About this framework

The FAIR Principles were first published in 2016, two years later the EU calculated that applying them could unlock billions. Using the FAIR Process Framework enables everyone to apply FAIR and responsible data practices to their projects.

Why FAIR?

Background

Supporting the availability and use of data—through the foundation’s Open Access commitments and grounded in FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable)—is essential to advancing AgDev and the broader foundation strategy. FAIR data enables smarter allocation of foundation resources, ensures evidence is accessible in the field, and drives LMIC-relevant innovations in digital and AI for farmers and other stakeholders.

The FAIR Principles were first articulated in a paper titled ”The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship” published in Scientific Data in 2016.

Three years later, in 2019, program officers (POs) in Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s AgDev division recognized how their potential could increase the impact of investments made. Their initiative led to the formation of CABI’s Enabling Data Access project and marked the beginning of a collaboration across multiple investments, organizations, and geographies. As part of the project, a theory of change has been co-developed suggesting that by engaging the POs and grantees in AgDev, we could raise the profile of the FAIR Principles and potentially lead to adoption of the FAIR and responsible data practices across the agriculture development sector.

The result is this FAIR Process Framework, containing the step-by-step activities, templated resources, research and case studies, plus three ‘in action’ use-cases.

These tools have been made available to the broader community to foster shared learning and innovation. As we continue to gather insights and reflect on real-world applications, these tools will be updated periodically to incorporate new findings and best practices.

This framework is a beta, and we welcome your feedback: FAIR@cabi.org

FAIR Process Framework in numbers

5.5 years of research on live projects and investments

10 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation investments already using these resources

32+ contributing organizations in the public and private sectors

11 countries involved in developing and trialing the activities

120+ collaborators developing, testing and improving

Origin story

The steps have come from working with national partners over five and half years. Arun Jadhav and Chipo Cosford speak about the journey of co-developing a set of operationalizable activities for agricultural development investments.

Governance

While the framework originated in AgDev, the activities are not sector-specific: we encourage people working with data-rich investments and projects to adopt the steps to support their data management and access planning and implementation.

Acknowledgements

Our people-first approach is reflected throughout the FAIR Process Framework by emojis that represent the people who have created it and those who are using it.

Originally a personal project, artist-designer O’Plérou Grebet began designing emojis in response to mainstream media’s inaccurate depictions of life in the Ivory Coast. FAIR Process Framework creative director and co-founder of Philpott Design Adrian Philpott is a long-time admirer of O’Plérou’s work, and initiated a close collaboration with him to co-create a global community of emojis for the Framework.

Together, Adrian and O’Plérou developed emojis to accurately represent technology, farmers, researchers, and investors in India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Americas — reflecting agricultural transformation. These designs aren’t official emojis, as they haven’t been approved by the Unicode Consortium.

CABI’s Enabling Data Access team

Chipo Cosford, Senior Project Manager

Martin Parr, Director of Data Policy & Practice

Arun Jadhav, Senior Data Architect, Data Policy & Practice

Ameen Jauhar, Data Governance Lead

Zoe Philpott, Engagement, Advocacy and Productization

Ashitha Ganapathy, Research, User-Testing and Product Development

Angel Li, Regional Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator

Melissa Allan, Project Coordinator, Data Policy & Practice

Henry Mibei, Digital Development Manager, Africa

Negussie Efa, Country Programmes Manager, Africa

Akanksha Nagpal, Project Coordinator

Boma Beddie-Memberr, Project Officer, Data Policy & Practice

Gideon Abegunrin, Data Policy Analyst, Data Policy & Practice

Toby Penrhys-Evans, International Development Comms Manager

Idah Mugambi, Project Officer, Digital Development

Ruthie Musker, Strategic Lead Consultant (until 2023)

Tom Chaloner, Data Policy Analyst (until 2023)

Ada Isaac, Delivery & Research Manager (until 2023)

Plus consultants:

Dr Ana Carolina Roa Rodríguez

Mariah Coley

Mike Rose

Ben Searle

Ranjeet Singh

The wider network of co-developers

CABI is an international, intergovernmental, not-for-profit organization that improves people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.

Collaborating with diverse and informed perspectives of agencies across the globe allowed the team to create a human-centred, user-friendly process-driven product.

Philpott Design branding, human-centred product design and innovation consultancy, as well as a CABI Associate

Data Pop Alliance non-profit data science “think-and-do-tank”

MetadataWorks data catalog solution

Knowmatics data, technology and science research

The ODI data management consultancy

GO FAIR Foundation FAIR data and services

Itad monitoring, evaluation, learning and strategy consultancy.