By Reinout Godaert | Researcher | ILVO
In today’s digital agricultural landscape, one thing has become increasingly clear: data sharing is essential to keep digital tools accessible and useful for researchers, advisors, the government, etc., but especially for farmers. For all stakeholders, data exchange is key to enhancing productivity, streamlining operations, and improving decision-making. Yet, many questions about trust, ownership and value continue to form barriers for trustless data sharing. At ILVO we have collaborated – and continue to collaborate – with many partners across the (Belgian and European) agricultural sector and a theme that keeps recurring is: “What’s in it for me?”. In order to build a futureproof agriculture, these concerns need to be addressed and the benefits of data sharing need to be highlighted.
The different roles in data sharing
In STELLA, a lot of data has to be shared between partners. To ensure a successful data exchange between project partners and Use Case Pilots, it is crucial to identify the different key actors in the STELLA data sharing framework. The European Code of Conduct on Agricultural Data Sharing points out three essential roles:
- Data originator (or data owner) – These are the individuals or entities that generate or gather the data. In the agricultural ecosystem, the farmer is usually the one who produces valuable data from their daily operations. Farmers are already generating a significant amount of valuable data – often without even realizing it – through farm machinery, sensors, or manual inputs. In the STELLA project, it will mainly be the Use Case Pilots collecting data.
- Data user – These are the organisations or individuals who receive data from the originators, mostly using it to enhance their products and services. This often includes developers of digital (advisory) tools, agronomic researchers or farm management information system providers. In STELLA this will be the partners that are developing the early warning and detection systems.
- Data provider – The entities that supply data to originators or users through agreements. Data providers frequently include laboratories, machinery manufacturers, or input suppliers. They hold valuable information/data that can be useful for other actors in the agricultural sector.
Differentiating these roles can help in understanding data flows and promoting a collaborative approach to data sharing, where each participant understands the value of contributing and receiving data.
Multi-faceted advantages
Most agri-food actors think there are only monetary reasons to start sharing data, but data sharing can become a powerful tool when stakeholders embrace collective benefits rather than focusing on individual perspectives.
There are several co-benefits, for example improved decision-making. By giving farmers access to real-time data from their equipment, they can get better guidance and apply irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides more precisely. In addition, data sharing can also foster technological advancements. Machinery manufacturers can create smarter, more efficient equipment based on shared operational data. On top of that, it can also help startups and companies to increase market share. As, for example, digital solution providers acquire access to more and larger datasets, they are able to provide more creative and efficient solutions for the agriculture industry. Through involvement in data sharing networks, different stakeholders can gain better understandings of agricultural trends, best practices and deeper insights in for example soil conditions. This way data sharing becomes a kind of knowledge sharing. Last but not least, there is administrative simplification. Both businesses and farmers can save time by reducing paperwork and manual input by allowing applications to optimally communicate with each other.
These benefits combine to create a sustainable and balanced ecosystem where the sharing of data fosters mutual growth.
Best practices for effective data sharing
To maximize the value of shared data and to determine the benefits in a specific scenario, for example in a Use Case Pilot in the STELLA project, it is useful to outline the case on paper. It’s always beneficial to establish clear agreements and workflows. Following steps can be taken:
- Identify key participants: Determine which actors are involved in the data sharing.
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities:
- Who owns the data and needs to give consent to share it? This is the data originator, often the farmer / Use Case Pilot leader.
- Which organisations have the data in a database? This is the data provider.
- Who wants to use/needs the data to build/feed their application? This is the data user or receiver. In STELLA this can be any partner using the data to develop early warning or detection systems.
- Map the data flows: Draw the data pathways to understand how information moves through the system.
- Define benefits for each stakeholder: Make sure that everyone involved sees tangible value in sharing data, such as monetary compensation, increased market share, administrative simplification, etc.
- Establish trust through transparency: Clear agreements on data usage and privacy will encourage participation and long-term collaborations.
A real-world example
Imagine a farmer using a farm management system to support him/her with his/her daily activities. To optimize fertilizer and pesticide applications, the farmer orders a drone flight to scan his/her fields. The drone images are sent to a knowledge institute that uses image processing software to produce task maps from the images. These maps can be enriched with additional information such as field-specific data, soil and water analyses. Then these maps are forwarded to the smart machines of the farmer (or his contractor) such as precision sprayers or weeding machines. These machines, in turn, also collect a lot of operational data while executing the task maps, which can be valuable for other stakeholders in the agricultural sector. In STELLA, we’ll see the same kind of data flow, but from UCPs to project partners who will use the data to develop the STELLA PSS.
This type of interconnected data exchange allows every participant—farmers, researchers, service providers, and manufacturers—to benefit from improved efficiency, sustainability, and profitability.
So everyone benefits?
Every data-sharing situation is unique: the sector, context and timing determine everything, so there is no easy answer to this question. The agricultural landscape is also dealing with constantly evolving technologies and stakeholder needs differ from case to case. While of course the financial incentives play a major role for every stakeholder, the true value of data seems to be found in the broader, sector-wide benefits such as simplified administration, extra services and better, more accurate advice.
DjustConnect acts as a trusted platform that enables secure and efficient data sharing within the agricultural sector. By striving for transparency, collaboration, and mutual benefits, DjustConnect helps ensure that agricultural data is used in the best way possible to drive innovation and sustainability. In the STELLA platform, we will build on the same principles to share agricultural data from UCPs to project research partners and the other way around. This way, the STELLA project is 100% complying with the EU rules regarding data and the sharing of it.
Data sharing is not just a way to get value from your data, it’s an opportunity to build a smarter, more resilient agriculture.
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