Improving Agricultural Market Performance:
Developing Agricultural Market Information Systems
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The main functions of AMIS are implemented by a Secretariat housed in the Rome headquarters
of the FAO. The AMIS Secretariat consists of the following international organizations: the FAO,
the Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM), IFPRI, IFAD, the
International Grain Council (IGC), the OECD, UNCTAD, the UN High Level Task Force (UN-HLTF),
the World Bank Group, WFP, and the WTO. Contributions from these organisations to the
fulfilment of the functions of the Secretariat reflect their comparative advantage and expertise.
For example, GEOGLAM provides AMIS with monthly updates about crop supply in major
producer countries as well as early warning reports on the supply situation in food-importing
countries based on data from satellite monitoring observation systems (e.g. Figure 7).
Figure 7: GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for Early Warning (December 2017)
SourceAMIS has aGlobal Food rket Information Group, which provides market information, which it
publishes on its websit and covers global data on production, supply, utilisation, trade and
ending stocks on its fou cal crops (Figure 8 and 9 below). It also has a Rapid Response Forum
(RRF of AMIS), which promotes early discussions about critical market conditions among
policymakers and encourages coordination of common strategies to manage impending food
crisis. Though the Forum ordinarily meets once a year, meetings can be called at short notice if
10 AMIS official website is: www.amis-outlook.org