This paper reviews the existing literature on Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (ODAN). The review was commissioned as a background paper for a performance evaluation of the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition programme (GODAN).
This paper begins by first locating GODAN in the context of the wider open data movement. It reviews the literature on open data, then ODAN, before focusing in on GODAN specifically. The review identifies a number of important gaps and limitations in the existing literature. The paper contributes a novel conceptual ‘SCOTA’ framework for analysing the barriers to and drivers of open data adoption, which could be readily applied in other domains. Using this framework to review the existing literature highlights the fact that ODAN research and practice has been predominantly supply-side focused on the production of open data. The authors argue that if open data is to ‘leave no one behind’, greater attention now needs to be paid to understanding the demand-side of the equation and the role of intermediaries. The paper argues that there is a compelling need to improve the participation of women, people living with disabilities, and other marginalised groups in all aspects of open data for agriculture and nutrition.
The paper concludes with the recommendation that an independent strategic review of open data in agriculture and nutrition is overdue. Such a review should encompass the structural factors shaping the process of ODAN; include a focus on the intermediary and demand-side processes; and identify who benefits and who is being left behind.
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