Work package 5: Development and test of methodologies for data quality improvement

Based on the experience of the former EU-funded projects OFCAP, OMIaRD and EISfOM, a system of equation models will be set up to detect and uncover inconsistencies in the organic market data collected. Consistency checks of the data collected in work package 4 will be conducted using the equation models.

Especially, market data coming from the five European countries that are subject of the case studies in WP6 (Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, UK) and from the case study on the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network will be carefully checked. As suggested by the EISfOM project, it will be tested whether significant data quality improvements can be achieved with the application of supply balance sheets.

The problems detected via the consistency checks will be reported to the data collectors. Furthermore, often-occurring mistakes will feed into the case studies of WP6, so that there will be an increased awareness among data collectors to avoid these mistakes in future.

Leader of work package 5 is Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hamm, Kassel University