Agricultural data governance from the ground up: Exploring data justice with agri-food movements
Photo: Annalee Kornelsen / Sage Journals
March 25, 2025
As agriculture becomes increasingly data-driven, CSFS Associate Hannah Wittman and co-author Sarah-Louise Ruder explore how farmers and agri-food movements are responding to top-down data systems. Drawing on 40 workshops and events across the Americas, their research highlights the need for more equitable, justice-focused approaches to data governance.
“Digital technologies will not serve farmers and other food system workers unless these actors have access to data and, importantly, the capacity to determine how it can be used, by whom, and for what purposes,” they state. Their work sheds light on the risks of current data practices and the opportunities to build systems that centre farmer agency and food sovereignty.