Tanzanian Statisticians Travel to U.S. for Training on Measuring Agricultural Growth

During the month of October, Feed the Future sponsored 11 statisticians employed by the Government of Tanzania to travel to Washington, D.C., and West Lafayette, Indiana, for two weeks of training on effective strategies for developing robust agricultural statistics systems. Through sessions on proper organization, methodology, and program management, the statisticians gained skills that will better enable them to accurately measure agricultural growth in Tanzania.

In Washington, the statisticians attended lectures hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and then traveled to the NASS office in West Lafayette, Indiana, to tour and study USDA agricultural operations in the field. The trip was part of Feed the Future’s strategy in Tanzania to build the capacity of individuals and institutions to support and measure growth in the agriculture sector.

“We believe it is important to invest in the ongoing education and skill development of Tanzania’s agricultural experts so they can provide Tanzania with the data needed for planning and making informed decisions to achieve food security, which will lead to holistic agriculture sector growth,” said USAID Mission Director Robert F. Cunnane, speaking from Dar es Salaam. 

The statisticians represent seven Tanzanian government organizations:

• the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Cooperatives
• the National Bureau of Statistics
• the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing
• the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries
• the East Africa Statistical Training Center
• the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources on Zanzibar
• the Office of the Chief Government Statistician, Zanzibar

Participants were selected based on their leadership and involvement in the national technical working group tasked with developing a strategic plan for strengthening agricultural statistics systems in Tanzania.