How open data can boost the agricultural and forestry sector

In the current context of digital transformation, all sectors are adapting to respond to the efficiency and agility improvement needs that society demands today. One of the areas where this change is most necessary is the agricultural and forestry sector.

The growth of the world population, climate change, or the depopulation of rural areas, something of particular concern in the specific case of Spain, make a paradigm shift necessary: a higher quantity of food must be generated, more quickly and sustainable with the environment.

To deepen this problem and its possible solutions, from the Aporta Initiative we have prepared the report “How open data can boost the agricultural and forestry sector”. The objective of the report is to promote the use of open data in the process of digital transformation of the agricultural and forestry sectors. Additionally, the report also focuses on water management as an element of great importance in the value chain.

The report is structured as follows:

• The first part begins with the analysis of the role that digital transformation is playing in solving the main challenges facing the agricultural and forestry sectors, highlighting the open data contribution as part of this process.
• In the second part, a series of repositories are compiled to find open data sets potentially useful to support digital transformation in these sectors.
• For the third part of the report, a series of relevant use cases have been selected in digital transformation in the agricultural and forestry sectors, both nationally and internationally and in which open data have a prominent role.

The report ends with the presentation of a series of conclusions drawn from the analysis work carried out.

It is therefore a must-read document for those interested in promoting improvements in areas such as precision agriculture, promoting a more efficient and sustainable agricultural and forestry sector. It should also be noted its great usefulness as a mechanism to understand the current scenario and source of inspiration for the participants in the Aporta 2019 Challenge.