Under the theme “Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate-resilient futures,” Tropentag 2026 in Göttingen brought together researchers from around the world from September 16 to 18. Right in the thick of it: FAIRagro. During the “Digitalization & AI” poster session, Anne Sennhenn, together with CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research), presented the poster “Enabling data-driven agricultural transformation – GARDIAN and FAIRagro.”
The focus was on how well-documented, discoverable, and reusable (FAIR) research data can help address complex challenges in agricultural research more effectively. Key takeaways: Research on tropical and climate-resilient agricultural systems is also highly data-driven today. At the same time, approaches to handling research data vary widely. On the one hand, there are dedicated open-data communities and large-scale open-data initiatives; on the other, there are researchers for whom data publication and reuse are not yet natural parts of the research process.
This is exactly where exciting conversations take place—and where there is great potential for practical support through research data management. We were particularly pleased to engage in a discussion with Abozar Nasirahmadi, Professor of Digitalization in Agricultural Engineering at SLU (Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet—Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences—seen in the third photo in the gallery). FAIRagro is already working closely with colleagues at SLU, including in the context of the FAIRagro Helpdesk.
In addition to many thought-provoking ideas, one point from the session “Risks and Impacts of Climate Change,” moderated by Heidi Webber (FAIRagro TA1 / ZALF), is particularly worth mentioning:
“Open data not only creates better conditions for re-use and new research. Data publication can also help give the people who collect, curate, and make data available greater visibility and scientific recognition.”
This is an especially important aspect for researchers and partners in the Global South: Valuable work on and with research data should be visible, citable, and recognized as an independent scientific achievement.
Tropentag has thus demonstrated once again: FAIR data is not an end in itself. The goal is to make knowledge more accessible, facilitate collaboration—and highlight scientific contributions.
Further information and the program are available on the website for this year’s Tropentag.