28 June 2023
AgroDTech joins the GLOBALG.A.P. community from Brazil
Our newest community member, AgroDTech, is headquartered in Caxias do Sul in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. This region is known for its abundance of grapes, apples, peaches, persimmons, kiwis, and a wide range of vegetables, many of which are produced on family farms.
Traceability and efficiency through technology
Originally established over ten years ago to provide project design and management services tothe agribusiness and food and beverage sectors, the company has now dialed its focus in on using technology to help fruit and vegetable producersimprove their efficiency and traceability. In 2018, AgroDTech began developing AgroD, a field notebook app that assists with the daily tasks of producers, field techs, and purchasers who need to monitor production processes. There are now more than 300 producers using the app.
The company also has a ten-member training team that helps develop programs for good agricultural practices, traceability and farm management, technical assistance in fruit production, and sprayer inspection and regulation.
Tauê Bozzetto Hamm, an agronomist who became a partner in the company in 2017, says that “with knowledge, innovation, and technology, rural producers can achieve better results economically, socially, and environmentally.”
Bringing localg.a.p. and GLOBALG.A.P. to Brazilian producers
Janine Basso Lisboa, another partner at AgroDTech, first began working with EUREPGAP (the original name of the GLOBALG.A.P. brand) in apple production in the early 2000s. This experience opened her eyes to the potential for technology in fruit and vegetable production, as consumers increasingly demand proof of good agricultural practices and traceability. Janine, who began working with the Safe Food Program (PAS) developed by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) for grapes for processing in 2013, turned to the GLOBALG.A.P. Secretariat for help with the development of a localg.a.p. program for grape production. AgroDTech is now establishing this protocol with 500 rural producers that provide grapes to nine processors in the region.
“We believe that by the next season, in 2024, we will have a large number of producers who have adopted localg.a.p. as a pilot project in Brazil, ” said Janine. By becoming a GLOBALG.A.P. Associate Community Member, AgroDTech is taking further steps towards quality and innovation.
“Within the next few months, we will be undergoing training to become a verification body for localg.a.p., and some professionals are being prepared to provide consultancy in implementing GLOBALG.A.P. solutions, ” explained Janine. “We are seeing an interest in the market in other segments too, and we believe that this is just the beginning of a major project.”
Valuable collaboration through GLOBALG.A.P. Community Membership
As an associate community member, AgroDTech will join our network of likeminded companies in the food and agriculture sector and will be able to providevaluable contributions to our system as we continuously review and update our standards.
Read more here to learn how becoming a GLOBALG.A.P. Community Member can help advance safe, socially and environmentally responsible farming practices around the world.
Photo: By kind permission of AgroDTech
left: Janine Basso Lisbôa - Project Manager AgroDTech
right: Tauê Bozzetto Hamm - Technical Manager AgroDTech
