The FAO AGRIS Open Data Set (ODS) has emerged as a cornerstone of open knowledge sharing in the agricultural and food sciences. Developed and maintained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the FAO AGRIS ODS reflects a strong commitment to making agricultural science more accessible, reusable, and impactful, globally.

What is the FAO AGRIS Open Data Set?

The FAO AGRIS Open Data Set (ODS) encompasses almost half of all the +16 million records in FAO AGRIS, offering metadata and links to full texts on food and agriculture topics. Released under a CC BY 4.0 license, the ODS fosters the reuse of research outputs and accelerates progress toward key Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those stewarded by FAO.

Its metadata is prepared to exacting FAIR standards—using Dublin Core and W3C Data Catalog schemas—so that every record is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Contributions arrive via OAI-PMH or email, are rigorously cleaned and standardized, and then made available to a global agricultural community.

The complete ODS can be downloaded as an XML file.

Benefits for Data Providers

Contributing to the FAO AGRIS ODS provides institutions with a set of strategic advantages that strengthen the visibility, reach, and impact of their scientific work. By sharing metadata, organizations enhance the global dissemination of their research outputs while ensuring full attribution and transparent data provenance. This increased visibility supports wider uptake of their research across the international scientific community. Participation also places institutions within an open-knowledge ecosystem where their metadata can be combined with other datasets to inform advanced, data-driven research, including machine-learning applications and linked-data initiatives. These connections create opportunities for collaboration and engagement in emerging areas of scientific development.

Importantly, participation in FAO AGRIS ODS is entirely voluntary. Institutions may join at any time and may withdraw should their circumstances change. By contributing metadata to the system, institutions support broader global efforts to expand access to scientific knowledge, advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, and foster improvements in food security, agricultural practices, and nutrition worldwide.

Why Open Data Matters in Agriculture

Open data can transform agriculture by breaking down information silos and enabling stakeholders like smallholder farmers to multinational agribusinesses, to make faster, more informed decisions. By fostering transparency and accessibility, FAO AGRIS ODS also ensures that the benefits of agricultural innovation reach a wider range of stakeholders, including underserved communities. When datasets are openly licensed and machine-readable, users can combine, for example, climate models with soil health records to design climate-resilient cropping systems, or policymakers can overlay pest-outbreak data with distribution networks to preempt food shortages. Open data also democratizes knowledge: extension officers in remote regions can download localized best-practice guides straight from a global repository and use them offline.

Open agricultural data, including resources such as FAO AGRIS ODS, supports productivity gains, environmental sustainability, and equitable improvements in food security. It is also essential for monitoring progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to ending hunger, advancing climate action, and promoting responsible consumption and production.