Guideline for agronomy and soil fertility data collection in Ethiopia: National standard
Dejene Abera, Feyera Liben, Tesfaye Shimbir, Tesfaye Balemi, Teklu Erkossa, Mulugeta Demiss, Lulseged Tamene
Abstract
Recently, recognition has been growing of the\npower of data and information for better decisionmaking\nand service provision in agriculture. To\nensure good data quality, an agreed standard to\ncollect, store, and share data along the agricultural\nvalue chain is required.\nWith this background, the purpose of this guideline\nis to provide guidance on standardizing soil and\nagronomy data collection and thereby enhance\ntemporal and spatial data interoperability.\nStandard field research design, data collection,\nand data reporting are required for well-informed\nmeta-analyses and syntheses of agricultural\nresearch data as well as for making these data\nmore accessible for calibration and evaluation of\nprocess-based models. Hence, this guideline is\na contribution toward enabling meta-analysis of\ndifferent data collected over years and/or space to\naccumulate evidence and generate new knowledge\nor insights to facilitate informed decision-making\nin the agricultural sector in general and in the crop\ndevelopment subsector.\nThis guideline is compiled and intended for\nuse by researchers, academicians, students,\nand other interested professionals in Ethiopia\nand beyond. The guideline is developed based\non accepted standards and procedures in the\nfield. Nevertheless, it is not exhaustive in its\ncoverage of the soil and agronomic data types\nand crops grown in the country. Hence, additions\nand updates depending on the development of\nresearch facilities, the ever-changing focus of\nagricultural research and production systems, and\nadvances in technology are warranted.