6th EU Mentoring Group on Farm Sustainability Data Network
As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen Moldova’s agricultural administration on their path into the EU, APD Moldova organized the 6th EU Mentoring Group on July 10, continuing a valuable tradition of knowledge exchange with EU Member States.
This 6th session focused on the implementation of the Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN) — a key instrument to monitor farmers’ incomes and evaluate their progress towards achieving sustainability goals. The topic holds relevance for Moldova as it advances its capacity for evidence-based policymaking in the agricultural sector.
The Mentoring Group benefited from the Austrian experts, Mr. Franz Fensl, Head of Department for Agricultural Statistics and Analysis and his colleague Mr. Jakob Koch, both from the private accounting company “LBG Austria”. Drawing from Austria’s long experience, the experts provided a comprehensive overview of how the FSDN is organized and operationalized – from selection a representative farm population, over data collection using software application, to data analysis leading into the annual agricultural statistical yearbook “Grüner Bericht” (Green Report).
Held in a virtual format, the mentoring group fostered active participation and in-depth discussions, giving Moldovan stakeholders from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAIA) and the National Bureau of Statistics a deeper understanding of the technical and institutional complexity of the FSDN system. The mentoring group allowed participants to raise questions, reflect on Moldova’s current data capabilities, and identify areas for development. The session was met with great interest and reaffirmed the importance of international collaboration in Moldova’s path toward sustainable and data-driven agriculture.
