Abstract

The paper describes the experience of Georgia in the implementation of AGRIS programme into the annual Survey of Agricultural Holdings and its importance in producing agricultural indicators.
AGRIS provides opportunity to increase analysis of agricultural performance and, consequently, help inform agriculture investment, innovation and policy to drive changes toward increasing sustainability in the agriculture sector
AGRIS programme is a farm-based modular system of surveys that operates over a 10-year cycle. The core module is an enhanced production survey that remains largely the same in each survey round. It collects essential structural data on holdings and households, as well as data on other activities of the holding (e.g. processing of agricultural products, etc.). The labour module aims to analyze labor inputs in agriculture and it is useful to capture rural transformations. The economy module collects information on the farm income, revenues and expenses. The rotating production methods and environment module gathers data that can be used to measure the sustainability of farms, environmental impacts and greenhouse gases emissions. The revolving machinery, equipment, assets and decisions module provides information on different structural characteristics of the holding. AGRIS methodology tries to disaggregate data by sex to focus on gender-relevant issues.
Main objectives were optimizing the scope of ongoing surveys based on the AGRIS methodology and rotating modules (AGRIS, 2017) and prepare an action plan for calculation of priority SDG indicators. As a result, new modules for existing questionnaires were developed and tested, gaps were identified and proposals were made to address them in the updated questionnaires, and for calculations of SDG’s indicators necessary variables were identified.
At the first stage, the data collected through existing questionnaires were evaluated. labour module was developed and implemented in quarterly questionnaire and economic module was updated for final questionnaire of Survey of Agricultural Holdings.
Collected data from labour and economic module is published in statistical publication of 2021 Survey of Agricultural Holdings.
Based on collected data, The National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) produce SDG 2.3.1 - Production volume of agricultural holding per labor day and SDG 2.3.2 - Average annual income of agricultural holdings, together with other new indicators.
From 2022 Geostat involved in a new international project on agricultural statistics, known as the "50 X 2030 Initiative". Within this project Geostat gave opportunity to developed and conducted special surveys named PME (Production Methods and the Environment) and MEA (Machinery, Equipment and Assets).
Keywords: AGRIS, 50 X 2030 Initiative, survey, agriculture, statistics, PME, MEA.