Apresentação - RURAL HORIZONS AN EXPERT SYSTEM TO SUPPORT CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT OF FARMERS, feita durante o workshop Aplicação Prática de Sistemas de Mensuração de Sustentabilidade na Gestão da Pecuária Leiteira - UFV

1. RURAL HORIZONS
AN EXPERT SYSTEM TO
SUPPORT CONTINUAL
IMPROVEMENT OF
FARMERS
Harry van der Vliet
Programme Manager Soy and Livestock
Solidaridad - Brazil

3. 3
WE ENVISION A WORLD IN WHICH
ALL WE PRODUCE AND ALL WE
CONSUME CAN SUSTAIN US,
WITH RESPECT FOR THE PLANET,
EACH OTHER AND THE NEXT
GENERATION

4. 4
WE BRING TOGETHER SUPPLY CHAIN
ACTORS, ENGAGE THEM IN INNOVATIVE
SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION,
ENSURING THE TRANSITION TO A
SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMY
WHICH BRINGS BENEFIT TO ALL

5. 5
SOLIDARIDAD OPERATES AS A
WORLD WIDE NETWORK OF
REGIONAL EXPERTISE CENTRES

6. 6
SOLIDARIDAD INITIATES
PROGRAMMES IN KEY
SECTORS WORLDWIDE

7. 7
COLLABORATION WITH PRIVATE
SECTOR IS
PART OF THE SOLUTION

8. WHY ?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHAT ?
RURAL HORIZONS
WHERE DO WE STAND?

9. NINE OUT OF TEN OF THE
WORLD'S 570 MILLION FARMS
ARE SMALL-SCALE PRODUCERS
9
RESPONSIBLE FOR 80% OF THE
WORLD’S FOOD PRODUCTION

10. 10
OPTIMIZING SMALL SCALE
PRODUCTION IS KEY TO SECURE
FOOD SUPPLY AND REDUCE
RURAL POVERTY
Food
security
Environmental
sustainability
Improved
livelihoods

11. SUPPORT EFFECTIVE CHANGE OF
SMALL SCALE PRODUCTION
SYSTEMS IS A MULTI-FACETTED
CHALLENGE
• High cost of technical assistance
• High diversity of farmers profiles
• Low level of organization
• Profusion of standards (legislation,
company codes, certifications, etc)
• Very little or no information on
sustainability performance

12. CERTIFICATION IS A DRIVER
BUT DOES NOT WORK
FOR ALL
12
 Smallholders have a long way to go to reach compliance
 With low premiums, direct market access is only
interesting for the big guys
 Compliance without ownership of the process does not
stimulate continual improvement
 Certification approach is much more based on buyers’
expectations than on farmers real needs

13. FARMERS NEED TARGETED
SUPPORT TO IMPROVE THEIR
PRACTICES STEP-BY-STEP
AND AT THEIR OWN PACE
13

14. THIS REQUIRES CONCRETE
ENGAGEMENT OF ALL
VALUE CHAIN ACTORS
14

15. CONSUMERS INCREASINGLY
EXPECT RETAILERS TO
GUARANTEE THE ORIGIN OF
ALL PRODUCTS
BEYOND LABELLING
15

16. ALL ACTORS IN THE
AGRICULTURAL
VALUE CHAIN
NEED INNOVATIVE
SOLLUTIONS

17. WHY ?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHAT ?
RURAL HORIZONS
WHERE DO WE STAND?

18. 18
RURAL HORIZONS IS
AN INTEGRATED METHODOLOGY
BACKED-UP BY A UNIQUE
EXPERT SYSTEM
TO SUPPORT THE PROCESS OF
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

19. 19
RURAL HORIZONS IS MADE
FOR FARMERS
FOR THEIR ASSOCIATIONS
FOR BUYING COMPANIES

20. IT PROVIDES FARMERS
WITH TOOLS
TO IMPROVE THEIR PRACTICES
STEP BY STEP AND AT THEIR
OWN PACE

21. IT PROVIDES ASSOCIATIONS
WITH INFORMATION
TO TARGET TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE AND FIND SUPPORT

22. IT PROVIDES BUYING COMPANIES
WITH DETAILED DATA
TO ASSESS RISKS AND SUPPORT
A STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH
TOWARDS HIGH QUALITY SUPPLY

23. IT IS AN EXPERT SYSTEM
TO STRUCTURE THE PROCESS OF
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT
UNDERSTAND
CHALLENGES
IDENTIFY
PATH
ACCESS
SUPPORT
MATERIAL
PLAN
ADJUSTMENTS
MONITOR
PROGRESS
PREPARE
FOR
CERTIFICATION

24. AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS
AT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
UNDERSTAND
CHALLENGES
IDENTIFY
PATH
ACCESS
SUPPORT
MATERIAL
PLAN
ADJUSTMENTS
MONITOR
PROGRESS
PREPARE
FOR
CERTIFICATION
SELF-
ASSESSMENT
GUIDE
INDIVIDUAL
ROADMAP
ACTION
PLAN
DIGITAL
LIBRARY
PROGRESS
REPORT
CHECKLIST

25. AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS
AT GROUP LEVEL
UNDERSTAND
CHALLENGES
IDENTIFY
PATH
ACCESS
SUPPORT
MATERIAL
PLAN
ADJUSTMENTS
MONITOR
PROGRESS
PREPARE
FOR
CERTIFICATION
GROUP
BENCHMARK
GROUP
AGENDA
GROUP
PROGRESS
REPORT
INTERNAL
CONTROL
SYSTEM

26. RURAL HORIZONS PROVIDES A
COST-EFFECTIVE, INCLUSIVE AND
SCALABLE FRAMEWORK FOR
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

27. RURAL HORIZONS IS ABOUT
INCLUSION
Producer friendly
Open to all farmers
Bottom up approach

28. RURAL HORIZONS IS ABOUT
ENGAGEMENT
Developed with associations
Confidentiality of individual data
Aggregated data shared with partners

29. RURAL HORIZONS IS ABOUT
CONTINUAL
IMPROVEMENT
Educative process
Multibenchmark
Race to the top

30. EXCELLENCE
Best cases
UNSATISFACTORY
Urgent changes needed
REGULAR
Opportunities for improvement
GOOD
Legal compliance
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4
LADDER
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT

31. RURAL HORIZONS IS ABOUT
COST-
EFFECTIVENESS
Automated generation of roadmaps,
benchmarks & cost estimates
All services available online
Clear economies of scale with
increasing number of participants

32. WHY ?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHAT ?
RURAL HORIZONS
WHERE DO WE STAND?

33. AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS
AT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
UNDERSTAND
CHALLENGES
IDENTIFY
PATH
ACCESS
SUPPORT
MATERIAL
PLAN
ADJUSTMENTS
MONITOR
PROGRESS
PREPARE
FOR
CERTIFICATION
SELF-
ASSESSMENT
GUIDE
INDIVIDUAL
ROADMAP
ACTION
PLAN
DIGITAL
LIBRARY
PROGRESS
REPORT
CHECKLIST

34. AUTOMATED SOLUTIONS
AT GROUP LEVEL
UNDERSTAND
CHALLENGES
IDENTIFY
PATH
ACCESS
SUPPORT
MATERIAL
PLAN
ADJUSTMENTS
MONITOR
PROGRESS
PREPARE
FOR
CERTIFICATION
GROUP
BENCHMARK
GROUP
WORK
PLAN
GROUP
PROGRESS
REPORT
INTERNAL
CONTROL
SYSTEM

35. UNDERSTAND CHALLENGES
SELF-ASSESSMENT GUIDE
 COMPLETION TAKES AT MOST 2 HOURS
 ONLINE AND PRINTED VERSION
 ADAPTED LANGUAGE FOR FARMERS
 DATA ARE NOT AUDITED
 MUCH MORE THAN A QUESTIONNAIRE: A LEARNING TOOL
 MULTIBENCHMARK

36. PRINTED VERSION

37. ONLINE VERSION

38. IDENTIFY PATH
INDIVIDUAL ROADMAP
 GENERAL PERFORMANCE COMPARED TO PEER GROUP
 GOOD PRACTICES AND MAIN CHALLENGES
 LIST OF GAPS IN RELATION TO LAW AND CERTIFICATION STANDARD
 RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADJUST PRODUCTION SYSTEM

39. IDENTIFY PATH
GROUP ANALYSIS
 GROUP AND SUBGROUP AGGREGATED DATA
 GROUP PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO LAW AND CERTIFICATION
STANDARD
 SETS THE AGENDA BY IDENTIFYING GAPS AND PRIORITIES
 COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE WITH SPECIFIC FEATURES THAT
MAY EXPLAIN GAPS.
 POTENTIAL TO BE USED AS A FIRST SET-UP OF AN INTERNAL
CONTROL SYSTEM (ICS)
3

40. PLAN ADJUSTMENTS
WORK PLAN
 ENABLES FARMERS TO BUILD THE AGENDA, ESTIMATE COSTS, PLAN
AND MONITOR ADJUSTMENTS
 ENABLES CALCULATION OF INVESTMENT

41. ACCESS SUPPORT MATERIAL
DIGITAL LIBRARY
 MANUALS, VIDEOS, GUIDES, ETC
 RELEVANT INFORMATION TO HELP FARMERS IMPLEMENT
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
 OPEN LIBRARY (AVAILABLE FOR FARMERS, EXTENSIONISTS,
AUDITORS, ETC.)

42. MONITOR PROGRESS
PROGRESS REPORT
 INDIVIDUAL LEVEL: ONLINE MONITORING OF INDIVIDUAL
PROGRESS COMPARED TO PEER GROUP
 GROUP LEVEL: ONLINE PROGRESS MONITORING PER SUB
GROUP (REGIONS, PROFILES, ETC)
 CALCULATION OF INVESTMENT MADE

43. PREPARE FOR CERTIFICATION
VERIFICATION MODULE
 ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS COVERING ALL CERTIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS
 ONLY FOR FARMERS CLOSE TO CERTIFICATION LEVEL
 ENABLES AUTOMATED CALCULATION OF COMPLIANCE
PERCENTAGE

44. PREPARE FOR CERTIFICATION
INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEM
 MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR GROUP CERTIFICATION
 ENABLES ARCHIVING AND CLASSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS
REQUIRED FOR AUDIT

45. WHY ?
HOW DOES IT WORK?
WHAT ?
RURAL HORIZONS
WHERE DO WE STAND?

46. 8 Commodities
5 Countries
3 Languages

47. 47
>1,600 FARMERS
> 320,000 HECTARES

48. 20 PARTNERS

49. JOIN US
FOR CHANGE
THAT MATTERS
49

50. solidaridadnetwork.org
@solidaridadnetw
/solidaridadnetwork
/company/solidaridad
THANK YOU!
HARRY VAN DER VLIET
HARRY@SOLIDARIDADNETWORK.ORG