The future is FAIR: a community framework for enhanced data management and data sharing

The AgBioData consortium is a community-driven initiative supporting >40 genomic, genetic, and breeding (GGB) databases for agricultural research. Informed by the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles, AgBioData aims to improve data management, sharing, and reuse across diverse biological data types. Through a National Science Foundation Research Coordination Network grant (award #2126334), the consortium engaged stakeholders via working groups, webinars, and community workshops to identify key data challenges and develop recommendations, tools, and training materials. Major outcomes include guidelines for standardizing genetic and genomic data, SNP harmonization protocols, recommendations for ontology usage, and an open-access curriculum for FAIR data literacy. Other key topics addressed in the first 3 years include data federation, improved single-cell data annotation, and advanced database interoperability. Surveys indicate an increase in community awareness and adoption of FAIR practices. AgBioData represents a scalable model for enhancing agricultural data infrastructure and sustainability, with ongoing efforts focused on AI readiness and the long-term support of curated data resources.