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GODAN Categorization of Featured Datasets

Agronomy & Agric Technology

Policy & Administration

Socio-Economic

Natural Resources & Environment

Government, Agricultural Law & Regulations

Purpose/Usefulness

Decision making resulting in policies and legislation is the core business of any government. By making these documents available online as structured and computer-searchable text, (third party) ICT services can be developed that will enable a better sharing and implementation of these policies and legislation, thereby contributing to the realisation of their objectives. Having lists of applicable policies and regulations, and extracting any data they contain (such as lists of subsidies) can also be helpful.

Use by Farmers

Farmers can optimise their position with regard to subsidy opportunities, legal restrictions and other policy instruments by having better access to the relevant policy and legislation documents.

Use by Others

By having better access to policy documents and legislation documents: 1) rural advisors can provide better recommendation to farmers, 2) other actors in the value chain, e.g. traders, processors, unions etc., may be able to adapt better to the existing legal framework, e.g. legislation for finance, input usage regulations etc., 3) civil society is better able to track policy developments, 4) internal government collaboration can be improved.

Official Records

Purpose/Usefulness

Many policies lead to a list of items, people or organisations that are permitted, licensed or registered in different ways. By providing these lists as open data they can be easily consulted - increasing the impact, and lowering administrative costs. (Third party) information services can be built to make these lists easily accessible by the intended user groups. Having this data readily available may also be beneficial for internal collaboration between different government organisations.

Use by Farmers

By having better access to official documents, such as lists of permitted pesticides and herbicides or the occurrence of diseases, farmers can make more sustainable choices. Clear land ownership registration leads to better stewardship of the land and therefore more sustainable farming practice. Access to curated registries prevents misuse and fraud (for example, open access to the list of registered companies from the Chamber of Commerce to assess the legal status of a trader).

Use by Others

By having better access to official documents, such as lists of permitted or restricted crop protection products, red list species, quarantine diseases, etc., rural advisors can provide better recommendations to the farmer resulting in more sustainable farming. Clear land ownership registration may function as collateral for financial institutes, thereby increasing the access to finance for the farmer. Clear land ownership registration facilitates agricultural monitoring by government, resulting in better policies to improve and sustain agricultural production. Access to curated registries, e.g. Chamber of Commerce, prevents misuse and fraud etc., contributing to government transparency. Open databases of official records facilitate internal collaboration within the government and facilitates the implementation of policies building on these records.

Government Finance Data

Purpose/Usefulness

The availability of open data on government spending in the agricultural sector can lead to more transparency and equity. Feedback from civil society may result in a more targeted or effective spending of the budget.

Use by Farmers

Farmers can use the data to provide feedback to the government about how taxes are spent.

Use by Others

Government resources supporting agriculture can be spent more efficiently, while other organisations can: 1) help to improve budget policies by providing information on food security needs and priorities directly or through connections with citizens, communities and particular sectors; 2) monitor the use of public resources, helping to prevent misuse or corruption; 3) make more strategic decisions in agrifinance and value chain development as a result of knowing knowing in what commodities and regions the government is investing.

Rural Development Project Data

Purpose/Usefulness

The availability of open data on government-funded rural development can provide more transparency in government spending, and better opportunities to collaborate and balance between different programmes and projects, making these projects more effective in reaching their goals.

Use by Farmers

Farmers can provide feedback to the government on the implementation of projects and the money spent.

Use by Others

Governments and other donors can better coordinate (international) resources and take other projects into account as they develop their own budgets, making rural development more effective. Organisations carrying out development projects can use the data to design complementary projects, to find collaborating partners, and to learn from best practices, making rural development more effective. Private sector organisations, including the financial sector, can use the rural development data to better align their investments with government funding, avoiding duplication. Detailed information coming from baseline and project evaluation results can be used as input for agricultural research. Civil society can use the data to monitor project implementation and spending, supporting the effective use of resources.

Land Use & Productivity Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Most governments make estimates of the cultivated area, crops grown and yield in different regions to monitor food security and economic development. These figures have a strategic value for all value-chain actors in better planning and adapting their businesses.

Use by Farmers

A farmer or their advisor may use the data to plan the crops to be planted next year in relation to the cropping pattern in the region in the previous year(s).

Use by Others

Processors, storage facilities and traders need to plan and anticipate the next harvest. By having data on the success of previous harvests or data on the (condition of) the standing crop they can plan better. Having data on the land use in different regions allows input suppliers to expand or adopt their business strategically. Information on previous harvest successes allows financial service providers to make better estimates of the risk they take when providing loans or insuring farmers in a certain area and in making strategic decisions on how to develop their business. When used with caution, the data can help civil society to evaluate the success of agricultural policies. Data only needs to be shared once, being accessible for other government bodies, researchers or for reporting indicators under different international treaties, e.g. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2.3 or SDG 2.4).

Value Chain Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Most governments collect a lot of information on the individual value-chain actors, e.g. farmers are monitored on a regular basis, provide data on nutrient management to match legal requirements or submit information to get subsidies in order to comply with regulations. Sharing this information will allow value-chain actors to increases their insights, facilitating the functioning of the value chain.

Use by Farmers

Farmers can use the data to benchmark their farm against the results of others to understand the competitiveness of their farm and see what should be improved.

Use by Others

Input suppliers, processors and traders can forecast their business better and meet local and regional needs by knowing the type of farms, their characteristics and competitiveness in a region. Other value-chain actors can also benchmark their company against similar companies to understand their competitiveness and see what aspects should be improved. Financial service providers can use value-chain data to profile new or existing clients before lending or insuring their clients, being better able to make a risk estimates facilitating financial inclusion. NGOs can design better, evidence-based rural development programmes. Data only needs to be shared once, being accessible thereafter by other government bodies, researchers or for reporting indicators according to the terms of international agreements and treaties, e.g. SDG. When used with care, the data can be used by civil society to evaluate the success of government policies

Infrastructure Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Sharing this data helps value-chain actors to better plan their activities. For example, having good knowledge about the national infrastructure is vital in managing transportation and storage of (perishable) food products and having equitable access to markets. Knowledge of ICT infrastructures enables eService providers to develop their market strategies.

Use by Farmers

Farmers can make informed decisions on their trading options leading to more equitable markets.

Use by Others

Other value-chain actors can also make more informed decisions on logistics. Accessibility is key information for strategic business development in rural areas; this is especially important for traders, transporters, processors, loan agents etc. Financial service providers use this information as part of a larger risk assessment of a client to better understand their trading options. Data on the connectivity of different regions is useful for providers of agricultural advice via telephone or internet to determine their market options.

Market Data

Purpose/Usefulness

To create open equitable markets, price information should be shared with farmers. By providing open data on markets and market prices, farmers will be better positioned to negotiate at the farm gate, select crops, and select a distribution channel. (Third-party) services can be built to make these lists easily accessible by the intended user groups.

Use by Farmers

By knowing about crop price history farmers can make more informed decisions on what to plant. With improved knowledge of local and national prices a farmer is better able to negotiate at the farm gate. With Knowledge of local market prices farmers can choose where to sell their crops.

Use by Others

By having better price information: 1) financial services can make better risk estimates about whether farmers can pay back their loans, and can determine the price of a financial product, increasing access to finance. 2) Financial services, value-chain actors, and governments can forecast market developments better.

Meteorological Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Plant growth is driven by weather variables and therefore agricultural production is directly dependent on weather conditions. Many agricultural activities (e.g. sowing, harvesting, fertilizer application) are dependent on weather conditions for planning and effectiveness. Given this, all agricultural stakeholders are interested in some form of meteorological data. Most governments have a specific department or agency dealing with weather information. By making meteorological information available as open data it not only becomes easier to share, but also allows the development of specialised information services by infomediaries targeting specific user needs. Examples of such specialized services are early warning systems for weather-related crop diseases, encouraging farmers to take preventive measures, and the prediction of suitable conditions for farm activities.

Use by Farmers

By having timely and accurate weather information, a farmer can plan farming activities better

Use by Others

By having access to weather archives, (local) climatic conditions can be objectively determined, allowing more accurate: - farm management advice for the farmer; and - investment risk investigation for financial institutions, resulting in better access to finance for farmers. By having access to archives of local weather variables, the weather forecast for that particular area can be improved (downscaling). By having access to near real-time weather observations, insurance companies are enabled to build index insurance products, reducing food security risks for the farmer and increasing the access to finance

Elevation Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Height and height difference influence many processes relevant for agriculture, such as the flow of water, erosion, temperature, and exposure to wind and sun. Sharing this information helps value-chain actors to better understand the local production environment in different places.

Use by Farmers

Farmers can get better farm advice via SMS or mobile apps when the message is adjusted to their location and local topography that may affect temperature, exposure, erosion, rainfall, climate, weather extremes, etc.

Use by Others

Extension officers can gain better insights into local agro-ecological growing conditions (erosion, exposure, temperature), resulting in better advice to the farmers. Better planning of logistical services taking into account the variations in the terrain. Better insights into local agro-ecological growing conditions contributes to a more accurate risk assessment for financial service providers Better insights into local agro-ecological growing conditions, erosion potential and accessibility leads to better rural development project planning by NGOs.

Hydrological Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Water is a key resource for agriculture. Too much or too little water is a threat to agriculture and can have disastrous outcomes. The right amount of water is essential for harvest success. Governments possess many different sources of hydrological information. Sharing this information makes it possible to analyze better the potential for agriculture in different regions of the country. This information is mainly usable for planning purposes at a strategic level by different value-chain actors. Near-real-time information on water fluctuations (groundwater, river discharge) or drought predictions are the only data that may be directly beneficial for operational farm advice.

Use by Farmers

Strategic adaptation of farming systems to trends in water availability, e.g. discharge of a river becoming more ephemeral or saline.

Use by Others

Water availability and changes to the aquatic system determine the agricultural potential of an area. Based on this kind of information: - Input suppliers can make better business decisions on what to sell where. - Financial service providers can make a better risk assessment for their clients or determine their focus areas. - NGOs can plan their projects in relation to the expected water availability, selecting target areas or intervention activities.

Soil Data

Purpose/Usefulness

The characteristics of soil data are key to farming practice. The soil quality is influential on the selection of crops, the need for inputs and for management of the land. Many governments collect soil information in order to gain a better understanding of the environmental conditions in different areas of the country or as part of extension activities. However the applicability of soil data from government sources depends on the accuracy and the level of detail of the information. Generally the information is coarse (1 km or 250m resolution), which means that it is relevant for general farm advice or strategic planning.

Use by Farmers

A detailed soil map or soil samples at or near the fields may provide a better understanding of the soil characteristics, resulting in better crop selection, input use and management practice

Use by Others

A detailed soil map or soil samples at or near the fields may provide extension officers with a better understanding of the local conditions, resulting in better advice. A soil map may be used by mobile advice service providers to better target their advice. Better understanding of the differences in soil quality in different regions and of related crops, input use and management practice can allow input suppliers to devise better marketing strategies. Better understanding of the differences in soil quality in different regions and of related crops, input use and management practice can be used by financial service providers to make better risk estimates.

Production Advice Data

Purpose/Usefulness

By providing the agronomic data as open data, farm extension recommendations can be shared more widely and updated more efficiently.

Use by Farmers

When shared in an usable and understandable manner, farmers can use the data to improve their farming practice, resulting in a higher yields and more sustainable systems.

Use by Others

Extension officers in the field can inform farmers using timely and accurate information, including the latest insights from research, leading to higher yields and more sustainable systems. Input suppliers can plan their business using the latest government recommendations in agriculture. A strong extension system increases the confidence of financial service providers in the risks they take while lending money or insuring farmers, facilitating financial inclusion. Knowledge of local varieties, practice and yield expectations helps financial service providers to make better risk estimates. Government extension information is shared more widely and changes implemented more swiftly, increasing the impact.

Pest & Disease Management Data

Purpose/Usefulness

Sharing information on pests and diseases with farmers in real time can prevent their further spread, thereby saving crops, and reducing economic losses and environmental damage. However, information on pests and diseases is often considered sensitive because of trade and export impacts.

Use by Farmers

Farmers may use pesticide only when responding to a real threat during the growing season, saving money and the environment. When a pest or disease does occur, immediate action can prevent severe crop loss and halt the spread of the problem.

Use by Others

Using information on the actual disease pressure, extension officers can give more accurate recommendations. Input suppliers can anticipate the need for pesticides and other resources.

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