Privacy laws do bring up an interesting point, especially in regards to the privacy of data from machines.  IOTA is a blockchain technology that is especially useful at capturing machine data, and the Ixo Foundation is creating a protocol that is focused on the collection of data using an ethereum-based blockchain.

I would also posit that agricultural data collected and shared on an open blockchain network could be structured like a numbered account, where it could be difficult or even impossible (depending how structured) to trace data back to a particular farm.  However, I'm getting ahead of myself, today is supposed to be about describing the problem, not prescribing solutions.

As I know this is not a blockchain-focused forum, I assume the majority of participants here do not know much about the blockchain, so if one of you has a question about what I suggest here, others are likely to have it too, and I am happy to respond in more detail (more detail than you want perhaps!) on how blockchain-based tools can address these issues.

I agree that we need to move to a cooperative mode.  Competition keeps smallholder farmer isolated, not sharing their data, and as such gives power to big agricultural firms who do have greater amounts of data available to them. With big agricultural firms I am thinking particularly of prices for which they sell seeds and supplies and prices for which they buy from farmers, which if more transparent could allow farmers to be on equal footing with big firms.  As we shift into solutions on the other days of this week I will seek to outline how blockchain-based tools could be used to even the playing field, even among those farmers who have only access to very low level tech solutions.