FARMER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Burke Agro manages one of the largest organic fruit farming programs in Central America, which is comprised of over 450 smallholder farmers and 476 hectares of certified organic farmland.
The company’s team of agronomists partners with community leaders to strengthen relationships with smallholder farmers and ensure quality, productivity, certifications, and a consistent and transparent purchase process. The team is responsible for hosting workshops and training programs for farmers, monitoring yields and productivity, resolving pest and disease control issues, providing recommendations for improved production on farms, and monitoring the internal control system and the good governance of its members.
Burke Agro actively monitors key performance indicators and helps farmers apply organic inputs to their land and incorporate regenerative farming practices. Carbon sequestration, soil formation and quality, water capture and quality, pollination and seed dispersal, climate stability, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and air quality are interdependent ecological outcomes that Burke Agro is focused on. The results of these actions are increased income and improved livelihoods for smallholder farming families.
By providing hands-on technical support and a roadmap for best practice implementation, Burke Agro is incorporating into its value chain a wave of new farmers that are transitioning to organic farming techniques. Additionally, as a result of the company’s integrated farmer development program, farming families are taught the importance of the sustainability of their land and the value of allowing future generations to have access to productive and healthy farms.
