Proganic connects avocado growing in Tanzania with planning in the Netherlands
Making field observations accessible to the business in the Netherlands.
Published
How do you manage an international growing operation when your staff work thousands of kilometres away every day? Proganic uses iCrop to make field observations accessible to the business in the Netherlands.
Proganic produces and supplies organic avocados. The company works with growers in Tanzania and organises the chain from growing to export. Good collaboration between the people working with growers and the office in the Netherlands is essential.
For avocado production, that collaboration starts with knowing what is happening in the fields. How is the fruit developing? What yield is expected? And when will a field be ready for harvest?
Avocado growing in Tanzania. Photo: Proganic.
Recording information where the work happens
Proganic’s agronomists visit growers in Tanzania and record their observations in iCrop. Visit reports include information on expected yield and the dry matter content of the avocados: an important indicator for determining harvest timing.
From the Netherlands, Proganic manages the farms and reviews the recorded observations. Field staff and the person responsible for planning therefore work from the same information.
The growers do not need to use an app themselves. Recording is handled by the agronomists who visit them. This fits the way Proganic organises its support for growers.
Field observations help inform discussions about harvest timing. Photo: Proganic.
From field observation to harvest decision
For Proganic, a visit report is more than a record of a farm visit. The information forms the basis for harvest planning.
In the Netherlands, observations in iCrop are used to assess when avocados are likely to be ready for harvest and what volumes will become available. The plan is then developed in Excel.
Field observations therefore have a concrete role in day-to-day operations: they help align crop development with the planned harvest.
Fitting an existing way of working
When introducing iCrop, Proganic did not have to devise an entirely new process. The company was looking for a system that could support its existing way of working.
The workspace was therefore configured around its own visit reports, measurements and information needs. Following user training, staff began using it. Practical experience was used to further improve the configuration and use of the system.
The next step: connecting records and planning more closely
With field recording now in use, Proganic and AppsforAgri are exploring further support for harvest planning. One possibility is to translate dry matter measurements and expected yields into an overview of potential harvest volumes per week.
Recording the actual kilograms harvested per field is also a desired next step. Proganic wants to compare expectations with actual results more effectively and build knowledge for future harvest periods.
With iCrop, Proganic connects local crop knowledge with international operations. The information starts with avocados in Tanzania and supports decisions in the Netherlands.
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