In this interview, Imma Subirats highlights the growing importance of open science and the leading role of the FAO in advancing it through initiatives like FAO AGRIS, FAOSTAT, and its Knowledge Repository. She emphasizes the impact of Creative Commons licensing in enhancing data reuse, particularly in the Global South, and discusses efforts toward multilingual access, interoperability, and capacity development via the FAO eLearning Academy. Drawing on her work with the AGROVOC Multilingual Thesaurus and the Research Data Alliance, she also addresses ethical and governance considerations for AI use of open data, while encouraging greater engagement of LIS professionals in FAO’s open knowledge initiatives.

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Imma Subirats is a Senior Knowledge and Information Management Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where she leads key programmes including AGROVOC, FAO AGRIS, and AGORA to improve the accessibility and visibility of agricultural knowledge from member countries. She also oversees capacity-building initiatives for researchers, librarians, practitioners, and policymakers. She serves as Chair of the IGAD Community of Practice at the Research Data Alliance and manages the AIMS Community of Practice.

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