Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan hosted a practical meeting focused on the calculation of national Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators in the agricultural sector and measures to address existing challenges.

The discussion was organized as part of the European Union’s EU ASK Facility technical support program for agriculture.

The event gathered representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, the Statistics Agency under the President of Uzbekistan, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) office in Uzbekistan, the International Center for Strategic Development and Research in Food and Agriculture, as well as experts from the EU ASK Facility program.

International expert Peter Pauli, specializing in agricultural and food sector information-statistics systems (AISS), also participated in the meeting.

Discussions focused on the need for primary data, international standards for SDG indicator calculations, and the adaptation of global metadata to national conditions.

Key topics included the methodology for calculating the following indicators:

2.3.1: Agricultural output per producer

2.3.2: Average income of small-scale food producers

2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural land using productive and environmentally sustainable practices

Peter Pauli provided in-depth insights into the conceptual aspects of these indicators, highlighting common challenges countries face in their assessment and presenting international best practices. Proposed solutions included the application of a "resource utilization coefficient," the use of "the most reliable sampling methods in surveys," and the implementation of a "two-stage territorial sampling approach."

The meeting was part of efforts to implement Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 83 (February 21, 2022), develop targeted national SDG indicators, and enhance the professional expertise of specialists involved in their analysis and calculation.