Ensuring full processing, analysis and user availability of collected statistics. 1.11 Continued emphasis is placed on the need for countries to prepare a multiyear plan for a sequential statistical programme of activities relating to data collection, processing and analysis, and to allocate adequate resources in a balanced manner for the components of the programme. The totality of these activities and the agencies conducting them is referred to as the integrated statistical programme component of a national information system for decisionmaking in food, agriculture and rural development. Thus, a programme for a national census of agriculture should be conducted during 1996-2005 within the above framework using this Programme for the WCA 2000 as a guideline. 1.12 Planning and implementing a sequence of coherent statistical activities require an efficient organization, trained personnel at various levels, and secured budgetary allocations over a period ofyears.
Efficient organization implies strong cooperation between both users and producers of statistics.
As different statistical activities are not necessarily all under the jurisdiction of a single government institution, establishing coordination among various agencies is sometimes difficult because they may have different mandates regarding the purpose, scope and timing of their work. Nevertheless, it is recommended that all statistical development efforts should be oriented toward the longterm goal of establishing such a programme that will eventually provide a continuous flow of timely, accurate data covering all relevant aspects of food, agricultural and rural development. Needless to add that those few countries that have a programme which delivers the information needs efficiently will find the requirements of WCA 2000 incorporated within their existing arrangements. A census of agriculture, due to its decennial frequency, is best suited to collecting data on various characteristics relating to agricultural holdings that change only slowly over time. This limits the desirable scope of the agricultural census to the number and size distribution of agricultural holdings by type of enterprise.