Measure to Improve, a Salinas, Calif.-based sustainability consulting firm, is poised to launch a software solution designed to help growers respond to Walmart and similar buyer surveys efficiently and effectively, according to a news release.
One of MTI’s Core Programs and Services is Buyer Survey Support, which supports clients in responding to buyer sustainability information requests accurately, completely and confidently, the release said.
Having worked with growers on these requests, MTI says it sees how challenging, time-consuming and confusing the collection and reporting of this information can be. Data is often required from multiple sources and locations and must be analyzed and interpreted in a limited amount of time.
“The produce industry faces unique obstacles related to seasonality, multiple cropping systems and complex production systems that make it more difficult to respond to surveys designed for a broad range of agricultural suppliers,” Measure to Improve CEO and founder Nikki Cossio said in the release. “After years of collaborating with our clients throughout the fresh produce supply chain, the critical need for an all-encompassing software solution to address these challenges became apparent.”
In 2022, MTI began looking for partners capable of developing a software solution tailored to these needs and found alignment with CropTrak and iDecisionSciences. Both companies provide a user-friendly tool that simplifies data collection and aggregation and enhances the value of this information as a management and decision-making resource, the release said.
CropTrak is known for its easy-to-use, grower-friendly data solutions, and IDS for its data analysis, aggregation and transformation along produce supply chains, according to the release. Combined with MTI’s sustainability expertise, the collaboration brings a new tool to the industry, the release said.
“Several of our major customers have used CropTrak form-based software to collect survey metrics for sustainability initiatives in recent years,” Landon Morris, CropTrak vice president of marketing, said in the release. “The leading perspectives from MTI and IDS together allowed us to develop a standalone application built specifically to address this growing market need.”
The MTI, IDS and CropTrak collaboration has accelerated CropTrak’s commercialization timeline for a survey-focused application to support growers, suppliers and retailers, the release said. The solution will automate and streamline various manual steps involved in data gathering, input, aggregation, analysis and interpretation.
The solution also facilitates real-time data collection for growers, enabling them not only to be prepared for survey requests, but also to use the gathered information for informed management decisions, the release said. Among the software’s benefits will be the capability for aggregators to engage in peer-to-peer comparisons with the aim of collaboration and sharing best practices within the industry.
“We are excited to partner with MTI and CropTrak on a supply chain solution that supports growers,” iDecisionSciences CEO Diane Wetherington said in the release. “Our joint efforts will enable the seamless exchange of sustainability insights across the entire supply chain and help ensure that consumers are well-informed about the ongoing sustainability initiatives to produce their food. As with food safety, sustainability is an ongoing journey that we all acknowledge as crucial for safeguarding the availability of healthy food in both the present and the future.”
Measure to Improve says it is currently conducting a limited software release to a select group of existing clients. The tool is scheduled for public release in 2024.
