Farmers: How to Handle Onboarding

The farmer onboarding process plays a crucial role in establishing a solid and productive relationship between agricultural companies and farmers.

Effective onboarding ensures that farmers fully understand the company's requirements, expectations and guidelines, in addition to providing the information they need to start their activities correctly and in line with the business objectives.

In this article, we present a step-by-step guide to help companies carry out efficient and successful farmer onboarding.

WHY IS FARMER APPROVAL IMPORTANT?

Farmer approval plays a fundamental role in ensuring the quality, safety and compliance of agricultural activities. It is a process that involves carefully evaluating farmers to verify whether they meet the requirements set by the company or by government regulations.

KEY ASPECTS OF FARMER APPROVAL.

The importance of approval stands out for several reasons:

1. Product quality: Approval ensures compliance with quality standards, including quality seeds and proper practices. This ensures customer satisfaction and the company's reputation.
2. Food safety: Approval is vital to ensuring food safety by identifying risks and applying preventive measures. This addresses the growing concern among consumers about where their food comes from.
3. Environmental sustainability: Approval assesses sustainable practices, such as soil management and rational water use. This contributes to environmental preservation and to reducing the impacts of agriculture.
4. Regulatory compliance: Approval ensures compliance with specific regulations, avoiding fines and legal problems. It demonstrates commitment to government guidelines and the relevant authorities.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE OF FARMERS.

It is important to consider certain documents and carry out checks to ensure regulatory compliance. Some examples of relevant documents and checks include:

1. Property registration: Verify whether the farmer holds the legal registration of the property, proving ownership and the right to carry out agricultural activities on the site.
2. Pesticide application license: Assess whether the farmer holds the proper license for the use of pesticides, issued by the competent bodies. This ensures that pesticide handling is carried out in accordance with the established safety and control standards.
3. Good agricultural practices certificates: Check whether the farmer holds certifications or adopts recognized good agricultural practices, such as sustainable use of resources, environmental preservation, waste control and animal welfare practices, where applicable.
4. Traceability documentation: Make sure the farmer keeps adequate traceability records, including information on the origin, production, transport and distribution of agricultural products. These records are important to ensure food safety and product quality.
5. Consultation with regulatory bodies: Consult the competent bodies, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) or state agriculture agencies, to verify whether the farmer is duly registered and in compliance with current regulations.
6. Field audits and inspections: Carry out periodic audits and inspections at farmers' properties to verify whether they are following the standards and procedures required by the regulations. These visits may include checking cultivation practices, the use of inputs, waste management, sanitary conditions, and other relevant aspects.

It is important to note that the required documentation and checks may vary according to the specific regulations applicable to the region and the agricultural sector.

BACKGROUND CHECK OF FARMERS.

This is a process of verifying an individual's background and information, generally carried out by companies or institutions to assess integrity, professional and criminal history, as well as other relevant information about a business partner or supplier.

In Brazil, some of the main checks carried out during a background check include:

1. Consultation of the National Registry of Individuals (CPF): This check makes it possible to verify the validity and registration status of the individual's CPF, in addition to basic information such as name, date of birth and parentage.
2. Consultation of the National Registry of Legal Entities (CNPJ): This check is relevant when verifying information about companies, such as their legal existence, economic activity and registration status.
3. Consultation of credit bureaus: Through this check, it is possible to verify whether the individual has outstanding financial obligations, credit restrictions or a history of default. The main credit bureaus in Brazil are Serasa Experian, Boa Vista SCPC and SPC Brasil.
4. Criminal background check: This check is carried out with public security bodies, such as the Federal Police and the state Courts of Justice, to verify whether the individual has criminal records or pending legal matters.

It is important to note that a background check must be carried out in accordance with the applicable legislation and with the consent of the individual involved. It is advisable to seek specialized legal guidance to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations in force during this process.

HOW TO AUTOMATE THE ENTRY OF NEW FARMERS?

An MDM (Master Data Management) software can play a crucial role in the farmer onboarding process, providing a series of benefits and facilitating the efficient integration of these farmers into a central registry. Here's how MDM software can help in this context:

1. Data centralization: Centralizing data, by organizing farmers' information, simplifies onboarding. This covers registration data, history and certifications, resulting in complete visibility.
2. Data standardization and quality: With MDM, ensuring data quality and consistency is paramount. Errors and duplications are avoided, optimizing processes thanks to reliable information.
3. Approval and validation workflows: Configuring approval and validation workflows for data provides careful review. Before approval, different departments review registration information and documents, ensuring completeness.
4. Integration with external systems: Integration with external systems, such as ERP, avoids rework. It facilitates the synchronization of farmers' data across multiple platforms.
5. Process automation: Automation speeds up farmer onboarding. Tasks such as contract generation and document collection are automated, reducing reliance on manual processes.
6. Data monitoring and updating: Continuously monitoring and updating data is essential. This ensures information is always up to date, simplifying contract management, relationships and regulatory compliance.

In short, an MDM software can be a powerful tool to support farmer onboarding, providing data centralization, standardization, quality, automation and integration.

HOW CAN 4MDG ACCELERATE THE ONBOARDING OF YOUR FARMERS?

A 4MDG offers highly configurable and customizable MDM (Master Data Management) software that makes it possible to centralize, standardize and validate business partners' data during the onboarding process.

In addition, the company provides support in diagnostics and requirements gathering, helping companies identify best practices and adapt the software to their specific needs.

With 4MDG's solutions, companies can speed up the onboarding process, reduce errors, improve data quality and strengthen relationships with their business partners, driving business growth and success.

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