Setting data free: The politics of open data for food and agriculture

Open data is increasingly being promoted as a route to achieve food security and agricultural development. This article critically examines the promotion of open agri-food for development through document-based case study Global Data Agriculture Nutrition (GODAN) initiative well interviews with practitioners participant observation at events. While concept openness striking its ideological flexibility, we argue that GODAN propagates an anti-political, neoliberal vision how can enhance approach centers values such private innovation, increased production, efficiency, individual empowerment, in contrast more political collectivist approaches practiced by some social movements. We further projects, general, have tendency reproduce elements “data colonialism,” extracting minimal consideration collective harms may result, embedding their own within universalizing information infrastructures.