Niger is part of the Living Standards Measurement Study Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) program. This program has developed a household level survey with a view to enhancing our knowledge of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, its role in poverty reduction and the techniques for promoting efficiency and innovation in this sector. To achieve this objective, an innovative model for agricultural data collection in this region will need to be developed and implemented. To this end, activities conducted in the future will be supported by four main pillars a multisectoral framework, institutional integration, analytical capacity building, and active dissemination. First, agricultural statistical data collection must be part of an expanded and multisectoral framework that goes beyond the rural area. This will facilitate generation of the data needed to formulate effective agricultural policies throughout Niger and in the broader framework of the rural economy. Second, agricultural statistical data collection must be supported by a well-adapted institutional framework suited to fostering collaboration and the integration of data sources. By supporting a multi-pronged approach to data collection, this project seeks to foster intersectoral collaboration and overcome a number of the current institutional constraints. Third, national capacity building needs to be strengthened in order to enhance the reliability of the data produced and strengthen the link between the producers and users of data. This entails having the capacity to analyze data and to produce appropriate public data sets in a timely manner. The lack of analytical expertise in developing countries perpetuates weak demand for statistical data. Consequently, the foregoing has a negative impact on the quality and availability of policy-related analyses. Scant dissemination of statistics and available results has compounded this problem. In all countries where the LSMS-ISA project will be executed, the process envisioned for data collection will be a national household survey, based on models of LSMS surveys to be conducted every three years for a panel of households. The sampling method to be adopted should ensure the quality of the data, taking into account the depth/complexity of the questionnaire and panel size, while ensuring that samples are representative. The main objectives of the ECVM/A are to: Gauge the progress made with achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Facilitate the updating of the social indicators used in formulating the policies aimed at improving the living conditions of the population; Provide data related to several areas that are important to Niger without conducting specific surveys on individual topics ; Provide data on several important areas for Niger that are not necessarily collected in other more specific surveys.
