GeoPoll, Control Union to use mobile surveys to engage with farmers in Africa and Asia

The partnership will initially focus on countries in Africa including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda expanding to key markets in Asia including Indonesia and the Philippines.

The deal comes at a time when consumers demanding increased transparency, target value chains include coffee, cocoa, cotton, palm oil, rice, tea, tobacco, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

The partnership will allow Control Union to tap into GeoPoll’s multimodal mobile platform and database of 200 million users, giving it access to the fastest and most cost effective data collection method available in emerging markets.

Together, GeoPoll and Control Union will utilize mobile surveys to engage and educate smallholder farmers in emerging economies, with the goal of reaching 1 million farmers by 2020 via SMS and voice messaging. The partnership will allow commercial organizations such as global brands, exporters, and suppliers, as well as governments and non-profits to ensure social compliance in key value chains and to empower farmers to gain greater access to markets, ultimately adding value for both farmers and consumers.

“Control Union is excited to focus its expertise and better support smallholder farmers. GeoPoll’s team and platform provides us practical tools to connect with rural farming communities to educate, certify and link them to a global marketplace. The survey tools also empower our commercial clients to monitor goods as they move through supply chains, increasing transparency and helping them report better economic and social impact. Accessing information from the most remote farming communities will no longer be a barrier to asking or answering consumer questions,” said Johan Maris, MD, Control Union.

Together GeoPoll and Control Union will launch several mobile products aimed at non-profits, commercial organizations, exporters and suppliers. This will include: Certification Surveys: Mobile survey instruments which will monitor farmers’ compliance with programs such as Global GAP and Organic certifications, Value Chain Monitoring which is a mobile survey instrument that will serve as a tool for sustainable value chain design and monitor social, economic and ecological impact. Compliance Messages, a one-way push content messages promoting agricultural compliance and Custom Surveys, a mobile survey instruments with customized questions and design, allowing clients to collect mobile data which will inform and enhance their operations in local markets.

“We are pleased to partner with Control Union to improve engagement with smallholder farmers, bringing them increased access to global markets and business opportunities. This is an excellent use of the GeoPoll platform, and we’re confident that the better data and increased knowledge generated through this partnership will be beneficial for both farmers and ultimately consumers,” concluded James Eberhard, CEO, GeoPoll.