Fintrac train farmers in basic practices and small-scale technologies that can drastically improve farm productivity and crop quality.
Transferring Good Agricultural Practices
Fintrac recommends GAPs – low-cost and relatively simple to implement – to directly impact productivity. GAPs also contribute to environmental sustainability and improve food safety, which is why many buyers prefer to work with Fintrac clients. The practices we promote include raised beds to minimize crop damage from flooding and facilitate harvesting; natural mulching to preserve moisture, aerate the soil, and develop nutrients; and intercropping and crop rotation to replenish soil and break pest cycles. Other practices include promoting drip irrigation and fertigation to optimize water and nutrient delivery, increasing plant density to boost yields, and integrating pest management to protect plants and minimize agrochemical use.
Adoption & Innovating Technologies
Fintrac adapts modern agricultural technologies to smallholder needs. Some productivity-enhancing technologies, such as drip irrigation and greenhouse production systems, have traditionally been beyond the reach of smallholder farmers because of the required investment. Soluble fertilizers, biological pest controls, hybrid seeds, and other improved inputs provide a multitude of benefits including increased pest and disease resistance and higher quality produce. Adapting such technologies to the smallholder setting provides the same improved results but at a lower cost.
Fintrac’s integration of these technologies with GAPs delivers even more benefits, including sustainable land and water use, better crop health, and drastically improved yields, which has enabled thousands of smallholders to participate in commercial supply chains in each country where Fintrac has worked.
Postharvest Technologies
We train farmers and agricultural workers in postharvest handling techniques that reduce losses and facilitate grading and sorting. We encourage investment in improved inputs and infrastructure, such as field crates, packing sheds, and cold storage facilities. We create demonstration sites so farmers can see the difference that good handling means to product quality and better understand the resulting gains in end-market prices and opportunities. We also collaborate closely with commercial exporters to establish outgrower supply programs with smallholders that meet the traceability requirements of international standards and protocols.
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