TOWARDS DATA SOVEREIGNTY IN AGRICULTURE: LEGAL CHALLENGES AND COMPARATIVE REMARKS FOR A FAIR FARM DATA GOVERNANCE
by Paola Francesca Rizzi
pp. 123-141 23 (12,1) – January-June 2025 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2025.12.1.6
Abstract
The application of big data in agriculture offers a promising opportunity for the sustainable transformation of the global agricultural sector. However, it also raises legal challenges that risk exacerbating the so-called “big data divide” between farmers and agribusinesses, as well as amplifying the “lock-in” problem for the former. In the context of rethinking traditional governance tools for data protection, which are currently crystallized around the dichotomy between personal and non-personal data, they fail to address the unique characteristics of agricultural data. In this context, a comparative legal analysis of the EU and US frameworks proves valuable for identifying converging trends in addressing this paradigm shift.