The survey data described above was processed and harmonized to create the HP. The HP consists of four datasets recorded at different units of observation.

- Plot-crop-level dataset (based on the agriculture questionnaire);

- Plot-level dataset (based on the agriculture questionnaire);

- Household-level dataset (based on the household and individual questionnaires/modules);

- Individual-level dataset (based on the individual questionnaire/modules).

We group variables in the HP into four categories: (i) unit and linking identifiers (ii) crop production and agricultural variables that are defined at the plot-crop, plot or household levels (iii) socio-economic variables that are at the household or individual level and (iv) geospatial variables that are integrated using geocoordinates. A more comprehensive description of each variable can be found in the variable directories provided alongside the dataset (see Supplementary Tables 1 to 5). The variable directories also flag cases where entire variables are missing in some country-years due to missing data or absent questions in the raw data files, and describe additional data cleaning operations for each variable.

# _Unit and linking identifiers_

The HP provides two sets of key identifiers: unit identifiers and linking identifiers. Unit identifiers are created during data processing and consist of numeric identifiers which can be used to track units longitudinally. All unit identifiers have variable names that end with _id_obs_ (such as _plot_id_obs_ or _hh_id_obs_ ). Linking identifiers are included to allow merging with the raw data, so they are the same as in the raw LSMS-ISA files that can be downloaded from the World Bank’s Microdata Library. All linking identifiers have variable names that end in _id_merge_ (such as _plot_id_merge_ or _hh_id_merge_ ). To find the names of the specific variables in the raw data that can be merged with the linking identifiers, users may consult the following entries of the variable directories (Supplementary Tables 1 to 5): _plot_id_merge, hh_id_merge, indiv_id_merge, plot_manager_id_merge, respondent_id_merge, ea_id_merge_ .

Moreover, we include a common set of identifier and geographic variables, across the all four datasets of the HP. They are the EA and strata IDs, household weights, urban/rural status, geocoordinates and administrative-level codes and names, where applicable. It is important to note that the identification of administrative levels is sometimes only possible via numeric codes, which are not necessarily tracked through time (these cases are flagged in the variable directories).

# _Construction of the harmonized plot-crop and plot datasets_

This section describes plot-crop and plot-level datasets in the HP, which mostly contain data deriving from the agricultural questionnaires (see Figure 2). They consist of plot-crop and plot-level data from households which report cultivating crops in the main agricultural season, and therefore do not contain the entire population of households interviewed in each survey. Users can refer to the household or individual-level datasets (described below) for the entire sample of households.

The HP plot-crop dataset consists of a limited set of agricultural variables that were recorded at the plot and crop level of observation in the raw data, i.e. for each cultivated crop on each of the household’s agricultural plots. This dataset records production by crop on each plot, which can be used for more detailed analysis of production than the aggregated plot-level dataset can. The variables included are harvest output quantity and value, seed input quantity and value, harvest and planting months, use of improved seeds, pesticide use and crop shocks. The latter include a catch-all crop shock variable, along 9