BAPS, an improved version of the Barangay Screening Survey (BSS) conducted in 1997 to 1999, was conceptualized by BAS and designed to collect information on the basic structure of agriculture and fishery on the barangay level

As the lead bureau in carrying out said survey, Wilma A. Guillen, Regional Agricultural Statistics Officer (RASO) of BAS in the region, facilitated the training for participants in the survey. The members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the project are the Provincial Agricultural Statistics Officer (PASO), the DA Regional Executive Director and the Technical Director for Operations, other representatives from the Regional Field Unit (RFU) and the Central Office Project Team of BAS, among others.

Four-level training sessions are being conducted by BAS to firm up the overall direction of the survey. The first level training was conducted at the BAS Central Office and involved the Regional and Provincial Agricultural Statistics Officers of each region as well as heads of the RFU.

The second level training that involved a detailed discussion of the survey proper was conducted at the DA regional office on August 21, 2008 with the BAS Central Office Project Team as resource speaker.

The third level training, which is yet to be scheduled, will tap the Municipal Agricultural Officers (MAOs) as participants while the 4th level training will be conducted for the contractual data collectors.

With the full support given by DA for the project, Guillen hopes to start the field operations or actual data collection by middle of this month for the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. This will be followed by La Union and Pangasinan ion November.

Based on the presentations of BAS Central Office Project Team during the second level training, the scope of the BAPS will cover all barangays in Region I.

Data to be collected include all the major commodity components of agriculture and fishery sectors. Information to be gathered in the survey are: Basic barangay characteristics; agricultural crops grown in the barangay; barangay info on livestock and fisheries, agricultural technology, marketing, inventory of farm machineries/implements, and; storage facilities.