N+3F brings a Pesticide-Free revolution for a Safer Tomorrow with TraceX Solutions

Problem: 

N+3F faces several challenges in promoting pesticide-free sustainable agriculture and ensuring the safety of food systems. These challenges include difficulties in farm management for efficient crop yields, lack of digitization leading to inefficient processes, the need for quality checks to ensure product safety, and the necessity for collaboration among stakeholders to build trust. 

 

Solution: 

To address these challenges, N+3F partners with TraceX to leverage their traceability solutions. Specifically, they utilize a blockchain-powered traceability platform, to implement end-to-end traceability and bring visibility into the supply chain. This solution enables streamlined farm management, digitization of activities, quality checks for Maximum Residue Limits (MRL), and collaboration among stakeholders. 

 

Result: 

By implementing TraceX’s traceability solutions, N+3F successfully overcomes their challenges and achieves their goals of promoting pesticide-free sustainable agriculture and ensuring the safety of food systems. They are able to efficiently manage crop growth and harvests, digitize their activities for streamlined processes, conduct quality checks to ensure product safety, and collaborate effectively with stakeholders to build trust.  

Free 30-Min Consultation
n+3f case study, food traceability, food supply chain, blockchain traceability

Non Pesticidal Movement in Agriculture

The pandemic brought a shift in consumers’ behaviour towards healthy food with the rising awareness of chemically laden food which brings its own risks. The need for a shift to nature-positive agriculture is rapidly increasing. The focus is on producing an adequate quantity of nutritious food in a sustainable manner. The non-pesticidal management of agriculture is a network to advocate pesticide-free sustainable agriculture and food systems.  

The shift from conventional farming to organic farming involves a large capital and takes time. Non-pesticidal management of agriculture bridges this gap. It involves various strategies to control pests and maintain the health of the crops. A number of pesticide-free practices are employed to improve soil health before sowing and thereby strengthen the crop ecosystem.  

The traces pesticides leave in products is called the residue. A Maximum Residue Level (MRL) is the highest level of pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in the food or the feed. The MRL value should be as low as possible in food for safe consumption. 

About the Organization

N+3F is a nonprofit support organization that promotes nature-positive farming and food systems at scale across India. 

N+3F believes in working towards the non-pesticidal management of agriculture for the well-being of the people and the planet. 

N+3F (Nature-Positive Farming and Food Systems) is based out at Bengaluru, Karnataka associated with SPS (Samaj Pragati Sahayog) who are connected to women farmers in the region of Madhya Pradesh, who are cultivating Wheat, Bengal Gram in Rabi season. 

It works in collaboration with a number of organizations, FPOs, and NGOs all over India. Ram Rahim Pragati Producer Company Limited (RRPPCL) in Madhya Pradesh is one such FPO tied to N+3F that empowers farmers to deliver quality crops to markets and Food Processing organizations. 

Safe Harvest is the first brand in the country to sell pesticide-free food in the safe food category and the testing of MRL is mandatory for all of its products.  

“Farmers who practice NPM earn around 20 percent more than those who cultivate conventionally.”

The Challenges that N+3F Encountered.

N+3F embarked on a mission to revolutionize agriculture. Their goal? To cultivate pesticide-free crops and deliver safe, nutritious food to consumers across the country. But as they ventured into this noble endeavour, they encountered a myriad of challenges along the way. 

First and foremost, they struggled with farm management. Planning crop growth and harvests seemed like an insurmountable task, especially without proper guidance and support. Additionally, their efforts to implement efficient farming practices were hindered by the absence of structured crop activity schedules. 

Realizing the need for modernization, N+3F sought to digitize their activities. However, this transition proved to be a daunting feat, with cumbersome processes and manual harvest management systems slowing them down. 

Moreover, ensuring the safety of their products was paramount. Quality checks for Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) became a necessity to guarantee that their pesticide-free crops met stringent safety standards. 

Yet, perhaps the greatest challenge they faced was building trust among stakeholders. Collaborating with suppliers, distributors, and consumers required transparency and reliability, qualities that were hard to establish in a traditional farming setup. 

But amidst these trials and tribulations, N+3F found a glimmer of hope in the form of market linkages and insights. With access to valuable market data and strategic insights, they envisioned higher profits and greater opportunities for growth. 

And so, armed with determination and resilience, N+3F embarked on a journey to overcome these challenges and pave the way for a brighter, safer future in agriculture. 

TraceX’s Farm Management Solutions had the answer

N+3F connects with TraceX to use their farm management solutions and ensure their desired results. TraceX is a blockchain-powered traceability platform that provides end-to-end traceability and brings visibility into the supply chain.  

The Farm Management Solutions

TraceX solutions offer a comprehensive suite of tools and features tailored to meet the diverse needs of agricultural enterprises like RRPPCL FPO. 

Farmer Onboarding 

Through a user-friendly mobile app, TraceX facilitates the onboarding process, allowing 265 farmers to seamlessly join the platform. TraceX’s onboarding module collects an exhaustive set of data on farmers, thereby supporting sustainable farming which is good for the farmer and the planet.  

n+3f case study, food traceability, food supply chain, blockchain traceability

Farm Plotting 

Once onboarded, a farm area spanning 320 hectares is meticulously mapped with geo-coordinates, providing a visual representation of the agricultural landscape. 

Crop Management & Package of Practices 

With Red gram crop details configured in the system, TraceX enables efficient management of crop activities. Various crop activities, including schedules and input details, are meticulously configured to ensure optimal cultivation practices. This comprehensive approach ensures that farmers have access to all the necessary information and resources to maximize crop yields and quality. 

Harvest Management 

One of the standout features of TraceX is its ability to generate harvest dashboards, providing real-time monitoring and tracking of harvest schedules. This functionality allows farmers and stakeholders to stay informed and proactive throughout the harvesting process, optimizing efficiency and productivity. 

Furthermore, it simplifies inventory management by automatically generating batch IDs and recording inventory data. This streamlines the logistics process, ensuring accurate and timely dispatch of 50kg bags to RRPPCL FPO. 

The solution also plays a crucial role in ensuring product quality and safety. Through integrated MRL testing capabilities, it enables rigorous quality certification processes, ensuring that products meet established safety standards. Once quality certification is obtained, the platform facilitates the seamless dispatch of bags to the milling process. 

Post Harvest Processing 

Finally, TraceX extends its support beyond the harvest phase, facilitating post-harvest processes such as milling, packaging, and labeling. This end-to-end solution ensures that every stage of the agricultural supply chain is optimized for efficiency, transparency, and quality assurance, ultimately empowering agricultural enterprises like RRPPCL FPO to thrive in today’s competitive market. 

n+3f case study, food traceability, food supply chain, blockchain traceability

Key Takeaways

  1. Empowerment Through Collaboration: N+3F collaborates with Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Madhya Pradesh, empowering women farmers and enabling them to deliver high-quality crops to markets and food processing organizations.
  2. Improved Incomes and Reduced Input Costs: Farmers associated with FPOs witness significant improvements in their incomes, along with drastic reductions in input costs, contributing to their economic well-being.
  3. Fair Compensation Practices: Fair weighing practices ensure that farmers are compensated fairly for every gram of produce sold, fostering trust and transparency in the agricultural value chain.
  4. Enhanced Consumer Trust: Blockchain traceability solutions implemented by N+3F provide authenticity and validation of crop practices and sustainability claims. This builds trust among consumers, leading to the establishment of safe and trustworthy brands in the market.
  5. Access to Premium Markets: FPOs equipped with traceability solutions have the potential to access premium customer segments, further enhancing market opportunities and revenue potential for farmers and organizations involved in sustainable agriculture.
EXPLORE OUR PRODUCT

Start using TraceX

Transparency, Trust and Success for your Climate Journey.

carbon management platform, carbon accounting software, carbon accounting solutions, crop management software