Regional training on the documentation and archiving of agricultural censuses and surveys organized in Manila, Philippines (21-25 February 2011)

The second "Regional Training on the Documentation and Archiving of Agricultural Censuses and Surveys” was held in Manila, Philippines, 21-25 February 2011. In line with the objective of the first workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the workshop was organized to train participants from 14 countries on the use the IHSN Microdata Management Toolkit for the documentation of agricultural censuses and surveys, and to initiate the documentation of their latest agricultural census.

The workshop participants came from Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand.

The workshop is a joint activity of the IHSN/ADP Secretariat and the FAO Statistics Division geared towards promoting good documentation and archiving of agricultural censuses. Mr. Kazuyuki Tsurumi, FAO Representative in the Philippines delivered a welcome message to the participants.
The participants were pleased with the Toolkit and grateful to learn proper documentation that is compliant with international standards. Although the training was fast-paced for most, all the participants successfully documented their census. A number of them have expressed intent of recommending the tools to their agencies.

Two agencies of the Philippine Statistical System provided valuable contributions to the workshop. The documentation of the Philippines 2002 Census of Agriculture was presented by the National Statistics Office. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) presented the benefits it derived from the Toolkit and showcased their National Data Archive, the BAS Electronic Archiving and Network Services (BEANS).