CountrySTAT system, a database on the Food and Agriculture, set up by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is now available for Haiti. Indeed, a training seminar for the administrators of this system in Haiti was held in early August, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and FAO.

This seminar is related to the project of General Census of Agriculture (AGR), funded by the European Union (EU) and technically supported by FAO. This training was punctuated by a ceremony of delivery of certificates to the CountrySTAT system administrators, coming from several institutions like the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI), the National Geo-Spatial Information (CNIGS), the National Coordination for Food Security (CNSA) and the Faculty of Agriculture and veterinary Medicine (FAMV). The ceremony was held Friday, August 3, 2012 in the presence of the agronomist Jacques Thomas, the Minister of Agriculture, of Dr. Michel Chancy, Secretary of State for Animal Industry, the agronomist Vernet Joseph, Secretary of State for Agricultural Renewal, the agronomist, Pierre Guy Lafontant, Deputy Director General of MARNDR, and Mr. Adam Yao, FAO Representative in Haiti.

The CountrySTAT is an online information system integrated, for national statistics on food and agriculture. It provides in one place a wealth of information that policy, the public sector, private sector, civil society, farmers, researchers, students or anyone looking for statistical information can use. CountrySTAT thus represents a one-stop shop for information on agriculture and food.

CountrySTAT system, offers several advantages :

• Improves access to statistics ;

• Facilitates the exchange of data and metadata ;

• Argues international standards;

• Provides a facility to update the data ;

• Facilitates the formulation of policies based on factual elements.

FAO has implemented the system, while the government of each country contributes to the installation, handling, continuous training, therefore, for its operation. The system of Haiti is currently supplied by data from the last General Census of Agriculture.

Rideler Philius, the Deputy Coordinator of the General Census of Agriculture, gave a demonstration of the use of this system. CountrySTAT offers the user the possibility of introducing his own request of data. It also allows to calculate percentages directly on the site, to sketch graphs and maps, and extract data in Excel format etc...

This database (currently in draft version) is available at : www.countrystat.org/hti and will soon will be linked to the website of the Ministry of Agriculture.

HL/ HaitiLibre