Author Description

The reliability and timeliness of agricultural production data are insufficient to meet information needs in many African countries. The use of simple data collection methods well adapted to the irregular plots of traditional African agriculture would help improve this situation. This paper, based on recent evidence comparing the standard crop-cut method and the method based on the farmers' estimations, respectively, with the actual weight of harvest, discusses the types of information needs for which the farmers' estimations provide a valid source of production data. It analyzes the advantages, limitations, and requirements of using the farmers' estimation method; and provides guidelines for collecting, analyzing and interpreting production data from the farmers concerned.