Acta - which federates the agricultural technical institutes - publishes and distributes reference works in the agricultural sector. In order to propose innovation levers in the various sectors, the association has decided to exhibit the databases from three reference data sets on the API-Agro platform: :

• the Index Acta phytosanitaire, its flagship publication since 1961, which lists the phytopharmaceutical and biocidal products authorised and marketed in France.
• the Acta Biocontrol Index, which includes all biocontrol products (including macro-organisms) and examples of their practical use., qui regroupe tous les produits de biocontrôle (macro-organismes compris) et des exemples d’utilisation concrète.
• the Tractoguide,co-edited with the Chambers of Agriculture (APCA), lists the technical characteristics of tractors and other self-propelled machines on the French market.

For the organisation, it is first of all a question of making the most of the data collected and regularly updated from multiple sources.

"The availability of datasets on the API-Agro platform allows for a new and more sustainable business model for this medium", explains Samy Aït-Amar, Precision Agriculture and Innovations engineer at Acta's Scientific, Technical and Innovation Department.

The digitisation of data extends the potential from users to software publishers and research and development partners.

For the Acta Index, which is already available in digital format via the "Index Acta by Smag" application, exposure on the platform would eventually make the plant health product repository available in the form of an API while guaranteeing respect for the ownership of this data.

"API-Agro should allow us to create a virtuous circle by optimising data resourcing: each contributor would only have to enter their data once so that it is accessible to a multitude of users."says Edwige Charbonnier, Head of Plant Health Data Valorisation at Acta.

Increased visibility, easier enrichment and updating of datasets, and in the future, monetisation of customised databases: the exposure of Acta reference datasets on the API-Agro platform offers technological and economic development prospects that meet the challenges of efficient and responsible agriculture.