Digital public infrastructure (DPI)

Why does it matter?

In many producer countries, each buyer, certifier and donor programme has built its own farmer database and app. Farmers are registered repeatedly, data does not flow, and governments lack a view of their own sector. DPI offers another path: common layers that everyone uses, with services built on top.

For commodity supply chains, relevant DPI components include:

• a farmer registry with unique IDs;
• plot and land-use data;
• consent and data-sharing rules;
• payment rails for farmers;
• APIs for companies, certifiers and public agencies;
• in some countries, a national traceability system.

What principles apply?

International discussions, including by the UN Office of the Tech Envoy, emphasise interoperability, openness, inclusion, privacy and security by design, and governance that protects users’ rights.

Common pitfalls

• Building one more closed platform under the DPI label.
• Neglecting farmers’ consent and control over their data.
• Mandating a single app instead of enabling several services on shared layers.
• Designing for connectivity that rural areas lack.

Farmer1st is the first-mile infrastructure built around farmers: a farmer-controlled network where companies, governments and organisations collect, verify and share origin data, and build the services they need on top of it. See traceability and certification.