Navigating Agricultural Data Rights: Bridging Legal Gaps and Stakeholder Asymmetries
Agricultural Issues
Yilin Zhuang
Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent
University of Florida
Apopka
Abstract
Agricultural data rights, encompassing ownership, control, access, and use of data generated through farming activities, present critical legal and ethical challenges. Ambiguous intellectual property frameworks and inadequate privacy laws for environmental monitoring data create systemic ambiguities that undermine transparent, enforceable agreements between farmers and Agricultural Technology Providers (ATPs). These gaps disproportionately disadvantage farmers, especially those who lack awareness of data’s legal status as property. This study aimed to investigate Florida farmers' and ATPs' understanding and perception of data rights in digital agriculture. A survey was distributed via email to 211 farmers in the UF/IFAS Extension network, receiving 110 responses (52%), with 54 (26%) completing the survey. Among the respondents, 61% had undergraduate or lower education, while 39% had graduate-level education. The survey included 20 questions covering demographic information, farm characteristics, and data collection practices. The survey revealed that farmers' understanding of data-related technologies varied with their education levels, categorized as Undergraduate Degrees and lower (UD) and Graduate Degrees (GD). Farmers with UD were uncertain about the operational benefits of data, while those with GD recognized the benefits and understood the risks associated with data and contractual agreements but had concerns over privacy protection and ethical issues. Meanwhile, ATPs exhibited divergent priorities, with smaller, AI-driven startups more open to negotiating data rights with farmers to gain market traction, while larger firms often prioritized control over proprietary systems. This asymmetry in knowledge and bargaining power underscores the urgent need for targeted education to empower stakeholders in navigating data rights complexities. To address these issues, initial training materials, including modular educational slides and scenario-based guides, were developed to improve literacy among farmers and ATPs. By aligning stakeholder understanding with evolving legal and ethical standards, this work highlights the necessity of bridging education gaps to mitigate conflicts and advance responsible data stewardship in agriculture.
Authors: Ziwen Yu, Yilin Zhuang, Songzi Wu, Jean Pompeo, Adam Watson
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Ziwen Yu Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor , UF/IFAS, Florida, 32611
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Yilin Zhuang Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent, UF/IFAS Extension, Florida, 32703
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Songzi Wu Graduate Student, UF/IFAS, Florida, 32611
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Jean Pompeo Graduate Student, UF/IFAS, Florida, 32611
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Adam Watson Assistant Professor, UF/IFAS, Florida, 32611