Presidential Address: Obsessions With Farm Performance: A Cinderella Data Story?

Agricultural policies have long sought to address the low farm income problem. Investment in farm‐level data collection to analyse these policies has generated extensive datasets that have substantially facilitated the estimation and understanding of farm‐level performance. These high‐quality datasets are underpinned by first‐principles methodological developments and implemented by Research or Investigation Officers (RIO). A Scopus research output search (2000–2024) shows the importance of income, sustainability, performance, efficiency and productivity as research topics drawing on farm‐level datasets. We now require farm‐level data collection and analysis to extend in scope if we are to achieve Net Zero targets. Current global sustainability legislation is based upon production or territorial emissions only, which may incentivise carbon‐inefficient production. To overcome this issue, one approach is the implementation of Agricultural Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (Ag‐CBAM) within international trading rules. These would require robust farm‐level Greenhouse Gas (GHG) data reporting that has proved complex and thus far lack national and international definitional agreement. Collecting farm‐level Key Practice Indicator (KPRI) data, as included in the EU's Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN), can demonstrate economic‐environmental win‐wins and farmer‐to‐farmer communication opportunities to reduce agricultural GHG impacts. Central to these new data are the RIOs who engage with farmers to make data provision possible. Farm‐level performance analysis will remain central to our understanding of farming and food systems. We should give greater recognition to our colleagues who collect, collate and synthesise farm‐level data.