from careful decisions about data and information are high. For that reason ~reat attention m~st oe devoted to the needs of the users - pre$ent needs indeed but also1 and above aJle future needs to prepare right now the data base and the time series for the future9 This paper reviewed the· data n~quirements of agricultural planners accord­ ing to the planning methodologies; the distinction was made between •qualitative" and "quantitative• planning procedures. The qua1 itative procedureS ·• includillq the monitoring ,lnd evalu­ ation procedures • rely m3 i nl y on aggregated or processed a·ata= data on production levels. final and interme~iat e consumption, agricultural incotne and a set of socio-economic indicators at the national or regional le11el. Comparatively little tnfonnation is nee<Jed on the technologies used for product ion, how the different i npu·~s are mi x"2'd and what are the possible alternatives. The quality criteria of the stati sties dre the absence of bias and the consistency of the aggf"e­ gdti:on.. from this viewpoint, it is unf or tuna te that mo-st of the national ag~icultura1 statistics are published according to the admin­ istrative divisions of the country rather than following relevant agro-cH ·m<Jtic zoni.nq or agronomic consid"erations {e.q •• irrigated ver­ sus rain-fed areas)• Nevertheless the ~uality of current agriculturdl statistics published by the statistical organi l_,tions of the ECWA countries is rather good. Improvements <Jre needed in the production of socio-economic data and indicators related to the rura1 population and in the consistency of time series when chanqes in data specifica­ tion are not al~~o~a)IS made explicit to the reader's. fhe data requirements of the planning-oriented quantitative mod­ els a~e by their nature very different: because the interest is not only on "what" i·s produced but also on •why" and •how" it is produced~ 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of careful decisions about data and information in agricultural planning, highlighting the need to consider both current and future needs. It reviews the data requirements of agricultural planners and the distinction between qualitative and quantitative planning procedures. The text also touches on the limitations of current agricultural statistics and the need for improvements in the production of socio-economic data and indicators related to the rural population. Given the focus on agricultural planning and data requirements, it is likely that the text is related to the field of agriculture.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing