Developing skills & expertise

Digital Farming: Digital technology boosting Ghana’s smallholder cocoa farmers

In Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, smallholder cocoa farmers face declining yields and increasing poverty. Our Digital Farming initiative, known as SAT4Farming in Ghana, is a digital platform that provides these farmers with timely training and tailored advice on sustainable agriculture practices and the most reasonable farm investments for their situation.

Created as a partnership between Grameen Foundation, the Rainforest Alliance, Touton, the University of Ghana, SATelligence and WaterWatch Projects, SAT4Farming complements the use of Digital Farm Development Plans with satellite imagery to design individual Farm Development Plans (FDPs).

Digital FDPs are a breakthrough for smallholder farmers, allowing them to plan ahead and manage costs. They provide a mobile-based decision-making tool for farmers to weigh their options and manage costs. With the incorporation of satellite imagery, field agents and farmers will be able to better assess environmental conditions, such as soil health, water availability, and plant condition.

A key focus of SAT4Farming will be providing services to female cocoa farmers and to a new generation of younger farmers. Through SAT4Farming, smallholder cocoa farmers across Ghana will be able to increase yields, improve their incomes, and build stronger businesses.

Cafeteros Conectados: Helping Coffee Farmers Certify as High-Quality Producers

In partnership with Starbucks and local organizations, we are enabling coffee cooperatives to better reap the rewards of premium certifications such as Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices and Fairtrade Coffee Certifications.

Cafeteros Conectados (Connected Coffee Farmers) has a special focus on women: over half of the Grameen Community Agents and half of the farmers are women—working with a crop that is usually male-dominated. And it has a built-in system to evaluate and strengthen women’s leadership.

Cafeteros Conectados works with farmers to create farm management plans that enable farmers to structure investments, access training, and raise their productivity and crop quality. In the end, after utilizing the plans, farmers are more likely to achieve Certification standards and realize better prices. Many also experience an improved ability to manage their farms as a business—with an entrepreneurial focus.

The plans also allow the Cooperatives to verify that investments are being made as planned and to support farmers when needed.

Cafeteros Conectados benefits buyers, exporters and other agricultural businesses as well by increasing visibility into coffee production levels, quality, and certification compliance.

Creating a Sweeter Future for Cocoa Farmers in Indonesia

Grameen Foundation is working with partners Mars chocolate and UTZ, a global organization that certifies sustainable cocoa farming operations, to create a sweeter future for cocoa farmers in Indonesia.

Currently, there are at least one million cocoa farmers in Indonesia who do not produce enough to support their families. Certification in sustainable farming practices provides access to a higher-paying market for their cocoa. The UTZ project is designing and deploying a smart inspection app to fast-track farmers in becoming more sustainable, resilient and profitable.

The app, co-designed, developed and deployed by Grameen Foundation with Mars and UTZ, will be used by Grameen Community Agents to streamline farmers’ application for sustainable certification, including from UTZ and the Rainforest Alliance. All farmers will be provided with Grameen's digital Farm Development Plan solution, which outlines the work and costs necessary to professionalize their farming and achieve their production goals. These plans give farmers and purchasers powerful insights to improve their operations.

The increase in sustainable practices together with the Farm Development Plan is expected to almost triple farmers’ productivity to nearly 2,000 kg of chocolate per hectare, up from 700 kg per hectare.