"The SDG data requirements far exceed the current capacities of most national statistical systems," he said, noting that to rise to the challenge, the world needs to both strengthen tried-and-tested statistics gathering systems as well as adopt innovative approaches and cost-effective methodologies, such as the use of mobile technology or remote sensing imagery.
"The challenge facing us now is to move from identifying our objectives to achieving them," said Italian Vice Minister for Agriculture Andrea Olivero, in remarks made at the start of the conference. "Statistics represent a critical tool in this effort since the effectiveness of public policies will depend on the best possible information."
"For this reason, we need experts capable of identifying the appropriate tools in this the new reality. Our task now is to take advantage of the new information era to ensure global food security and agricultural sustainability," the deputy minister added.
Strengthening national capacities
To help countries achieve the 2030 agenda - including the Zero Hunger Target - FAO is putting in place a series of initiatives to strengthen countries' capacity and has developed innovative survey tools, such as the Food Insecurity Experience Scale to monitor food insecurity worldwide, and AGRIS (Agriculture Integrated Survey) to monitor economic, social and environmental aspects of farming activities, Graziano da Silva said.
The agency is also working on gathering and harmonizing the information provided by countries to produce global and regional aggregates, all of which are available online through FAOSTAT, its statistical database on food, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, natural resources management and nutrition.
The world's largest and most comprehensive data resource of its kind, FAOSTAT provides free, open and easy access to over three million time-series and cross-sectional data of 245 countries and territories.
The suite of tools being used and developed by FAO will help establish a baseline against which countries can measure progress towards the SDGs, design the most effective policies and monitor their impact.
