Alejandro Parodi: Publishing agricultural data

“Nearly 10 years ago, during the elaboration of my BSc thesis in my home country of Peru, I was always confronted with the journal paywall. Every now and then I had to ask friends studying abroad to send me the scientific literature I needed to write my thesis, and then wait patiently for their reply. This was frustrating as it interrupted the flow of my ideas, made the writing process more tedious and meant I had to bother people!

My negative experience made me appreciate the importance of Open Access in scientific literature and motivated me to publish open access and work transparently according to the FAIR data principles. Therefore, in the 4TU.ResearchData repository you can find the data and R software code underlying the publications of my PhD research. 

My datasets include information on nutrient balances, greenhouse gas emissions and outcomes of preference tests associated with the rearing of black soldier fly larvae, a farmed insect that can contribute to the transition towards circular food systems. In addition you can find data containing the nutrient composition and environmental impacts of diverse novel food sources such as insects, algae, fungi, etc.

I hope that my research data can be of help to the curious colleagues who are looking for the details; to those who want to re-use the data and code for further analysis; and to anyone who wants to use it for educational purposes.”

See Alejandro’s datasets:

• Data and R code for the paper The potential of future foods for sustainable and healthy diets
• Supplementary Information and R code from: Black soldier fly larvae show a stronger preference for manure than for a mass-rearing diet
• Data and R code for the paper Black soldier fly reared on pig manure: bioconversion efficiencies, nutrients in the residual material, greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions
• Data and R code: Bioconversion efficiencies, greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions during black soldier fly rearing – a mass balance approach

Author: Alejandro Parodi (Wageningen University and Research)
Editor: Connie Clare (4TU.ResearchData)