Learning from Research

Data interoperability for farmer performance measurement tool

This tool is an application supporting interoperability between IACS and the Farm Management Information System (FMIS), including its sub-system called farmer field book.

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Output Description

This application builds a bidirectional data exchange between farmers and farmers through the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). It primarily focuses on agricultural software– the Farm Management Information System (FMIS) and the farmer field book’s sub-system. It is believed that this enhanced interoperability between the IACS and other information systems can support the evaluation of farmers’ impact on the environment, climate, and economic sustainability. This exercise in interoperability aims to provide a tool measuring farmer’s performance and the farmer’s environmental ‘footprint’. 

Data captured in an FMIS-type of application could include, for example, information about the use of chemical fertilisers/manure, the use of plant protection products, details of work carried out in the agricultural parcel, data about crop groups and varieties cultivated on the farm parcel, livestock grazing data, and data about planned and actual yield. Such data may be collected as part of the farmers' book-keeping and management activities or as an obligation for proving cross-compliance and alignment with conditionalities. For this tool, sharing of FMIS data is agreed upon on a strictly voluntary basis. The IACS FMIS data sharing application named REST API is available in NIVA’s Gitlab repository and accessible only to NIVA members. The REST API component is tested in Estonia and Italy. Development continues in Estonia and improves the prototype by adding: (1) a database component for saving FMIS data in IACS infrastructure and (2) a farmer performance dashboard component. The data will be part of IACS.

Relevance for monitoring and evaluation of the CAP

This tool focuses on the interoperability between IACS and the FMISs and uses eAgronom, a specific commercial FMIS. The tool can be used in the evaluation only if data can be anonymised and shared. In this case, the tool can offer a vast amount of data, especially for evaluation questions for which data are rare, like those concerning the use of fertilisers, plant protection substances, antibiotics, etc. When IACS is the core system, information about beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries is also available, and the potential contribution of the database for evaluation is significant. 

However, the transferability of the tool to other regions and Member States is complicated for various reasons. Most frequently, farmers do not use digitised FMISs, and when they do, there is not only a single commercial FMIS to choose from but many. Linking all the different commercial brands of FMISs is not technically easy and financially feasible. The farmers who have already adopted digital FMISs may be distinctively different from those who maintain more conventional farm book-keeping methods. For example, they may manage larger farms, be more entrepreneurial, and have other characteristics that introduce a bias. Thus, evaluation data will be biased towards farmers with specific characteristics. Finally, FMIS data entered by farmers and are not recorded automatically may be of lower quality either because of human errors or intentional concealment of business information. Thus, transferability of the tool depends on these issues and should be examined on a case by case basis.   

Relevance of the output per CAP Objectives

  • Specific Objective 1 – Ensure a fair income for farmers 
  • Specific Objective 2 – Increase competitiveness
  • Specific Objective 3 – Improve farmers' position in the food chain
  • Specific Objective 4 – Climate change action
  • Specific Objective 5 – Environmental care
  • Specific Objective 6 – Preserve landscape and biodiversity
  • Specific Objective 9 – Protect food and health quality

Additional output information

Data collection systems used:

  • IACS/LPIS 
  • FMIS – Farm Management Information Systems

Type of output:

  • New / improved data for M&E
  • Database interoperability

Associated evaluation approaches:

  • Desk research
  • Data analysis
  • Impact evaluation ex post
  • Impact evaluation ongoing

Spatial scale:

  • Parcel
  • Farm holding

Project information

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New IACS Vision in Action 

The overall objective of NIVA is to modernise the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) by making efficient use of digital solutions and e-tools and creating reliable methodologies and harmonised data sets for monitoring agricultural performance. IACS’s modernisation will reduce the administrative burden for farmers, Paying Agencies and other stakeholders. 

NIVA’s specific objectives are to: 

  • Integrate and reuse IACS evolutions based on open standards and shared services. 
  • Build on farmers’ acceptance of the Smart Monitoring methodology. 
  • Reduce the gap between current use and potential broader use of IACS data. 
  • Create a permanent exchange platform for discussion and exchange. 

Project’s timeframe: 2019 – 2022

Contacts of project holder: Dr Sander Janssen, Wageningen University (sander.janssen@wur.nl) 

Website: NIVA: https://www.niva4cap.eu/project 

CORDIS database: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/842009 

Territorial coverage: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, The Netherlands

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