In line with “Step 5” of our AgriBusiness supporting strategy, continuous improvement is critical for delivering a competitive advantage to our customers. Here are 4 Farmforce solutions you should look out for in 2023.
- Integrated Deforestation Monitoring
This solution is at the top of our list! Last December, EU States approved the text of the anti-deforestation law compelling exporters to perform due diligence on a series of imported goods, including cocoa and coffee. More specifically, you’ll be required to demonstrate that your crops have not been farmed on deforested or degraded lands since 31 December 2020. To do so, you’ll need to gather information (i.e. geographic coordinates of the plots from which your products are harvested). If you fail to provide these details, you won’t be allowed to place your products on the EU market.
By leveraging our Polygons feature, exporters can map farmers’ fields and overlap them with the Global Forest Watch (GFW) map. While using the GFW platform, our system is compatible with any other deforestation database that future regulations might require. Regardless of which source you refer to, you’ll be able to prove that your product is to deforestation-free. These measures will safeguard your profits.
Our Integrated Deforestation Monitoring is the most ready-to-use solution in our portfolio. We’ve already launched an ongoing First Customer Shipment (FCS) program to collect some feedback and refine it further. Building upon that, we expect to offer the final version of our anti-deforestation tech at a large scale by the end of Q1 2023.
- Climate Accounting and Mitigation
Aside from preventing deforestation, Farmforce is going a step further in terms of climate action. Harnessing our software for farm management, companies can collect and track information on agricultural practices (e.g., fuel consumption, amount and type of fertilisers added to the soil, etc.). Reporting businesses’ scope three carbon footprint will soon become mandatory. Also, rather than relying on average model-based predictions, capturing field-specific carbon first mile data enables you to measure your crop’s climate impact accurately. Accordingly, you’ll steer away from fines triggered by climate washing.
- Farmer App
The time is ripe for providing farmers with a functional mobile app. With our Farmer App, users will be able to:
- Communicate with their stakeholders directly and transparently.
- Find out buying prices before embarking on a costly, time-consuming, and painful journey to reach the local market.
- Access agricultural insights and financial records to improve their yields and have better control over their finances.
Our Farmer App will allow on and off-farm stakeholders to:
Save time and resources by distributing training material to farmers through the app rather than sending their agronomists on-site. Fast-track interactions with farmers, thus facilitating their management. Access more easily and quickly to traceability data to back their sustainability claims (i.e., no child labour, deforestation-free crops), thus eschewing the dangers of greenwashing.
- Digital Payments
To avoid the risks of payments made in cash, we are fine-tuning our digital platform to let smallholders keep track of their payments! By building a digital credit history, our supply chain visibility software unlocks future financial opportunities for growers, who will have more chances to get loans from banks.
On the other hand, buyers are also pushing for incorporating this functionality into Farmforce as it would allow them to pay farmers in real-time. They typically transfer their purchasing data from Farmforce to another platform for paying farmers. However, when following this route, smallholders wait for up to a week before they receive their money. Our integrated system will cover you even when dealing with multiple payment issuers (e.g., Telco and a bank). Tapping into a so-called switch, Farmforce swiftly relays transaction information to the desired receiver in an appropriate format. The same streamlined communication method works when receiving messages from payment issuers.
Conclusions
- Deforestation Due Diligence
- Climate Reporting
- Supply Chain & Livelihood Improvements
Farmforce’s upcoming solutions cater to all players involved in AgriBusiness!