Uzbekistan and FAO launch project to support the country’s first National Agricultural Census

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan (UzStat), and the Ministry of Agriculture have jointly launched the project “Technical Assistance to the First National Agricultural Census.”

This initiative marks a historic moment, as Uzbekistan is preparing to conduct the first-ever National Agricultural Census in its history — an activity that has never been carried out before in the country and will be implemented in parallel with the upcoming Population Census.

The inception workshop brought together representatives of UzStat, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Cadastral Agency, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Digital Technologies, as well as FAO, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF, the European Union Delegation, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Opening the workshop, partners stressed that conducting the first national census of agriculture is essential for generating reliable, internationally comparable data needed for informed policymaking, food security planning and achieving SDG targets.

“This is a major milestone for Uzbekistan, as the country prepares to carry out its first National Agricultural Census,” said Sherzod Umarov, Assistant FAO Representative in Uzbekistan. “FAO will continue supporting the Government to ensure that the census fully meets global standards and provides high-quality data for better decision-making across the agrifood sector.”

“The Population and Agricultural Census is one of the most important initiatives for the country’s development. It will provide accurate information about the population size, age structure, living conditions, as well as agricultural land, livestock, and types of crops cultivated. These data will serve as a solid foundation for the efficient use of resources and the planning of development in every region,” stated Behzod Hamraev, Chairman of the National Statistics Committee. 

The inception workshop introduced the goals, structure and implementation arrangements of the FAO-supported project, aimed at enhancing technical capacity across Uzbekistan’s statistical system. The project includes adopting modern methodologies, digital data collection (CAPI/CAWI), robust quality-assurance procedures, and strengthened systems for data processing, editing, validation, and dissemination.

Participants reviewed the standards of the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 (WCA 2020) and discussed required methodological adjustments for Uzbekistan’s combined census model. Harmonization of indicators, definitions and operational workflows between the two census components was identified as a key priority.

FAO experts — Rasmiyya Aliyeva, Giorgi Kvinikadze, and Anthony Burgard — presented recommendations on methodology, digital systems, monitoring and data governance. National partners provided updates on ongoing preparations and explored avenues for deeper inter-agency cooperation.

The workshop concluded with a joint endorsement of the project workplan and a shared commitment to ensure that Uzbekistan’s first-ever National Agricultural Census produces high-quality, reliable and internationally comparable data needed for agricultural policy, food security strategies, rural development planning and SDG monitoring.

FAO reaffirmed its readiness to support the Government throughout all stages of census preparation and implementation under the TCP/UZB/4004 project.