Open Data to Support Agricultural Diversification (version October 2020)

Abstract

Following the development of a database that was specifically designed to store value chain information, particularly for underutilised crops, this article describes the data that are currently stored in the database and accessible through its web portal. The data includes various datasets on utilisation status, agro-ecological requirements and season lengths, potential yield and nutritional composition of crops. The data are stored in the form of tables with fixed data elements (column attributes). This article outlines the standard procedures (SOPs) that were developed in-house for data collection, metadata creation and data curation. These processes were used to ensure the quality and reusability of the data that is made available publicly through the database interface. Various statistics and example visualisations are provided to demonstrate the significance of such data for developing solutions for sustainable agricultural diversification.

Keywords

• Neglected and underutilised crops
• Agro-ecological data
• Potential yield
• Crop nutrition composition