Use Cases

  There is a wealth of publicly available data that can be used to answer questions related to agriculture, food systems, nutrition, and health. Merging data from different sources can allow us to answer innovative research questions. However, combining datasets can be challenging, especially for researchers hoping to answer questions that touch on multiple disciplines. In this use case, we’ll explore strategies for and challenges of merging data from two different publicly available databases. For instance, we might be interested in understanding the connections between trade, ...

  Follow priorities in the field to find a topic of interest In recent years, food loss and waste have been high on the global agenda. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12 included an ambitious target to cut food waste and loss in half by 2030 (SDG Target 12.3). The statistics presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) were stunning: globally, a third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted and enough food is lost or wasted to feed 2 billion people around the world (1). If food lost and wasted were a country...

  Follow others’ research to generate questions and ideas   We usually think of starting a research project analysing secondary data with a dataset. However, it can also be useful to start at the other end of the cycle – communicating results. Following blogs related to agriculture, food systems, nutrition, and health is a great way to stay up to date on research and perspectives in the field. Look in the SCANR Research Guidance Communicating results section for a list of relevant blogs. One of my favorites is the IFPRI Blog, which includes blogs focused on research and issues ...