Building a digitally ready food system begins with people – the actors who generate, manage and act on data across the food system. The first challenge is ensuring all stakeholders, from smallholders and cooperatives to financial institutions and agritech firms, are equipped and incentivized to participate fully in the digital ecosystem. Today, data is often fragmented, governed by unclear rights, and captured in ways that limit reuse and trust. Smallholders face onboarding costs with low perceived benefit; in smallholder contexts, acquiring initial datasets can consume a large share of project budgets. Without clear incentives or protections, participation lags. Trusted intermediaries help. JoinData uses secure, revocable permissions, consolidates authorizations on a single platform, and demonstrates how farmer- led governance can transform fragmented datasets into a trusted ecosystem while safeguarding data sovereignty. The cooperative now counts over 16,000 farmer members and facilitates data exchange with more than 260 affiliated parties, of which 70 actively use the data for farmer services. By consolidating all authorizations into a single platform, JoinData addresses transparency gaps – nearly 40% of dairy farmers previously did not know which parties they had authorized to use their data – and supports innovations such as precision agriculture tools, automated compliance reporting and faster service delivery.4 In India, a government-owned Agri Data Exchange facilitates secure sharing with banks, reportedly cutting lending turnaround times dramatically and improving the value proposition for participants. More broadly, participation hinges on clear use cases and perceived value; without these, stakeholders, especially smallholders, are unlikely to share data.5In the UAE, the University of Sharjah and IBM launched My FarmWell, a mobile app supporting sustainable agriculture in water-stressed regions. Featuring a watsonx-powered AI chatbot, the app provides weather data, well water trends, crop recommendations, a water use calculator, educational content and market prices to help farmers make timely, informed decisions and sustainably manage resources.6 Trust is a recurring theme. Institutional models, from farmer cooperatives to public data trusts, are emerging as intermediaries that can manage access, enforce consent and ensure shared benefit. These governance structures are especially important in settings where knowledge of individual rights and data literacy is low. They help shift participation from extractive to empowering, which is essential for legitimacy and long-term engagement. As systems evolve, a singular truth emerges: data- driven transformation in food systems cannot be achieved without broad, sustained and equitable stakeholder participation. This is particularly critical for AI systems, which, without inclusive design and transparent models, risk excluding those with limited digital footprints. Building this foundation requires more than technology – it calls for localized capacity building, trusted governance and business models that make participation worth the effort. These initiatives show that when data access is transparent and consent-based, financial services can be unlocked at speed and scale. Faster loan approvals, reduced administrative overhead and better risk assessment are direct outcomes, illustrating how trusted data ecosystems expand access to financing for all actors in the food system. Data access and sharing requirements3 Equitable data access depends on trust, clear incentives and governance models that empower all actors to participate. Data and Digital Readiness in Food Systems 7

Data Digital Readiness Food Systems 2025