GeoTraceability

The company leverages GPS mapping and customized GIS to help clients meet traceability demands in the marketplace. In Ghana, Armajaro Trading Ltd. has used GeoTraceability to map over 48,000 hectares of land and feed this information into a GIS for employees and clients with unique information needs and levels of access. Each farmer receives a unique farmer ID/code, linked to their cocoa certification ID. The process begins with the administration of a field-based questionnaire delivered on-farm by trained field surveyors, capturing information such as pesticide use, land tenure, planting date, and key farm and community infrastructure information. To speed data entry and reduce errors, GeoTraceability uses calibrated, scannable paper questionnaires. The surveyors use handheld Garmin GPS devices to accurately map the boundaries of farms, and the data is stored in the GPS and uploaded weekly into the database. GeoTraceability charges clients to customize the database and establish the GIS, and there is a software licensing fee per laptop. The cost range for cocoa in Ghana is between $5-25 USD/hectare. The company has mapped 27,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana, covering 48,000 hectares across 15 districts, and has global figures of 64,000 farmers in 7 countries. GeoTraceability is a private company with 15 full-time staff, mostly based in the countries of operation, and uses a cloud-based system to maximize efficiency. Using GeoTraceability, Armajaro is able to quickly determine which cocoa plantations are the oldest to prioritize and target replanting efforts. Armajaro also discovered that actual average cocoa farm size is considerably smaller (1.6 hectares) than assumed (3 hectares). Although these farmers had higher yields on smaller plots than originally thought, they were also more land/resource constrained. Armajaro is also investing in mapping 3,000 cotton farms, which will allow farmers to receive inputs on credit based on actual farm size, rather than estimated size. GeoTraceability's technology has the potential to improve relations and nurture performance incentives among farmers, as they will receive greater net payouts at the end of the season. The company's technology has been used in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, and has been supported by USAID's Fostering Agriculture Competitiveness Employing Information Communication Technologies (FACET) project.