A partnership between GeoPoll and Control Union will bring these small farms into broad supply chains.
An American based company called GeoPoll is now partnering with an international agricultural inspection and safety services provider, Control Union, in order to use mobile technology to make it possible for African farmers to make their way into the global supply chain.
This will give the farmers the chance to sell on a global scale while ensuring standard business practice compliance.
GeoPoll is a provider of tech for data collection by way of mobile survey platforms. The Control Union will be able to use that mobile technology in order to be able to connect with farmers in Africa in order to be able to learn more about their practices. This will help to boost the level of transparency available for global food supply chains. The primary focus will be on cotton, tobacco, coffee, cocoa, rice, fruits and vegetables, and palm oil.
The mobile technology based data gathering will provide a connection with rural farming communities.
By using the GeoPoll tech based on mobile devices, Control Union will make contact with those communities in rural Africa in order to educate them, certify them, and provide them with a connection with the global marketplace by way of its own inspection operation network, as well as its dedicated labs and independent global cargo surveying.
According to Roxana Elliott, the director of communications at GeoPoll, “Right now, it is very difficult to reach smallholder farmers and those in the surrounding communities to ensure social compliance.” She added that “International exporters and suppliers want this information so they can buy from smallholder farms with the knowledge that they are engaging in suitable business practices.”
The surveys over mobile technology have been designed to make it possible for governments, exporters, suppliers, and other commercial organizations to be able to track the compliance with standard food practices, as well as to make certain that the operations of the farmers are ethical and will obey regulations with regards to employee rights issues, child labor issues, as well as ensuring that appropriate working conditions are in place.
