GeoPoll, a real-time mobile survey platform, has partnered with Control Union, a provider of agricultural certifications, food safety, and sustainability solutions, to improve data access to customers in emerging markets.
Control Union will tap GeoPoll’s multimodal mobile platform and database of 200 million users, giving them access the fastest and most cost effective data collection method available in emerging markets.
The partnership will also leverage 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.
“We are pleased to partner with Control Union to improve engagement with smallholder farmers, bringing them increased access to global markets and business opportunities,” said James Eberhard, founder and CEO of GeoPoll.
Together GeoPoll and Control Union will launch several mobile products aimed at non-profits, commercial organizations, exporters and suppliers. Some of them include certification surveys, value chain monitoring, compliance messages and custom surveys.
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.
With this, global brands, exporters, and suppliers, as well as governments and non-profits can 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.
“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, managing director, Control Union.
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