FAQs
What is a farmer data network?
A distributed network of farmers able to access more data for increased agency, incomes and enhanced livelihood.
An interconnected and decentralized network of support services, information, suppliers, buyers and actors that meet the needs of farming households
What are the key attributes of FDN?
Key attributes of farmer data network
In 3-5 years FDN | Now | |
Data collection and access | Farmers report data directly, or | Data collected by a range of ecosystem actors including gov and commercial service providers, creating siloes
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Data ownership and consent | Farmers own the data and decide who to share it with on their own terms using consent manager Farmer orgs may play a role in aggregating data of their members and sharing it based on privacy and member consent/data sharing agreements (via FS) | Farmers do not have (an easy) access to the data they share and cannot retrieve it They may not be able to provide informed consent due to low digital literacy |
Data discovery and access | TBD – user interface to do that | Fragmented; note discoverable except for publicly available date like weather |
Data use | Fancy analytics using historic data and predictive analytics to improve future offerings/services | |
Content | Adaptive and incorporates local context and farmer feedback | Often generic Feedback loops not working well |
Source of advisory | Gov extension + commercial; farmer groups and from each other both in person and online; farmers feedback and data is used to inform future recommendations to achieve better management, profitaibility and environmental outcomes | Farmers learn from extension agents (top down), farmer groups and from each other but mostly in person |
Tech specifications | Interoperable Decentralized |