main findings of the assessment are presented in a SWOT analysis. 2.2 Assessment of the Current Capacity of National Agricultural Statistics System The development of SPARS LES was preceded by an in-depth assessment of the current capacity of the NASS with respect to available resources STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 11 Scores on the individual ASCI dimensions show more improvement in certain dimensions than others. The Prerequisite (institutional infrastructure) indicator decreased between 2013 and 2015, and increased between 2015 and 2017, though it is still lower in 2017 than in 2013. The Input (resources) and Throughput (statistical methods and prac tices) indicators steadily increased from 30.2%, and 49.6% in 2013 to 38% and 64.3% in 2017, respectively. After increasing between 2013 and 2015, the Output (availability of statistical informa tion) indicator, fell in 2017. 2.2.2 Human Resources Almost all the institutions that were interviewed reported that they do not have adequate human resources in terms of the number of staff, qualifica tions, skills and experience required for production of agricultural and rural statistics. The Agricultu re and Food Security Statistics Division in BOS, which is currently the main producer of statistics on crops and livestock, do not have adequate staff with the necessary expertise. Its staff needs to be equipped with the required skills through short courses and degree programmes in agricultural and rural statistics. Additionally, agricultural subsectors (crops, lives tock and fisheries, forestry, rangelands and envi ronment, and cross-cutting areas) do not have sta tistics units and hence they do not fully participate in the production of agricultural and rural statistics. There is a dire need to establish statistics units wit hin the agricultural subsectors, and staff them with adequate human resources possessing relevant competencies. The NASS needs to increase staff numbers with the expertise to enhance and expand the produc tion of agricultural and rural statistics to meet the ever-increasing demand of data in all subsectors. In particular, the country needs to build local capa city to facilitate sustainable and continuing training of statisticians in the area of agricultural and rural statistics. In addition, the country needs a strategy or policy for retention of professional statistical per sonnel in the agriculture sector. Table 2: Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator Scores for Lesotho by Dimension Dimension 2013 2015 2017 Prerequisite 66.7 46.4 53.0 Input 30.2 38.0 38.0 Throughput 49.6 55.7 64.3 Output 56.4 80.4 75.1 Overall ASCI 51.2 54.9 58.9 Source: Progress on the Capacity of African Countries to Produce Timely, Reliable, and Sustainable Agricultural Statistic – African Development Bank 12 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 2.2.3 Infrastructure, Equipment and Informa tion Technology The BOS which is currently the main producer of agricultural and rural statistics does not have suf ficient equipment for carrying out measurements during data collection at the farm level, for exa mple Global Positioning System (GPS) used for area measurement are not sufficient in number. In addition, the BOS does not have adequate office space for staff in the Agriculture and Food Security Division. Transport facilities are also inadequate. Some of the ICT infrastructure is not sufficient and the Local Area Network (LAN) needs to be refur bished. Advances in ICT required for improvement of data collection, management, archiving, analysis and dissemination are critical to enhance produc tion of Agricultural and Rural Statistics. Currently the collection of crops and livestock data is paper-based. The data are then captured using data screen developed by Visual Studio, exported to Microsoft Excel for cleaning and verification and SPSS is used for data analysis. The use of Com puter Assistant Personal Interviewer (CAPI) to col lect agricultural data are currently underway. 2.2.4 Financial Resources The activities of the Agriculture and Food Secu rity Statistics Division are fully funded by the Go vernment of Lesotho. However, the challenges and constraints experienced by the Division are centred around limited financial resources for data collection and processing. Currently BOS is faced with a serious challenge to mobilise funds for the 2019/2020 agriculture census. These factors im pede the efficient functioning of the NASS. 2.2.5 International Support The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) work in collaboration with MAFS, Food and Nutrition Coordinating Office (FNCO) and BOS to sup port several agricultural activities as well as food and nutrition security projects in Lesotho. These include; agricultural business development, mana gement of natural resources, building capacities for better agricultural services and others. For agricul tural statistics, FAO has supported several initia tives including; Agricultural Censuses; a study on the status of Livestock Disease Surveillance; Seed Security Assessment (in response to the drought effects related to ‘El Niño’ phenomena in Lesotho); and an assessment of the ability of local market to respond to increased consumer demand and the stability of food prices. 2.2.6 Coordination Mechanisms for Agricul tural Statistics According to the Statistics Act 2001, BOS is the agency responsible for coordinating, monitoring and supervising the NSS. As a result, it has the responsibility for establishing, harmonizing and standardizing definitions, classifications and statis tical methods used in the production and dissemi nation of official statistics including agricultural and rural statistics. From time to time user producer workshops are organized for relevant stakeholders to discuss specific survey instruments, mainly for large scale surveys and decennial Agricultural Census. In this regard, an effective coordination mechanism is in place for collaboration with respective MDAs in censuses and specialized surveys and facilitating access to data required by various users. Memo randa of Understanding (MoUs) are in the process STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 13 was collected from a sample of agricultural hol dings and covered both summer and winter crops (temporary and permanent), livestock, farm-inputs, farm implements, land utilization and population engaged in agriculture. However, the questionnaire design did not allow the provision of gender di saggregated data. In addition, the census covered Community Level module which aimed to comple ment the holding-level data by collecting a variety of information on basic facilities such as health and education, the availability of roads, water, electricity and transport, and peace and order in communi ties. The data was collected by interviewing village chiefs, headmen or councillors in each village in the country. Data collection for 2009/2010 Agricultural Census was undertaken using face to face interviews for the sampled farming households. The results were published by both printed copies and electronic format and they are available on BOS website. 2.3.2 Agriculture Production Surveys The Bureau of Statistics has conducted annual Agricultural Production Surveys (APS) since 1973. The main objective is to collect annual information from farming households on major crops (maize, wheat, sorghum, beans and peas), livestock inven tory and stock change (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, pigs and poultry) and livestock products. The results are published by both printed copies and electronic format and they are available on BOS website. Release calendar for publication of agricultural statistics reports is available every year. 2.3.3 Crop Forecasting Surveys The BOS Agriculture and Food Security Statis tics Division in collaboration with MAFS and the National Early Warning Unit (NEWU) under DMA undertake Crop Forecasting Survey (CFS). The of being prepared between the BOS and MDAs in order to foster collaboration between BOS and other stakeholders mainly in the provision of Agri cultural and Rural Statistics data or data exchange. There exists a Committee on Environmental Data Management (CEDAMA) with membership from key stakeholders including MAFS, MFRS, MDP through BOS and Non-Governmental Organisa tions (NGOs). The main objectives of this com mittee are: To advise the National Environment Secretariat (NES) on issues of environmental data management To promote a culture of environmental data exchange To establish data quality standards 2.3 Assessment of Current Data Collection Activities The in-depth assessment also looked into the cur rent data collection activities in the agricultural sec tor with standardised methodologies. 2.3.1 Agricultural Census The main objective of the Agricultural Census is to provide data on the structure of agricultural holdings and aspects of agriculture that change relatively slowly over time. According to FAO gui delines Agricultural Censuses are conducted every 10 years. In Lesotho the first Agricultural Census was conducted in 1949/1950 whereas the last census was conducted in 2009/2010.The plan is to conduct the next one in 2019/2020. The 2009/2010 Agricultural Census covered the whole country on a sample basis covering both urban and rural areas. Holdings covered included smallholdings, large farms, prison farms, school farms and project farms. The relevant information 14 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 terfere or greatly threaten with humanity. The lives tock surveillance system is under the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) of MAFS. 2.3.8 Agriculture Marketing Information Sys tem The Agricultural Marketing Information System is a service which involves the collection of information on prices and quantities of widely traded agricultu ral products on regular basis. The objective of the system is to support marketing decision making and marketing efforts of entrepreneurs and far mers. This information is collected by the Marketing Division of the Ministry of Small Business Develop ment, Cooperatives and Marketing. 2.3.9 National Accounts The National Accounts statistics is compiled by National Accounts and Enterprise Statistics Divi sion of BOS. The compilation of national accounts statistics on the agriculture sector is based on agri cultural data from the Agriculture and Food Secu rity Statistics Division. 2.3.10 Other Surveys and Assessments The Food and Agriculture Organisation in colla boration with BOS and MAFS conducted Seed Security Assessment in 2016. The objective of the assessment was to provide information that sup ported the design of appropriate seed security in terventions. Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (VAA) is a process that defines, identifies, classifies and prio ritises vulnerabilities and risk to understand the threats to its environment and react appropriately. Its objective is to determine levels of food insecurity amongst rural and urban populations and estimate vulnerable populations facing food insecurity. objective of CFS is to determine the availability of food in the country and make informed, timely and necessary preparations in the event of a likely food shortage. The survey focuses on three main crops, namely, maize, sorghum and wheat. 2.3.4 Horticulture Production Survey The first Horticulture Production Survey (HPS) was undertaken in 2015/2016 agricultural year and is expected to be carried out every year on a quarterly basis, by the BOS Agriculture and Food Security Division in collaboration with the MAFS. The sample is based on a list of horticulture farmers supplied by MAFS, for each of the 10 districts. The objective of HPS is to estimate production of fruits and vegetables. 2.3.5 National Nutrition Survey The FNCO coordinated and led the National Nu trition Survey in 2007. The objective of the survey was to estimate malnutrition rate of children, morta lity rate and provide a baseline for strengthening of nutrition surveillance system in Lesotho. 2.3.6 Livestock Products Statistics The BOS collects, compiles and analyses data on livestock products and produces a report. In formation on livestock products is obtained from secondary data mainly from the Department of Livestock of the MAFS, Department of Marketing of MSBDCM and Lesotho National Dairy Board (LNDB). Other livestock products’ statistics are obtained from APS livestock data. 2.3.7 Livestock Disease Surveillance System Livestock Disease Surveillance System is an inte raction of events and resources that are integrated together towards achievement of the goals and ob jectives for effective prevention, containment and control of outbreaks in livestock diseases that in STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 15 lection, processing and dissemination of data. 2.4 User Needs and Data Gaps 2.4.1 Summary of Priority Data Needs In order to meet requirements, agricultural statistics should cover the following: Crops, livestock and livestock products, aquaculture and fish productions and agricultural land uses; Farm structures ; Disposition of Agricultural production ; Economic data: prices, agro-processing, production costs and input uses of fertilizers, chemicals, seeds; Environmental data (forest and forest products, erosion, degradation / improvement of natural resources). Agricultural statistics should be available for irri gated and non-irrigated areas and for each district. They should provide information needed for policy analysis and compilation of national accounts for agriculture including agricultural satellite account. They should also permit development of balance sheets for the major agricultural products. Agricul tural statistics can then be used to assess adhe rence to the international standards used for com piling data relative to the availability and uses of agricultural production. There is a growing demand for quality and relevant data to inform investment, marketing and macroeconomic aggregation deci sions, assessment of food security and impact of the implemented projects and programs. As the users of agricultural statistics are a diverse and constantly growing group, their needs vary in terms of the level of precision, sophistication, and diversi fication of data required. The needs of agricultural statistics are summarized Table 2 overleaf. The Community and Household Surveillance (CHS) is a bi-annual survey that is conducted du ring the post-harvest and the lean season each year with the main objective of monitoring the shot and long term effects of food assistance interventions. The CHS is anchored in DMA with the objective of broadening its objectives especially in strengthe ning and complementing LVAC food security moni toring initiatives in the country. 2.3.11 Sources of Administrative Agricultural Data The main potential providers of administrative agri cultural data are: Lesotho National Dairy Board Ministry of Small Businesses Development, Cooperatives and Marketing (Marketing Division) Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Non- Governmental Organizations Development Partners Regional Organizations (SADC, SACU etc.) Research Institutions Other Ministries, Departments and Agencies 2.3.12 Data Quality Agricultural statistics produced by the BOS are based on scientific methods and conform to inter national norms. Samples are drawn according to probabilistic methods but sampling errors are not measured. Field areas are physically measured and yields are estimated by weighing the harvest from demarcated crop-cutting areas. Item and unit non-responses are not documented and the ma gnitude of the non-response is not reported. The burden on farmers is not evaluated and hence it is not minimized, though information technology and communications are increasingly used in the col 16 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Agricultural production and uses Areas and production of crops, vegetables and fruits for irrigated and non-irrigated areas Crop production forecast Number of cattle, sheep and goats by sex, type of breeds and draught animals Monitoring herd changes at the farm: births, purchases, sales, mortality and slaughter on the farm, curling Number of slaughtered cattle, sheep, goats and draught animal Production of milk, wool, meat, eggs, other birds and beekeeping products Uses of agricultural production at farm and national levels: losses, sales, seeds, animal consump tion, own human consumption, farm processing and agribusiness and stock levels and exports Import and exports of agricultural products, number of animals, in quantity and value. Inputs and technologies Uses of inputs in quantities and value for agricultural production: labour, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and pest control, mechanization, energy, medicines and veterinary services. Uses of water by crops and animal activities, billing of irrigation water to farmers, and authorizations of digging wells Animal feed: forage, rangeland, raw agricultural products, by-products of agriculture and agribu siness, compound feed… Maintenance and repair of vehicles and capital goods and buildings Technologies (including irrigation) used and calendar of agricultural operations undertaken for agri cultural productions Rental equipment for work on the farm and non-residential buildings Needs and sources for financing farm activities Production costs for crops, vegetables and animal production Farm capital and investments: agricultural equipment, vehicles, animals, agricultural land, farm buil dings, hydro-agricultural equipment, fruits orchards, rejuvenation such as pruning Nature and levels of public investments in agriculture and subsidies allocated by the state to farmers Marketing and prices Transportation and marketing costs for agricultural products (plants and animals) and inputs Farm gate and wholesale prices for agricultural products and live animals Agricultural input and equipment prices: agricultural equipment, vehicles, hydro-agricultural equip ment, fertilizers, pesticides. Farmer income sources: return on capital, land and family labour and other sources of income Level of underemployment of farmers and their families Table 1: Summary of Data Needs for Agricultural and Rural Statistics STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 17 Prices of a large number of agricultural and agro-industrial products at different stages of marketing (producer prices, wholesale prices and retail prices); Processing of agricultural products on the farm; Farm and non-farm income of farmers; Ancillary services to agriculture; Land improvements and hydro agricultural equipment as well as equipment and constructions for own account; Data on forests and the use of forests products; Environmental data; Improvement of quality on some agricultural statistics. 2.5 SWOT Analysis of the National Agricultural Statistical System Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis was carried out for the overall NASS in Lesotho. The SWOT analysis is a useful tool to identify strengths and opportunities on which to build the SPARS strategy, as well as the weaknesses to be addressed and to evaluate threats to the NASS which have a direct bearing on the production of agricultural and rural statistics. The detailed SWOT analysis is presented in Table 3, overleaf. 2.4.2 The Gap between Available Agricultural Statistics and Users’ Needs The analysis of data production and users demand indicates an imbalance between the data that are being requested by users and the data that are ac tually being collected on the ground. The informa tion available from the different sources (census, surveys and administrative sources), only partially cover the needs of users as detailed in Table 2. However, the available data cover physical pro duction of major crops, livestock numbers, input use, and inventory changes. Data on agribusiness, wages, on-farm processing, purchases and dispo sals of non-produced assets such as land, sources of income and services ancillary to agriculture (such as credit, insurance, agricultural work carried out by third parties), are not available or they are available but inadequate. Despite the enormous efforts made, in particular by BOS, MAFS, and other governmental agencies, it is critical to note the gap between the needs of different users of agricultural statistics as detailed above and the existing agricultural statistics with acceptable quality. This gap essentially involves: Production, yields and acreage of most vegetables; Range lands and forage production; The use of agricultural products (consumption of own produce, losses, storage, processing, sales by farmers and seeds); The use of inputs (such as water, labour, animal feeds, energy, veterinary services), by different agricultural activities; Wages paid by farmers for labour; 18 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 statistical coordination and data producer-user dialogue, and the lack of an up to date NSDS are seen as weaknesses. Other weaknesses include inadequate development of administrative data, including weak data quality, limited documentation to build institutional memory and inadequate sta tistical awareness amongst stakeholders. A final set of weakness reflect the limited availability of resources - funds, staff, training and office space. The main strengths of the NASS are seen to be the Statistics Act, the structure it gives through the NSC and its expert committees, the political independence of statistical operations and the development of the NSDS. Another set of stren gths revolve around the BOS with its committed staff, its presence in the Districts, its IT infrastruc ture, website and publication schedule. However, the lack of the full implementation of the Statis tics Act, with a non-functioning NSC and poor STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 19 STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES • Existence of Statistics Act 2001 • No significant interference in statistical opera tions by the government and other partners • National Strategy for the Development of Statis tics designed for 2011-2016. • Existence of National Statistical Council and Committees of the Bureau • Very committed technical human resource • Existence of release schedule for agriculture Statistical Publications • Existence of BOS website • Availability of IT infrastructure and Frame Per Second (FPSs) to support statistical programs (BOS, MAFS) • Deployment of Statisticians at district level • The Statistics Act is not fully implemented and there is no regulation for statistical act • Weak National Statistical System Coordination • Lack of the current NSDS • Limited or disorganized documentation of used resources (archives) for institutional memory • National Statistical Council not functioning • Inadequate feedback between data producers and users within the NASS •Development and management of administrative sources is not quite adequate and weak data quality • No regular meetings between agriculture statis tics stakeholders. • Inadequate governmental funding of agricultural statistics activities • Shortage of agricultural statistical staff • Lack of capacity building • Inadequate office space • Inadequate statistical awareness among stakeholders Table 2 : SWOT Table for NASS 20 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 OPPORTUNITIES THREATS • Political will to implement and disseminate statis tical information in a timely manner • Strong demand for agricultural statistical data and increasing recognition of the importance of statistics at national and international level • Important investments in the agricultural sector • Awareness of the importance of statistics among stakeholders • Partnership with the university • Regional and international cooperation • Advances in ICT making it possible to improve data collection, management, archiving, analysis, and dissemination • Brain drain and inadequate qualified personnel • Difficulty of recruiting statistical staff to work on agricultural statistics • Lack of Staff Retention Strategy • Dependence on external financing • Economic and financial crisis • Inadequate statistical awareness among stakehol ders • Inadequate financial resources • Limited local suppliers of specialized ICT equip ment • No gazette of standardized village names • Resistance of key players to share data CHAPTER 3: STRATEGIC PLAN 22 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 3.1 Introduction The SPARS LES action plan will support the im plementation of development policies in the agri cultural sector. The activities are focused on the collection, processing and analysis of agricultural data for the production of indicators to assess the socio-economic impact of these policies and mea sure the contribution of the sector to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It provides a framework for producing statistics to inform decision making in the agricultural and rural sector of Lesotho. SPARS LES provides a holistic, realistic and sus tainable approach addressing the main constraints that impede development of agricultural statistics and focuses on the achievement of the long-term goals. On the basis of the assessment of the Lesotho NASS, the development plan for agricultural sta tistics aims to: Integrate the NASS into the NSS to avoid duplication and omissions as well as conflicting data releases; Define indicators for the monitoring and evaluation of the development of agricultural activities, food security, as well as for the needs of the national accounts; Identify priorities of data collection in terms of periodicity, coverage and geographical level; Identify data sources for computing indicators and identification of statistical operations’ priorities and their timing; Build capacities required to collect and analyse agricultural data. Propose a schedule of comprehensive operations and methodologies to be used; Identify funding sources and conduct needs’ assessment for human and material resources for implementation of SPARS LES; Propose monitoring and evaluation framework and develop awareness and communication strategy for implementation of SPARS LES. As advocated by the Report of Friends of the Chair on Agricultural Statistics3 , SPARS LES defines an integrated framework of sources of data including surveys to produce quality statistics, using an inte grated program of periodic surveys and consistent administrative records relevant to agricultural de velopment. 3.2 Challenges The assessment of NASS has identified weaknesses related to provision and access to re liable and up to date statistics for planning, policy and decision making. These weaknesses include: The NASS partly meets the requirements of agricultural statistical information needed for the design and implementation of agricultural policies; The NASS has mainly focused on statistics on some crops and livestock. Farm structure data are covered only during the decennial agricultural census. Microeconomic data are not adequate; The accuracy and coverage of agricultural statistics are insufficient; Development and management of administrative sources is not quite adequate; Weak National Statistical System 3 United Nations Economic and Social Council Statistical Commission, Forty‐first session 23‐26 February 2010, Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural and Rural Statistics, Report ofFriends of the Chair on Agricultural Statistics STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 23 data producers and users within the NASS is inadequate due to lack of the formal user-producer forum; 7. Lack of statistics units in most of the agriculture subsectors; 8. Unwillingness to share information by some of the key stakeholders, lack of agricultural information platform (institutional networked platform) and hence lack of inter-institutional data sharing; 9. Non-existence of SPARS; 10. The analysis of data production and users’ demand indicates that there is an imbalance between the data that are requested by users and the data that are actually being collected on the ground. Available agricultural information, from different sources (censuses, surveys and administrative records), partially covers users’ needs. Hence needs for agricultural statistics largely exceed the available statistics, which are mainly on production, area planted and area harvested and yields of some crops; 11. Data on agribusiness, wages, on-farm processing, purchases and disposals of assets such as land, sources of income and services ancillary to agriculture (such as credit, insurance, agricultural work carried out by third parties), are not generally available. If there are some that are available, they are inadequate; 12. Limited use of data from administrative records for purposes of producing agricultural and rural statistics; coordination: inadequate feedback between data producers and users within the NASS (Statistics Act makes specific requirement that coordination mechanisms such as inter-agency committees, task forces, etc., should be established but no mention of how they should operate); Though the governmental finances all activities that lead to the production of agricultural and rural statistics, this funding is not adequate; The sustainability of the Lesotho NASS is not guaranteed: the limited number of resources where raw data are not adequately used. More specifically the main challenges that reflect the limitations of the National Agricultural Statisti cal System can be summarized as follows: 1. Lack of strategic, legal and institutional frameworks for the production of agricultural and rural statistics and lack of regulations for 2001 Statistics Act; 2. Members of the National Statistical Council were appointed but the Council is not functioning; 3. Lack of the current NSDS that follows the 2011-2016 NSDS; 4. Weak coordination of the National Statistical System and NASS; 5. Lack or poor coordination of statistical activities in the agricultural sector; 6. No formal user-producer forum necessary for coordinating user needs, activities leading to production of agricultural and rural statistics as well as discussing both demand and supply of agricultural data. Feedback between 24 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 cision-making in the sector. The SPARS LES aims also at the adoption and use of international best practices in the field of statistics for ensuring that produced agricultural statistical data are reliable, coherent, and effective in monitoring agricultural trends, and producing indicators for monitoring agricultural development, policies and projects. The vision, mission, and general objectives defined below, provide the strategy with sufficient flexibility to enable data producers to meet the users’ current and evolving needs. Vision: An integrated, sustainable and coordinated natio nal system of agricultural and rural statistics pro ducing quality agricultural statistics that support national agricultural development in an objective, timely and cost effective manner. Mission To facilitate processes of producing, disseminating and archiving quality, sustainable, and coordinated agricultural and rural statistics. 3.4 Strategic Objectives, Calendar and Implementation Plan 3.4.1 Objectives & Strategies The SPARS LES Objectives which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART) aim to address important issues, which were identified during the assessment phase. In line with the vision and mission statements of the SPARS LES, the overall goal of the NASS is to provide users with high quality agricultural and rural statistics, which are accurate, complete, timely, re liable, up-to-date, and consistent. These statistics should cover various sub-sectors and be produced in an efficient, timely and sustainable manner, that 13. Lack of staff with statistical skills in some agricultural subsectors and shortage of staff with expertise in agricultural and rural statistics specifically, in the division of Agriculture and Food Security Statistics of the BOS; 14. Inadequate funding for activities and processes that lead to production of agricultural and rural statistics; 15. Lack of data quality management procedures for all processes involved in producing agricultural and rural statistics; 16. Limited resources allocated for production of agricultural and rural statistics and as a result main producers of agricultural and rural statistics do not have sufficient equipment for farm-level measurements; 17. The use of electronic equipment (PDAs, tablets, smart-phones, etc.) to collect agricultural data in the field is not yet generalized. 3.3 Vision and Mission The construction of the vision and mission state ments for the production and the development of agricultural and rural statistics was based on the analysis of the result of the sectoral evaluation of the NASS and the ambition of Lesotho for the de velopment of its agricultural and rural statistics. The SPARS LES aims at enhancing the agricul tural statistics system to enable it to present a comprehensive and accurate picture of the agri cultural sector, contribute to the promotion of dia logue among its stakeholders, and to improve de STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 25 bility and motivation of NASS staff; Strategic Objective 5: Strengthen the physical infrastructure for efficient and effective statistical operations; Strategic Objective 6: Develop sustainable funding for agricultural and rural statistics activities. Table 4 shows each Strategic Objective (SO), with its respective Operational Strategies (OS – these are the methods to be used for achieving the ob jective) and the challenges each Strategic Objec tive addresses. enables the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs and policies for agri cultural sector development. The analysis of challenges identified during the phase of the in-depth evaluation of the NASS has made it possible to define the following strategic objectives that describe the overall accomplish ments to be achieved in the NASS: Strategic Objective 1: Strengthen coordination of NASS and ensure its integration into the NSS; Strategic Objective 2: Improve production, analysis and accessibility of agricultural and rural statistics; Strategic Objective 3: Improve the quality of agri cultural and rural statistics; Strategic Objective 4: Ensure the availability, capa 26 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Strategic Objectives (SO) Operational Strategies (OS) Challenges addressed SO1:Strengthen coordination of NASS and ensure its integration into the NSS OS1.1 Strengthen the integration of the NASS into the NSS OS1.2 Strengthen the coordination of the NASS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 8, 9 SO2: Improve production, analysis and accessibility of agricultural and rural statistics OS2.1 Implement an integrated Census & Survey pro gramme OS2.2 Improve reporting from administrative records OS2.3 Expand analysis of agricultural and rural statistics 10, 11, 12 SO3: Improve the quality of agricultural and rural statistics OS3.1 Implement a Data Quality Assessment Framework OS3.2 Strengthen compliance and ensure users’ satisfaction 15 SO4: Ensure the availability, capability and motivation of NASS staff OS4.1 Establish and maintain a critical mass of NASS statisticians OS4.2 Enhance statistical capacity of NASS 13 SO5: Strengthen the physical infrastructure for efficient and effective statistical operations OS5.1 Provide BOS and agricultural statistics units in other MDAs with adequate infrastructure for data collection and processing OS5.2 Strengthen the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). 16 17 SO6: Develop sustainable funding for agricultural and rural statistics activities OS6.1 Engage with policy makers and partners to set and finance agricultural and rural statistics programmes OS6.2 Raise awareness of the importance of agricultural and rural statistics 14 Table 3: Objectives, Operational Strategies and the Challenges Addressed STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 27 3.4.2 Strategic Objective 1: Strengthen coordination of NASS and en sure its integration into the NSS This Strategic Objective has two Operational Strategies with activities to strengthen and clarify institutional relationships. OS1.1 Strengthen the integration of the NASS into the NSS The need for a review of the national legislation to enhance the management and coordination of the NSS is one of the work streams identified in the current NSDS. The role of BOS needs to be clari fied and, in particular, BOS should (i) be clearly mandated to coordinate the statistical system; (ii) develop data security and data management policy for the entire statistical system in collaboration with all national statistical system’s actors; (iii) authorize, coordinate and supervise all official statistical programs undertaken within the NSS, establish standards and promote the use of the best practices and methods in the production and dissemination of statistical information; (iv) assist line Ministries in the collection, compilation and publication of statistical information; and (v) promote statistical awareness, in cooperation with all related entities. The involvement of NASS participants in the review is important to ensure that any new statistical le gislation being proposed promotes the collection and use of agricultural and rural statistics, including the identification of a regulatory and organizational framework for the national system of agricultural and rural statistics. This includes supporting the re-establishment of the NSC and the formal reco gnition of its expert advisory committees, including the National Agricultural Statistics Coordination Committee (NASCC). The integration of the NASS in the NSS will also be strengthened by stakeholders in the NASS partici pating fully in the preparation of the NSDS II and, in particular SPARS LES being used as one pillar for the building of the future NSDS. OS1.2 Strengthen the coordination of the NASS The NASS needs a coherent and effective framework for coordination between the various partners. A clear delineation of responsibilities for producing agricultural and rural statistics and close coordination of production will avoid duplication of efforts, prevent the publication of contradictory data and ensure the most efficient and effective use of resources. Coordination is essential to en sure the quality and coherence of statistical data, avoid confusion amongst users and reduce the costs of producing agricultural and rural statistics. The NASCC needs to meet regularly (at least 2 times a year) to exchange information produced by different stakeholders as well as their respec tive work programs related to agricultural and rural statistics. This committee should focus in particular on the adoption of annual programmes for all agri cultural and rural statistics activities. In order to reinforce this coordination, MoUs should be signed between the BOS and all MDAs parti cipating in NASS, and in particular with MAFS and MFRSC, to set the basis for their commitment to 28 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 develop agricultural and rural statistics by means of annual work programmes covering training, re sources, exchange of information and data, and effective coordination of their statistical operations. The NASS, through the NASCC, will also promote the use of internationally accepted concepts, defi nitions and classifications suitably adapted to the national environment. The NASS will produce and disseminate a Metadata handbook covering all in dicators identified for the monitoring and evaluation of national agricultural development programmes. 3.4.3 Strategic Objective 2 Improve production, analysis and accessibi lity of agricultural and rural statistics This Objective has 3 Operational Strategies with activities reflecting data collection programmes and secondary analysis of datasets. OS2.1: Implement an integrated Census and Sur vey programme The main activity under this strategy is a program of censuses and surveys designed to complement the information that can be retrieved from adminis trative records data, in order to meet data needs and fill data gaps. This programme focuses on pro moting data collection and improving reporting and analysis to meet data needs, in particular the needs of the monitoring and evaluation of the agricultural policies as well as for compilation of national ac counts. The data to be produced can be grouped under the following themes: Crop and livestock productions; Production costs and prices; Agricultural production techniques; Factors of production including labour; Irrigation and water management; Structure of farms; Number of farmers producing crops and rearing livestock; Demographic characteristics of agricultural populations; Farming employment and wages; Food safety ; Imports of agricultural and livestock products; Non-agricultural activities practiced by farming households. The proposed program of operations, which has been built on Lesotho experience in the field of agricultural and rural statistics, will provide the sta tistical information that meets users’ needs and fill data gaps (it integrates current and anticipatory future needs). This program is integrated, compli mentary to administrative sources and will incorpo rate GIS. It is an extension of current and planned operations and launches new projects to extend the coverage of existing agricultural statistics. The proposed Census and Survey operations are as shown in Table 5, overleaf. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 29 Table 4: Integrated Census and Survey Programme Operation Objective Censuses General Agricultural Census The Agriculture Census provides data on the structure of agricultural holdings and on aspects of agriculture that change relatively slowly over time, at all ad ministrative units. It provides sampling frames for follow-up agricultural sample surveys. It provides mainly data on the basic organizational structure of agricul tural holdings, such as size of holding, land tenure, land use, crop area, irriga tion, livestock numbers, labour, use of machinery and other agricultural inputs. The agricultural census is undertaken every ten years Quinquennial Surveys Land Degradation and Surveillance Survey The Land Degradation and Surveillance Survey aims to assess rangeland, land use, land cover, impact on habitat, land degradation, soil health and topogra phy/land form. Cost of Production Survey The main objectives of this survey are to estimate the following at the national level: The distribution of cost of production, per hectare and per ton, of major crops; The distribution of cost of livestock production (cattle, sheep, goats, piggery, poultry); Input uses by each agricultural activity (irrigation water, seeds, fertilizers, pes ticides, labour for each agricultural operation, animal feed, etc.); Input prices and cost of using agricultural equipment (including depreciation), land rental etc.; Timing of the application of inputs and agricultural operations; The estimation of the investment and capital stock in the agricultural sector by types of investments and capital (buildings and constructions, wells and dams, machinery and equipment, fruit trees, livestock). It is recommended to undertake this survey every five years with a sample size that will enable national level results. 30 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Agriculture Structure Survey The survey on farm structure should cover the following items: Input uses at farm level (water, fertilizer, seeds and pesticides); Labour used to perform the work on the farm (family labour, permanent labour, temporary labour, etc.); Irrigation techniques and sources of water used for irrigation; Ages and levels of farm capital (agricultural equipment, buildings, machinery, etc.); Investments (equipment, facilities, new plantings, installation of irrigation sys tems, funding, livestock etc.) Non-agricultural sources of incomes for farmers. It is recommended to undertake this survey every five years with a sample size that will enable national level results. Annual Survey Crop survey The objective of this survey is to provide information on planted area and pro duction, number of trees (young and productive) for the main crops and fruits. The size of the sample should be adequate for results with acceptable accu racy at the national level for the main crops as well as fruits. All results should distinguish between irrigated and non-irrigated crops and orchards. For major crops the yields are estimated using crop cutting measurements results, however BOS should undertake a comparison of results from these objective measurements and from the farmers’ estimates. Horticulture Survey The main aim of the HPS is to estimate the production of vegetables and fruits in the country, income earned by farmers as well as employment in the horti culture sector. It focuses on both urban and rural commercial farmers and data are collected from the farmers every year on quarterly basis. Livestock Survey The objectives of this survey are to provide information on: The number of animals (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, pigs and poultry) by type, race, sex, age and the changes that occur on the farm in terms of births, deaths, sales, purchases, and slaughter within the farm, etc.; The Production of livestock products (milk, eggs, skin and hides etc.) in quan tities and values. The size of the sample should be adjusted to have an acceptable accuracy and to keep the cost at the manageable level. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 31 Post-harvest Losses The total losses that occur at the farm level include the losses that occur at the field level, the losses that occur during the transportation of the harvest within the farm and the losses during storage at the farm. These losses can be signi ficant and deserve to be measured. It is proposed to evaluate them through crop losses’ surveys. Every year losses of one crop are investigated with the size of the samples kept small. Farm Gate Price Survey The objective of this survey is to collect prices of agricultural inputs and out puts. Outputs include crops, fruits and vegetables, livestock products such as milk, poultry products, and live animals. The inputs include fertilizers, pesti cides, seeds etc. The sample size should be adequate for national results with acceptable accuracy. Data should be collected every three months to monitor seasonal changes. Food Insecurity Experience Scale Survey (FIES) The objective of the FIES survey is to measures food insecurity based on past experience of households during the reference period of one year. During the course of the SPARS LES, BOS will carry out this survey annually. 32 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 OS2.2 Improve reporting from administrative records Ministries and different administrative entities hold information in the form of administrative records on the agricultural sector. For example, slaughte rhouses hold data on the number of animal slaugh tered (cattle, sheep, goats, poultry) and the quan tity of meat produced and the prices of the meat at slaughterhouse. The successful transmission of such data to the statistical unit of the MAFS for analysis and publication will reduce the burden on agricultural surveys. The BOS will advise and recommend concepts and definitions to be used to compile data from administrative records. Administrative sources of information should be reconciled to ensure consis tency and accuracy of data from more than one source. OS2.3 Expand the analysis of agricultural and rural statistics Construction of Indices It is proposed to construct indices of producer prices of agricultural commodities and indices of agricultural production. These indices will provide significant value added to the raw data, providing useful guidance to policymakers and be the first step in developing further analysis of agricultural data. Food Balance Sheet As recommended by FAO, it is proposed to deve lop Food Balance Sheet. Food Balance Sheet is an instrument for policy analysis of food security by establishing the relationships between food availa bility, food requirements and nutrition levels. In ad dition, food balance sheet constitutes a statistical framework for food and agricultural commodities as it serves as means of evaluating the coherence of all data used and can be an indicator for availa bility of agricultural data and its accuracy. Agricultural Statistics Database and Archiving The NASS needs a central repository where users and producers of agricultural and rural statistics as well as policy makers, development partners and researchers can access national agricultural data. An Agricultural Statistics Database will be deve loped and maintained to reflect the indicators in the Metadata handbook (see OS1.2 above) for moni toring the implementation and results of national agriculture development projects. The database will in particular; (i) Improve the micro-data archiving and documentation system, (ii) Conduct and maintain a comprehensive data inventory of all agricultural data sets and (iii) Facilitate access to data. GIS tools and applications will be incorporated to improve the effectiveness of data analysis. 3.4.4 Strategic Objective 3 Improve the quality of agricultural and rural statistics There are two operational strategies under this objective with activities split between quality and methodological improvements. OS3.1 Implement a Data Quality Assessment Framework STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 33 methods of data collection including the use of hand-held computers to collect information in the field and the use of GIS to capture, present, ana lyse and disseminate data, are currently in place. The NASS, led by BOS, will produce and dissemi nate a Compendium of best practices methodolo gies for collecting agricultural data. This Compen dium will identify best practices for methodological improvements, including the documentation of all procedures, methods, nomenclatures, criteria for monitoring, quality control of data collection, pro cessing, dissemination, and calculation and pu blication of sampling errors (CV- Coefficients of Variation). The aim of NASS is to provide high quality agricul tural and rural statistics. User Satisfaction Survey (USS) will be conducted every two years to mea sure the degree to which BOS meets its obligation towards statistics users. The User Satisfaction Survey will include questions on the: Perceived quality of agricultural and rural statistics and the services provided; Extent to which statistics influence policies and/or decisions; Ease and effectiveness of obtaining access to these statistics; and Information about the users, such as background, frequency of use, complexity and level of detail required. 3.4.5 Strategic Objective 4: Ensure the availability, capability and motivation of NASS staff The outcome for this objective is that adequate and well trained human resources are available at the NASS. This will be achieved by: The NASS, led by the BOS, will produce a Data Quality Assessment Framework (DQAF), to be en dorsed for use by the NASCC. The framework will strengthen quality control procedures by providing an assessment of the strengths and challenges fa cing statistical operations to produce quality, timely and reliable data. The framework will reflect inter national standards and practices and will meet the needs of data users by identifying data of known quality, and meet the needs of data producers by highlighting quality problems and proposing solu tions. The specific objectives of DQAF are to: Assess, on a rotating basis, the quality of all NASS data outputs and of systems that produce them; Identify quality problems, highlight the major ones and propose improvements. Review the extent to which quality problems have been addressed (during the next assessment round); and Provide producers and users with quality summaries, including quality scores. Once the framework has been completed a pro gramme of regular assessments and evaluations of statistical operations within the NASS will be im plemented. OS3.2 Strengthen compliance and ensure user satisfaction The entire system that produce agricultural and rural statistics, starting with data collection to ana lysis, should utilise effective and innovative tools. Best practices data collection methodologies and international standards (suitably adapted) covering the collection, processing, analysis and dissemina tion of data should be adopted and promoted. New 34 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 conducting all tasks in the framework of the pro gramme of statistical operations planned in the SPARS, it is essential that adequate number of skilled and trained personnel be available for imple menting SPARS LES and undertaking statistical work required for the development and achieve ment of the planned statistical operations as des cribed in this strategy. It is also important to define the corresponding re quired skills. Skilled personnel must be recruited and trained in all areas of statistical operations, in order to accomplish all the objectives and activi ties required by the strategy. In addition to building the capacities, the statistical staff must be provi ded with sufficient occupational security, in order to produce high quality data. This can be done through: Formulating a description of each statistical post, Developing and managing a succession plan to identify or develop potential employees to fill vacant critical positions; Developing a continuous professional development (CPD) plan in agriculture statistics; Conducting regular workshop/training in work ethics; Adopting the procedures for staff compensation and promotion, and incentives for staff achievements and skills; Developing and implementing a performance –based management system and setting annual performance targets; Conducting quarterly or at least annually performance appraisals for every staff and establishing feedback mechanisms Establishing statistics units in agricultural MDAs, beginning with MAFS; Defining and implementing a national recruitment and retention plan to increase the number of statistical personnel within the NASS; Establishing a training program of in service courses and on-the job knowledge transfer to develop the capacity of agricultural statistics personnel. OS4.1: Establish and maintain a critical mass of NASS statisticians There is a need to establish statistics units in the agriculture subsectors to strengthen the produc tion of agricultural and rural statistics. These units will work in collaboration with BOS to ensure ef ficient and effective production of agricultural and rural statistics. Moreover, there is an urgent need for MAFS to set up a statistical unit within its De partment of Planning and Policy Analysis. This unit will produce some of the agricultural and rural sta tistics that are not produced by the BOS. The hu man resources capacity of this unit will have to be strengthened to enable it to produce quality sta tistics in a timely and cost effective manner. Other official entities may continue to produce statistics from their data but in agreement with the BOS and in accordance with the proposed NASS organiza tion. It is clear that currently the staff available at the various ministries and agencies that collect agri cultural statistical data is far from being sufficient for undertaking all the agricultural statistical ope rations proposed in this strategy. Most of the staff members are not statisticians. For purposes of STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 35 Given the proposed program and the shortage of human resources, it is necessary for the NASS to recruit at least 11 statisticians and 6 enumerators as set out in Table 6. and corrective actions; Increasing the number of extension officers that are dedicated for data collection only; Providing the physical infrastructure needed. Ministry / Agen cy 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 Total Statistical and Information Unit (MAFS, Planning) Statisticians 1 2 3 BOS Statisticians 4 1 1 1 1 8 Total Statisticians 5 3 1 1 1 11 Table 5: Staff Recruitment for NASS OS4.2 Enhance statistical capacity of NASS NASS needs to have sufficient and appropriate hu man resources to enable it to carry out all planned operations with statistical rigor. Training of staff is a key element in the success of the proposed strategy. Its objectives are to broaden the skill and expertise of the agricultural statistical personnel. Consequently, it is necessary to identify training needs and establish a medium and long-term trai ning programme tailored to the specific needs of agricultural and rural statistics, especially in the areas of data collection methodologies; sampling, sampling frames and the calculation of sampling errors; GIS; questionnaire formulation; information technology; data processing; data analysis; disse mination; data quality; and databases as well as for the communication and advocacy of agricultural and rural statistics. Training programme will be structured around three components: in-service training including scholarships to earn degrees in the areas of agri cultural and rural statistics; exchange programmes to enhance skills and increase knowledge on sta tistics standards and methodologies in particular to be consistent with national statistical offices in other countries; and on job training of NASS staff. In pursuant to this, the NASS will pursue training partnerships with relevant institutions and liaise with local and international partners that offer sta tistics related training. Technical assistance and the use of external ex pertise to the NASS will help where existing staff capacities and competences are over-stretched. It should aim at the real transfer of know-how and the implementation of specific actions. This expertise 36 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 could particularly cover the following topics: Definition of a training plan for NASS staff responsible for agricultural and rural statistics; Realization of a study on architecture, procedures and protocols necessary for IT management of agricultural statistical system, and networking of BOS Agriculture and Food Security Division with statistics units from other MDAs; Review and integration of all questionnaires; Drafting of the various manuals for supervisors and enumerators; Quality reports of various agricultural statistical operations; Selection of samples and determination of their sizes; Uses of GIS techniques in agricultural and rural statistics; Development of programs for use of PDAs in agricultural surveys; Yield and production estimation ; and Design and organization of agricultural census. 3.4.6 Strategic Objective 5: Strengthen the physical infrastructure for efficient and effective statistical operations This Strategic Objective has two Operational Strategies covering the use of ICT and other physi cal assets for data collection and processing. OS5.1 Provide BOS and agricultural statistics units in other MDAs with adequate infrastructure for data collection and processing Agriculture and Food Security Division of BOS and agricultural statistics units in other MDAs should be equipped with the necessary means of transport, office equipment and furniture, statistical software and IT equipment to collect data efficiently and ef fectively. Each officer within the NASS should have a computer or PDA with appropriate data proces sing software such as SPSS or STATA, linked to servers. Transport is an indispensable means for collecting information in the field. The acquisition of vehicles for the specific needs of agricultural sur veys is therefore essential. The NASCC will organise an assessment of physi cal infrastructure needs of each NASS member to enhance production and dissemination of statisti cal information and develop a comprehensive plan for providing the required assets. OS5.2 Strengthen the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) The use of ICT will improve data quality, starting with the data collection process, through data pro cessing, capturing, storage, analysis and eventually publishing and dissemination. For example, repla cing paper questionnaires with PDAs will minimise errors, reduce the time lag between data collection and the publication of results, allow data entry per sonnel to be allocated to other tasks and reduce the cost of data collection and capturing. The NASCC will organise an assessment of the needs of each NASS member to facilitate the use of ICT to enhance the production and dissemina tion of statistical information and develop a com prehensive plan for procuring an appropriate ICT infrastructure system. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 37 Activities include sensitisation events and working with the media to develop educational programmes to increase awareness of the importance of agri cultural and rural statistics for the development, monitoring and evaluation of national agricultural policies. 3.4.8 Calendar for Implementation of Main Statistical Operations The calendar is presented in Table 7, below. The Agriculture Census is programmed for 2019/2020 as part of FAO WCA 2020 round of agriculture censuses. The quinquennial statistical operations must be undertaken after the Census so that it can be used as a frame for drawing samples for these surveys. The farm structure survey is planned for 2023/2024. The cost of production and input factor survey is proposed for 2022/2023. This sur vey is very important for economic and agricultural policy decisions. Annual surveys are programmed for the whole period. The compilation of farm gate prices is proposed to start in 2022/2023. 3.4.7 Strategic Objective 6 Develop sustainable funding for agricultural and rural statistics activities This Strategic Objective has two Operational strategies. Activities are focused on engagement with policy makers, partners and other stakeholders to raise awareness of the importance of agricultural statistics and the purpose of SPARS LES, so as to develop increased funding for the programme. OS6.1 Engage with policy makers and partners to set and finance agricultural and rural statistics programmes. Activities include presenting SPARS LES to the NSC and development partners and reporting every 6 months on progress. An independent team will be hired to conduct mid-term and end-of-term evaluations of the programme. An Awareness and Communication Plan to promote SPARS LES will also be implemented (more details in section 3.7). OS6.2 Raise awareness of the importance of agri cultural and rural statistics 38 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Table 6: Implementation Calendar for Main Statistical Operations Activity Operation Frequency Responsibility 2019/ 2020 2020/ 2021 2021/ 2022 2022/ 2023 2023 /2024 2.1.1 Agriculture Census 10 years BOS & MAFS 2.1.2 N a t i o n a l range condition assessment 10 years MFRSC 2.1.3 Agricultural Structure Survey 5 years BOS & MAFS 2.1.4 Cost of Production survey 5 years BOS & MAFS 2.1.5 Agricultural Production Survey Annual BOS & MAFS 2.1.6 Horticulture survey Annual BOS & MAFS 2.1.7 Food security survey and Food Ba lance Sheet compilation Annual BOS & MAFS 2.1.8 Post-har vest losses survey Annual BOS & MAFS 2.1.9 Farm gate prices Survey Quarterly BOS & MAFS 2.2.1 Promotion of use of administra tive data Continuous MAFS & NASS. 2.3.1 Statistical analyses & construction of Indices Continuous BOS and MAFS 2.3.2 Agricultural Statistics Database Continuous BOS and MAFS STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 39 3.1.2 Data quality evaluations Continuous BOS 3.2.1 Compen dium of best prac tice Data Collection Methods Continuous BOS and MAFS Collection Methods 3.2.2 User satisfaction surveys 2 years BOS and MAFS 4.1.1 Establish agricultural statistics unit of MAFS Continuous MAFS 4.1.2 Recruitment and training of staff Annual BOS and MAFS 3.5 Financing Strategy The Action Plan with a detailed annual budget by activity level is set out in Annex 2. The total budget for all SPARS LES activities over the 5-year pe riod is M 188million, of which M 49 million (26%) is allocated for the Agriculture Census and M69 million (44%) is required for annual surveys. 40 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Figure 3: SPARS LES Budget by Activity Each TTWG has set its own priorities for financing. These have been combined in one list which is pre sented in Table 8. This table shows, for each activity level, the amount of funding identified as available. The funding can be from routine government allocations to the various institutions or commitments from other sources or projects. Any additional funding required to complete the activities is identified either as high priority or as other funding required. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 41 Table 7: Financing Strategy (M 000) Activity ‘000 Maloti Funding Source Available funding Priority for fun ding Other funding TOTAL 1.1.1 NASS participates in review & amend ment of Statistics Act Incorporated within overall budget for review of Statistics Act Govt. 1.1.2 NASS units participate in preparation of NSDS2 Incorporated within overall budget for development of NSDS2 Govt. 1.2.1 MOUs developed and signed between BoS and NASS Incorporated within overall budget for review of Statistics Act Govt. 1.2.2 NSC sub-committee on agricultural statistics formed & functioning 500 500 Govt. 1.2.3 Produce and disseminate Metadata handbook 1,700 1,700 Govt. TOTAL SO1 2200 2200 2.1.1 Agriculture census 49,495 49,495 Govt. 2.1.2 National range condition assessment 6,400 6,400 Govt. 2.1.3 Agriculture structure survey 10,451 10,451 Govt. 2.1.4 Cost of production survey 5,452 5,452 Govt. 2.1.5 Agricultural production survey (crops and livestock) 35,245 35,245 Govt. 2.1.6 Horticulture production survey 27,260 27,260 Govt. 2.1.7 Food security survey and Food Balance Sheet compilation 750 750 Govt. 2.1.8 Post-harvest losses survey 6,000 6,000 Govt. 2.1.9 Farm gates prices survey 10,245 10,245 Govt. 2.1.10 Incorporate GIS into agricultural data collection 1,530 1,530 Govt. 2.2.1 Improve reporting from administrative records 800 800 Govt. 2.3.1 Secondary statistical analysis and construction of indices 500 500 Govt. 2.3.2 Agricultural Statistics Database 1,000 1,000 Govt. 2.3.3 Incorporate GIS into agriculture data analysis 1,090 1,090 Govt 42 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 TOTAL SO2 119,150 37,068 156,218 3.1.1 Develop Data Quality Assessment Framework 810 810 Govt /Dev Partners 3.1.2 Implement DQAF evaluations 800 800 Gov./Dev Partners 3.2.1 Develop & promote compendium of agricultural statistical methods 2,500 2,500 Govt 3.2.2 Conduct User satisfaction surveys 600 600 Govt. TOTAL SO3: 3,910 800 4,710 4.1.1 Establish statistics unit in MAFS 2000 2000 Govt. 4.1.2 Recruit and deploy qualified staff across NASS 8,622 8,622 Dev. partners 4.2.1 Provide in-service training 5,000 5,000 Govt./ Dev. Partners 4.2.2 Promote Technical Assistance for knowledge transfer 5,000 5,000 Dev. partners TOTAL SO4: 15,622 5,000 20,622 5.1.1 Assessment of physical infrastructure needs of NASS 760 760 Govt./ Dev. Partners 5.2.1 Develop comprehensive plan for ICT infrastructure for NASS 760 760 Govt./ Dev. Partners 5.2.2 Roll-out CAPI/PDAs for all agriculture data collection 500 500 Govt./ Dev. Partners TOTAL SO5: 1,260 760 2,020 6.1.1 Present SPARS LES to NSC and report annually on progress 275 275 Govt./ Dev. Partners 6.1.2 Implement Awareness and Communication Plan 400 400 Gov./ Dev. Partners 6.1.3 External reviews of SPARS LES 760 760 Govt./ Dev. Partners 6.2.1 Hold sensitisation events for stakeholders and policy makers 225 225 Govt./ Dev. Partners 6.2.2 Use media to increase awareness and provide education 250 250 Govt./ Dev. Partners TOTAL SO6: 1,910 1,910 TOTAL SPARS LES 119,150 61,970 6,560 187,680 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 43 The table shows that 63% of the required budget to implement SPARS LES should be available. M62 million of the remaining budget is required to fund priority activities and M7 million is from other funding. For the sustainability of the NASS, the government should be the main source of the funding of the SPARS LES. In particular, it should finance the re gular surveys and institutions of NASS, especially salaries of personnel responsible for agricultural and rural statistics. Figure 4: SPARS LES Financing Strategy 3.6 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework 3.6.1 Introduction Monitoring is an ongoing process of collecting and analysing information to judge the quality of imple mentation of the strategy, verify that the implemen tation is in line with the agreed programme and to have a clear vision on the achievements of strate gic objectives. Managers should be informed in a timely manner on any difficulties that may impede implementation and, if necessary, suggest modifi cations or corrective measures for the successful implementation of the programme. There should be a continuous process of collecting and analysing information to assess the efficiency and effective ness of the implementation. Hence SPARS LES must be considered as a living document, requiring adjustments if the conditions for its implementation change. The NASCC (composed of representatives of pro ducers and users of agricultural rural statistics) will be responsible for producing the monitoring and evaluation reports for the implementation of this Strategic Plan. These reports will be passed to NSC for endorsement. 3.6.2 Results Based Logical Framework The Logical Framework for monitoring this Strategic Plan has been developed and is shown in Annex 3. This presents the Results Chain, giving the expec ted Impact, Effects and Products for SPARS LES, together with performance indicators (baseline and targets), and the means of verification. These in dicators will be used to track the implementation 44 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 and achievements of the programme. In addition, for successful implementation of SPARS, activi ties should be prioritised in annual work plans and aligned to implementing institutions budgets and performance contracts. 3.6.3 Reporting and Feedback Sub-sectors, working together as TTWGs, will provide status reports on activities being imple mented along with key performance indicators on regular basis. The NASCC, through its secretariat, will consolidate these into one overall document on the progress of SPARS implementation. Additio nally, external experts will be recruited to carry out mid-term (after 3 years) and end-of-term reviews. The following M&E reports will be produced: bian nual and annual monitoring reports, mid-term re view report, and end-of-term review report. These reports will be communicated through stakeholder meetings, workshops and review seminars, among others. The progress reports will prompt formula tion of corrective measures where appropriate. 3.6.4 Risks and Mitigation As part of Monitoring and Evaluation framework for SPARS LES the risks that would prevent or delay SPARS from achieving expected results have been identified and evaluated to establish their likely im pact and probability. These are presented in Annex 4 together with appropriate mitigation measures. 3.7 Awareness and Communication Plan The SPARS LES advocacy and communication plan aims at reaching the entire spectrum of agri culture and rural statistics stakeholders through all-inclusive and participatory approach. It is a set of processes essential to building sustainable de velopment initiatives and creating an environment in which policy makers and development actors share an understanding of goals as well as objectives, and implement measures that ensures the achie vement of these goals and objectives. It aims at boosting public confidence in the agricultural and rural statistics system, improving users’ awareness of the relevance of quality statistics for agricultural development, strengthening the use of agricultural and rural statistics, and informing relevant stakehol ders about the conditions and challenges of imple menting SPARS LES. The goal of advocacy and communication plan addresses the importance of agricultural and rural statistics in decision making processes as well as the characteristics of such statistics and how to ac cess and use them. The objectives of the advocacy and communication plan of SPARS LES are to: (i) Increase visibility of agricultural and rural statistics by promoting the overall image of SPARS LES; (ii) Increase stakeholder awareness of agricultural and rural statistics and enhance stakeholder buy-in and good will for SPARS activities; (iii) Popularize SPARS LES main orientations through information and awareness on its implementation strategy, (iv) Establish a permanent dialogue between users and producers of agricultural and rural statistics through a platform for dialogue and advocacy in agricultural and rural statistics; and (v) Build knowledge sharing, adoption of new methodologies, and promote the emergence of new tools, good practices STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 45 agricultural and rural statistics through planned annual days to present agricultural statistical operations, their methodologies and results, and through mass-public information campaigns at the launch of major agricultural statistics operations such as agricultural census or farm structure survey; Regularly informing all the NASS stakeholders on progress and possible setbacks of the SPARS LES implementation; Development of a specific website for SPARS LES; A particular focus on the Ministry of Finance, which must be convinced of the soundness of this strategy, with regular meetings at different levels; Gaining support from international partners and the government’s commitment to allocate the national resources required to implement the strategy; and Disseminating Monitoring and Evaluation reports and methodological reports produced under SPARS. in the field of agricultural and rural statistics, together with dynamic and effective internal partnership for SPARS LES. Advocacy activities will clearly identify target au diences (political and administrative decision-ma kers, development partners, agricultural statistical system staff, media, NGOs, and universities) and cover all the subsectors of the NASS (crops, lives tock, aquaculture and fisheries, and environment). Awareness materials such as brochures, leaflets, posters, regular e-bulletins will be developed to keep stakeholders informed on agricultural and rural statistics activities, events, developments, re ports and publications of the NASS. Advocacy ac tivities will continue throughout the implementation of SPARS, with an emphasis on: Dissemination of this strategy and processes of its development to general public, emphasizing the importance of in formation availability for informed decision-making; Organization of regular dialogue between producers and users of Annexes STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 47 Annex 1: List of Participating Persons/Organizations NAME ORGANIZATION Technical and Financial Support Mr. Vincent Ngendakumana AfDB Principal Agricultural Statistician International Consultants Dr. Hassane Serghini Idrissi AfDB International Consultant National Consultant Dr. Makhala Khoeli National Consultant National Strategy Coordinator Mr. Malefetsane Ratsoane MAFS – DPPA, Senior Statistician Alternate National Strategy Coordinator Mr. Tseliso Mosoaboli BOS Agriculture and Food Security Statistics Division (AFSSD), Senior Statistician Participants from Main Stakeholders Ms. Mathato Masemene BOS, Head of Division of Agriculture and Food Security Statistics Ms. Mabolaoana Phakisi MAFS – DPPA, Chief Economic Planner Ms. Maneo Jane MAFS – Nutrition, Principal Nutrition Officer Ms. Karabelo Letsoela MAFS – DFS, Chief Extension Officer Mr. Khabele Ntlopo MAFS – DAR, Research Officer Ms. Maitumeleng Fokothi MAFS – DAR, Research Officer Ms. Mankeane Mofoti MAFS – DLS, Principal Livestock Development Officer Ms. Rorisang Mantutle MAFS – DOC, Principal Crops Production Officer Mr. Lebamang Phafoli MAFS – DPPA, Assistant Economic Planner Mr. Mothibeli Mojaje MAFS – DPPA, Economic Planner Mr. Leeto Semethe MAFS – DPPA, Economic Planner Ms. Liemo Monaheng MFRSC – Range Management Officer Mr. Mojalefa Mohapi MAFS – DOC, Principal Crop production Officer 48 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Ms. Motseoa Molahlehi BOS – NAESD, Senior Statistician Ms. Mamoiloa Sebolai BOS – AFSSD, Statistician Mr. Refiloe Hlabisi MAFS – DPPA, Assistant Economic Planner Ms. Limpho Mathola BOS – AFSSD, Assistant Statistician Ms. Mathetela Ntsoele BOS – AFSSD, Assistant Statistician Mr. Nkololeko Fudumeli MTEC, Assistant Data Management STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 49 Annex 2: Detailed Action Plan with Budget 50 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 51 52 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 53 54 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 Annex 3: Results-Based Logical framework: Strategic Plan For Agriculture & Rural Statistics For Lesotho 2019 – 2023 Purpose: To provide an integrated framework and system for producing quality agricultural and rural statistics that meet priority needs of users, define a program of statistical operations that are related to aspects of agricultural development and ensure integration of different statistical data through an inte grated system of data management of all statistics relating to agriculture. RESULTS CHAIN PERFORMANCE INDICATORS Means Of VerificationIndicator Baseline Target IMPACT High quality agricultural and rural sta tistics are produced in an efficient, timely and sustainable manner, to enable the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of pro grammes and policies for agricultural sector development. Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator -Overall 59% (2017) 79% (2025) Calculated & published biennially by AfDB on Progress on the Capa city of African countries to Produce Timely, Reliable and Sustainable Agricultural Statistics EFFECTS 1. The coordination of NASS and in tegration into the NSS is strengthe ned Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator – Prere quisite Dimension ( Institutional Infrastructure) 53% (2017) 76% (2025) Published by AfDB as above 2. The production analysis and ac cessibility of agricultural statistics is improved Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator – Output Dimension (Availa bility of informa tion) 75% (2017) 87% (2025) Published by AfDB as above 3. The quality of agricultural statistics is improved Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator – Throughput Di mension (methods & practises) 64% (2017) 82% (2025) Published by AfDB as above 4. The availability, capability and moti vation of NASS staff is ensured Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator – Inputs Dimension – human resources staffing and training 44% (2017) 72% (2025) Published by AfDB as above STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 55 5. The physical infrastructure for effi cient and effective statistical opera tions is strengthened Agricultural Statistics Capacity Indicator – Inputs Dimension – phy sical infrastructure 50% (2017) 75% (2025) Published by AfDB as above 6. Sustainable funding for agricultural statistics activities is secured All funds provided as a percentage of the total funds required to imple ment SPARS LES Tbc (2019/20) 58% (2017) 80% (2023/24) 79% (2025) Table 8 in SPARS LES for ba seline. Annual reports to NSC for monitoring. Independent mid and end of term reviews Published by AfDB as above PRODUCTS 1.1 The integration of NASS into the NSS is strengthened Integration of agriculture sectors into NSDS2 Partial integration (NSDS1) Full inte gration (NSDS2) Lesotho National Strategy for the Development of Statistics 1.2 The coordination of NASS is strengthened Number of NASCC meetings per year with representation from all agriculture MDAs NASCC not formed (2018/19) At least 2 meetings per year (2023/24) Minutes of NASCC meetings. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. Independent mid-term and end-of term reviews. Metadata handbook for agri cultural statistics produced No handbook (2018/19) Handbook produced & dissemi nated (2020/21) Handbook available. Minutes of NASCC meetings. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 2.1 Integrated Census & Survey pro gramme implemented Percentage of re ports available for census & survey activities listed in the Calendar for Implementation of Statistical Operations Calendar not in ope ration (2018/19) 90% (2023/24) Table 7 in SPARS LES. BOS website. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. Independent mid-term and end-of term reviews. 2.2 Reporting from administrative re cords improved Environment Sta tistics Report Users reporting satisfaction with availability of agri cultural statistics from administrative systems 2016 edi tion (2018) No survey Report up dated, ex panded & published biennially (2024) 80% of users satisfied (2023/24) BOS website. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. Independent mid-term and end-of term reviews. Report on User Satisfaction Survey Minutes of NASCC meetings. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 56 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 2.3 Analysis of agricultural statistics expanded Food Balance Sheet Producer Price Indices calculated and published Food Balance Sheet not published (2018/19) Produ cer price indices not pro duced (2018/19) Food Balance Sheet published (2021/22) Producer price indices published (2021/22) BOS website. Minutes of NASCC meetings. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. BOS website. Minutes of NASCC meetings. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 3.1 Data Quality Assessment Framework implemented Data Quality Assessment Framework Completed DQAF assessments for agricultural statistics No Framework (2018/19) None com pleted (2018/19) Framework produced (2020/21) At least 1 per year (2023/24) BOS website. Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. BOS website. Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 3.2 Compliance and user satisfaction strengthened Compendium of best practice Data Collection Metho dologies Users reporting satisfaction with quality of agricul tural statistics No Com pendium (2018/19) No survey Com pendium produced &dissemi nated (2020/21) 80% of users satisfied (2023/24) BOS website. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. Independent mid-term and end-of term reviews. Report on User Satisfaction Survey Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 4.1 Critical mass of NASS statisti cians established and maintained Statistics Unit es tablished & staffed in MAFS Number of statis ticians and enume rators recruited for SPARS LES No statis tics unit (2018/19) None (2018/19) Unit esta blished (2020/21) 11 statis ticians & 6 enume rators recruited (by 2023/24) MAFS annual report Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. Independent mid-term and end-of term reviews. BOS & MAFS annual report Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. Independent mid-term and end-of term reviews. Training pro gramme for Conti nuous Professional No pro gramme (2018/19) Training programme BOS website. Minutes of NASCC meetings STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 57 4.2 Statistical capacity of NASS en hanced Training pro gramme for Conti nuous Professional Development in agricultural statistics Trainee feedback satisfaction rating Not collec ted (2018/19) establi shed & functioning (2020/21) >80% BOS website. Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. End of course evaluation reports Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 5.1 NASS has adequate physical infrastructure for data collection and processing Agricultural statistics units have appropriate office space and equipment None (2018/19) All (2023/24) BOS & MAFS annual reports Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 5.2 Use of ICT expanded Percentage of agricultural statis tics activities using PDAs for all data capture None (2018/19) All (2023/24) BOS & MAFS annual reports Minutes of NASCC meetings Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 6.1 Policy makers and partners en gaged in setting and financing agri cultural statistics programmes NSC approves annual workplan for SPARS LES Number of NASCC meetings per year with at least 1 deve lopment partner represented No SPARS LES (2018/19) No NASCC meetings (2018/19) All annual work plans for SPARS LES approved At least 2 meetings per year (2023/24) Minutes of NSC meetings Minutes of NASCC meetings. Annual SPARS LES monitoring re ports to NSC. 6.2 Increased awareness of the im portance of agricultural statistics Percentage of stakeholder feedback rating sensitisation event highly Not collec ted (2018/19) >80% End of event feedback reports 58 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 ACTIVITIES Review of Lesotho Bureau of Statistics Act Members of the NSC are appointed The NASCC is set up as one of the NSC sub-committees and is fully functioning The NSDS (2020-2025) is elaborated The MAFS statistical unit is established The MFRSC is responsible for producing forest and rangeland statistics User needs drive the agricultural and rural statistical production Agricultural census is conducted in 2020 Administrative data are collected, used and improved Food Balance Sheets compiled annually Integrated survey framework approach is adopted Policy of quality management is formulated and implemented Procedures, methods, nomenclatures on the quality of various statistical operations are documented Metadata handbook for agricultural statistics is developed Dissemination policy is set up Main statistical operations are evaluated by internal and external audits Continuous professional development plan in agriculture statistics is developed Medium and long-term training program is established Generalization of the use of CAPI in data collection for all agricultural surveys Government provides sufficient fund to implement the SPARS program STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 59 Annex 4: Risk and Mitigation Serial No. Risk Proba bility Impact Mitigation 1 Failure to mobilise resources on time Medium High The implementation of the SPARS LES Awareness & Communication plan, together with full integration into NSDS II, will raise the profile of agricultural statistics with government and development partners. 2 Loss of trained staff to posts out side the NASS Medium Medium Development of capacity building and training programme. Implementation of SPARS LES will raise profile and at traction of working within NASS.3 Inability to attract new staff Medium Medium 4 Statistics Act is not revised, NCA does not function and NASCC is not set up. Medium Medium Build on current coordination mechanisms that have pro duced SPARS LES, such as TTWGs and EACAS. Use the development of NSDS II to create peer pressure to bring MDAs together.5 MOUs between BOS and NASS units are not signed. Low Medium 6 New NSDS is not developed. Medium Medium Use SPARS LES to promote the development of statis tical plans for all sectors and to build pressure for new NSDS. 60 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 7 Data Quality A s s e s s m e n t Framework is not developed; Data quality eva luations are not undertaken. Ma nagement do not react to data quality reports and do not take remedial action where necessary. MDAs unwilling to reform administra tion data systems Medium Medium Use the proposed new Statistics Act to give the BOS a specific function to audit the quality of statistical data pro duced. Use NSC, NASCC and other coordination mechanisms to bring peer pressure to maintain standards across the sub-sectors. 8. C o m p e n d i u m of best practice Statistical Metho dologies is not produced. Low Low Identify and promote best practices through the capa city building training programme. Use NSC, NASCC and other coordination mechanisms to bring peer pressure to maintain standards across the sub-sectors. 9. S t a k e h o l d e r s unwilling, unable or lack aware ness to use data for policy and decision making, monitoring and evaluation. Medium Medium There is a high appreciation to develop and use monitoring frameworks in agricultural sector plans – this will be stren gthened by the SPARS LES components to expand data analysis and by including users in the capacity building training programme. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR AGRICULTURE & RURAL STATISTICS FOR LESOTHO 2019/20 – 2023/24 61 1. National Strategy for the Development of Statistics 2006/07 – 2015/16, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Bureau of Statistics. 2. Rapid Assessment of the Status of Implementation of and Future Support Needs to Implement the National Strategy for the Development of the Statistics – Study coordinated by ADE in association with Landell-Mills (funded by European Commission) 3. In-depth Assessment of the Lesotho National Agricultural Statistical System, Assessment Report in Support of the Development of SPARS LES, 2019 – 2023, MAFS & BOS 4. National Strategic Development Plan 2012/13 – 2016/17 Growth and Development Strategic Framework. 5. Lesotho Vision 2020 (Printed 2004). 6. National Action Plan for Food Security 2007-17 7. National Forestry Policy 2008, Ministry of Forestry & Land Reclamation. 8. National Range Resources Management Policy 2014 9. Lesotho Food and Nutrition Policy 2016 – 2025 10. Lesotho Water and Sanitation Policy 2007 11. Lesotho Bureau of Statistics Act (No.8) 2001. 12. Progress on the Capacity of African Countries to Produce Timely, Reliable and Sustainable Agricultural Statistics 2013- 2017– African Development Bank, 2018 13. National Accounts of Lesotho 2007-2016, Statistical Report No 31 of 2017, Bureau of Statistics 14. Lesotho, Country Statistical Profile 2010, African Development Bank. 15. Availability and Utilisation of Cereals Report, 2017/18, Statistical Report No. 24 of 2018, Bureau of Statistics 16 Environment Report 2016, Statistical Report 17 of 2018, Bureau of Statistics 17. Lesotho Livestock Statistics Report 2013/14, Statistical Report No 8 of 2015, Bureau of Statistics 18. Lesotho Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Governance Capacity Assessment Report, Food and Nutrition Coordination Office (FNCO), April 2018 19. Zero Hunger Strategic Review Report, Food and Nutrition Coordinating Office, Office of the Prime Minister, Kingdom of Lesotho 2018 20. Lesotho – Annual Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Report May 2016, Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee 21. Agricultural Growth Trends and Outlook for Lesotho, Annual Trends and Outlook Report 2016, Charles Nhemachena, Greenwell Matchaya and Sibusiso Nhlengethwa (ReSAKSS-SA) References KINGDOM OF LESOTHOAfrican Development Bank Banque africaine de développement