The National Agricultural Producers Data Cooperative (NAPDC) is working with the National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC) at Portland State University to co-create a practical, farmer-centered Agricultural Data Governance Framework.
This project brings together researchers, producers, technical experts, and nonprofits across the NAPDC network to design shared principles, tools, and processes for handling agricultural data in a responsible, transparent, and collaborative way.
About the Project
Agricultural data moves through many hands across the NAPDC network—researchers, extension teams, producers, and technology partners. Within this community, our goal is to build a simple, trusted, and scalable system that clarifies:
- How data is collected, used, shared, and protected
- What farmers can expect from research partners
- Roles, responsibilities, and clear processes for data management
- Tools that make data stewardship easier in day-to-day research
- A shared set of principles the whole NAPDC network can follow
Who is Involved
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) — NAPDC’s main project lead and home of the coordinating research team.
- NPCC, Portland State University — Serving as the neutral facilitator, supporting process design, collaborative decision-making, and development of the framework.
The workgroup includes representatives from universities, nonprofits, research centers, industry partners, and producer-focused organizations. Members contribute expertise in agronomy, engineering, data systems, soil science, extension, analytics, and on-farm research practices.
Our Process
The workgroup launched in May 2025 and meets monthly. Together, we have:
- Built shared understanding of NAPDC’s needs and challenges
- Mapped how data flows across projects
- Defined the scope of our framework and tools
- Started co-designing a first draft of the NAPDC Data Governance Principles and supporting templates
- Reviewed early drafts and met 1:1 with members to refine ideas
Meeting Summaries & Draft Principles
These documents will continue to be updated as the workgroup moves toward a final version in 2026.