ASCU Annual report 2009-10
Overview
ASCU came into being against the backdrop of growing interest to establish
mechanisms for improving coordination in implementing the goals and objectives
of the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERS)
identifi ed under the productive sectors namely, agriculture and rural development,
tourism, trade and industry. The review of the ERS into the Kenya Vision 2030
necessitated the sector to review the SRA and develop the Agricultural Sector
Development Strategy 2010–2020 (ASDS)
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BASIC REMOTE SENSING
Overview
ASCU came into being against the backdrop of growing interest to establish
mechanisms for improving coordination in implementing the goals and objectives
of the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERS)
identifi ed under the productive sectors namely, agriculture and rural development,
tourism, trade and industry. The review of the ERS into the Kenya Vision 2030
necessitated the sector to review the SRA and develop the Agricultural Sector
Development Strategy 2010–2020 (ASDS)
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Sampling Surveys- Operationalization of Modular Approach
The new programme provides for agricultural censuses to be conducted as the central
component of the system of agricultural sample surveys. Under this scenario, the agricultural
census-survey programme can be viewed as having two related components: (i) the agricultural
census; and (ii) the series of agricultural sample surveys based on the agricultural census, called
the thematic agricultural surveys. Each country is encouraged to develop its agricultural census
within the overall framework of the system of agricultural surveys, and to plan the thematic
agricultural surveys as a part of the agricultural census planning.
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CROP FORECASTING METHODS
Crop Yield Forecasting Methods
Each month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes crop supply and demand estimates for
the Nation and the world. These estimates are used as benchmarks in world commodity markets
because of their comprehensive nature, objectivity, and timeliness. The statistics that USDA
releases affect decisions made by businesses and governments by defining the fundamental
conditions in commodity markets. When using USDA statistics, it is helpful to understand the
forecasting and estimating procedures used and the nature and limitations of crop estimates
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SAMPLING FRAMES FOR AGRICULTURAL CENSUSES AND SURVEYS
1. In a census, each unit (such as person, household or holding) is enumerated, whereas in a
sample survey, only a sample of units is enumerated and information provided by the sample is used to
make estimates relating to all units. In an agricultural production sample survey, for example, a sample
of agricultural holdings is enumerated, and information from the sample holdings is used to make
estimates of total agricultural production.
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DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURES
Perhaps the most basic statistical analysis is descriptive analysis. Descriptive statistics can summarize responses from large numbers of respondents in a few simple statistics. When a sample is
obtained, the sample descriptive statistics are used to make inferences about characteristics of the
entire population of interest. This chapter introduces basic descriptive statistics, which are simple
but powerful. This chapter also provides the foundation for Chapter 21, which will extend basic
statistics into the area of univariate statistical analysis
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DATA COLLECTION IN SUBSISTENCE FARMINGD
Surveying farming systems in subsistence agriculture is
more difficult, in many ways, than conducting a siniilar survey
in a highly developed economy. Unlike the agriculture of
developed economies, subsistence agriculture usually involves
many special problen,3.
These include complex and non-standard
cropping systems, intercropping, and double cropping. There
is usually a high degree of illiteracy which precludes use of
mail questionnaires.
Records are poor if any are available at
all. There is usually poor recollection of harvested or collected amounts of crops and livestock products, as much of the
production is harvested intermittently for home consumption.
Enumerators encounter poor roads, poor accommodations, and
poor communications. There is
no cadre of educated personnel
which could be hired to assist in enumeration. Boundaries are
uncertain, as well as ownership patterns.
Also, farm and offfarm work patterns tend to confuse the type of farm-to-farm
enumiration common in western agriculture. Finally, migratory
livestock systems pose special problems not
usually encountered in settled agriculture.
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SAKSS Joint Sector Review
Discuss and clarify the building blocks of the JSR process and the
establishment of country SAKSS, including the different steps and main
challenges involved.
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Dealing with missing data
I n almost any research you perform, there is the potential for missing or
incomplete data. Missing data can occur for many reasons: participants
can fail to respond to questions (legitimately or illegitimately—more on that
later), equipment and data collecting or recording mechanisms can malfunction, subjects can withdraw from studies before they are completed, and data
entry errors can occur. In later chapters I also discuss the elimination of
extreme scores and outliers, which also can lead to missingness
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