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 African traditional agriculture would help improve this situation. This paper, based on recent evidence comparing the standard crop-cut method and the method based on 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' estimations method; and provides guidelines for collecting, analyzing and interpreting production data from the farmers concerned. The paper is intended for management and technical staff in line ministries and agricultural services agencies, as well as for survey specialists. It can also be used during training sessions on data collection methodologies. The purpose of the paper is twofold: (1) to inform management and technical staff of the validity and limitations of the farmers' estimations of cereal production as a data source for some information needs, and (2) to provide technical staff and survey specialists with detailed guidelines on the organization, design, and implementation of data collection, as well as on the verification, interpretation, and utilization of the results in the broader agroecological, economic, and cultural context of the country. The document begins with a review of the diversity of information needs regarding cereal production among agricultural and rural development agencies. Chapter 2 provides a summary of evidence regarding the relative validity, advantages, and limitations of using the farmers' estimates of production, compared with the standard crop-cutting method. Chapter 3 reviews the key issues which influence data collection and analysis, Chapter 4 elaborates on the stepby-step organization and implementation of a survey, and Chapter 5 emphasizes the necessity of interpreting the results in light of data from other sources and of various agro-ecological, economic and behavioral indicators. Chapter 6 is an annotated bibliography for the various categories of methodologies in use for estimating cereal production; it covers methodological guidelines as well as case studies of actual field measurement which include sufficient information on the method used to be of interest to technical staff.

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