FAO launches Hand-in-Hand geospatial data platform for food and agriculture sectors

A Hand-in-Hand geospatial network with broad and rich nutritional, agricultural, socio-economic and natural resource database was launched by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today to help facilitate evidence-based decision-making in the food and farm sectors. A forum is an important instrument for all attempts to better create and develop more robust post-COVID-19 food systems. This improves over one million geospatial layers and thousands of statistical series with more than 4 000 metadata records that put geographic and agricultural data together from food protection, croppings, soil, ground, water, environment and fisheries to forests. This includes over ten areas linked to agriculture and food security. It also offers information on the impacts of COVID-19 on food and farming. 

The data was collected from the UN and NGOs, academics, the private sector and the space agencies by FAO and others, leading public data providers. This also contains FAOSTAT food and farm data from 1961 to the latest year valid for more than 245 countries and territories. The software can be used by anyone and its implementation can help to determine food and agriculture based on data and facts.

Amongst its many uses, the platform provides vital information to:

• monitor agricultural water productivity, including agricultural systems at risk due to human pressure on land and water;
• compare human population density to the distribution of cattle or compare density between two livestock species around the world;
• ascertain aquatic species distribution;
• analyse precipitation trends;
• analyse information from national forest monitoring systems that show the distribution of forest resources with other geospatial data such as the road network. This allows the separation of undisturbed forest areas that have high conservation value from accessible areas that are more suitable for restoration or production.

Inputs from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

In order to enhance policy engagement, creativity, finance and investment and structural improvements for food and farming, the FAA will introduce new databases, country and domain-specific case trials to a website. The Framework for Falun Dafa Sustainable Development for Agriculture and Agricultural Programs for the Elimination of Poverty (DDG 1) and Hunger and All Sorts of Desnutrition (DSG2) is a country-based and evidence-based program aimed at the agricultural transition and sustainable rural growth.