Resource information
The design, implementation, and
monitoring and evaluation of livestock sector public and
private sector investments are based on evidence and
information generated by a multitude of data collection
systems, including regular and one-off, or ad-hoc, surveys.
This note reviews the major survey methods that are
regularly implemented by developing country governments,
including: the agricultural and livestock census;
agricultural and livestock sample surveys; household budget
surveys; living standards measurement studies;
administrative records or routine data; and others, such as
the population and housing census and labor surveys. It
identifies the major livestock-related indicators that the
various surveys for which the prime target rarely is
livestock are likely to generate. Understanding these data
sources is critical for decision makers to make appropriate
use of available data and indicators, and is the first step
in designing and setting up a comprehensive livestock data
collection system. The note concludes by highlighting that a
system of livestock statistics must be seen as part of a
broader framework of statistical collection on a national
level and that the effective integration of livestock data,
whether derived through broader agricultural surveys,
administrative records, or one-off surveys, is essential for
ensuring quality data which can feed into policy formulation
or designing effective investments in the livestock sector.
