BELIZE CITY, BELIZE — Dimitra Incorporated, a global Agtech company on a mission to make its technology available to farmers globally, has developed and released its second set of five satellite reports included within the basic Connected Farmer platform. These reports play a significant role in providing farmers with actionable data to increase yield, reduce expenses and mitigate risk.

Dimitra’s mission is to ensure every farmer, regardless of economic status, has access to simple, beautiful, and actionable technology. In August 2022, Dimitra announced that they had released five satellite reports to improve farming performance.

Today, Dimitra has developed a total of fifteen additional satellite reports to help farmers make informed decisions to improve their productivity and farm more sustainably. These reports are available to farmers, in addition to the core set of five satellite reports for performance analysis. Keep reading to learn more about the functions of the second set of reports.

Dimitra Satellite Reports 6 to 10

Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) uses to remotely assess vegetation conditions in areas with a high density of trees, such as rainforests. One common application of EVI is it is used to identify stress related to drought over different landscapes.

Green Chlorophyll Vegetation Index (GCI) monitors the impact of seasonality, environmental stress, or pesticides on vegetation health. It’s used to estimate the amount of chlorophyll present in various crop species, which in turn contributes to biomass production that is measured by the crop health index (NDVI). The chlorophyll content mainly reflects the physiological state of vegetation. GCI values are low in stressed vegetation.

Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI) measures the photosynthetic activity in the vegetation cover. GNDVI is very useful in detecting wilted or aged crops, which in turn helps farmers identify ready-to-harvest crops.

Structure Intensive Pigment Vegetation Index (SIPI) helps identify early signs of crop disease or other causes of plant stress. It measures the ratio of carotenoids to chlorophyll content. It is beneficial in crops with a variable canopy structure. The increased values of the SIPI signal are an indication of vegetation stress.

Normalized Burned Ratio (NBR) highlights burned agricultural lands. It is handy in detecting active wildfires in agriculture and forestry to analyze the severity of burned areas and monitor the vegetation survival after the burn. NBR is also valuable for detecting stubble burning in agricultural fields after harvesting crops, often leading to air pollution.

BELIZE CITY, BELIZE — Dimitra Incorporated, a global Agtech company, is on a mission to make technology available for farmers worldwide. As a result, Dimitra has signed an agreement with the Uniagraria University of Colombia. Uniagraria is one of Colombia’s most recognized universities focused on agribusiness. Dimitra and Uniagraria will teach small holder farmers how to use digital technologies to increase their yield, reduce expenses, and mitigate risk within the Colombian agricultural industry.

In the Colombian agricultural industry, knowledge about Agtech is minimal. Small and medium farmers hold responsibility for 83.5% of the goods produced for the local region supply chain and food security. Dimitra’s Connected Farmer Platform utilizes a data driven farming approach. Agricultural production rates can increase by implementing these agriculture methods.

It is necessary to lead at the national level, to implement these changes on the farm. One way to do this is by spreading the knowledge of the industry’s digital transformation to professors and university students, who can knowingly apply and use these technologies.

Dr. Fernando Mahecha Aguilera, Dimitra’s Colombian Sales Partner, says, “combining Dimitra’s and Uniagraria’s knowledge gives this effort more value. With the support of an expert entity in education, such as Uniagraria, the utility of this project will grow immensely.” Working with Uniagraria is just the beginning. Joining forces with other institutions will add value even more to this partnership through joint research and data analysis.

Dimitra and Uniagraria are exploring opportunities to expand technical knowledge, increase profit, and reduce costs to smallholder farmers who currently don’t have access to modern technology. With Dimitra’s Connected Farmer Platform, farmers can produce more sustainably, economically, and environmentally.

Dimitra is a unique name. It is a nod to ancient mythology. In Greek culture, Demeter, or Dimitra, is the Goddess of Agriculture, responsible for bringing knowledge on how to cultivate the land and credited for producing successful harvest. Our company, Dimitra, aligns beautifully with this idea of providing resources to increase growth for farmers.

Here’s a little history on Dimitra, and how the tales and ethos surrounding her identity align with our own mission.

The Goddess Dimitra

Δημήτηρ, Dimitra/Demeter, is an Olympian goddess, ruling from Mount Olympus over the harvest and agriculture, the grains, and fertility of the earth. They would affectionately call her “she of the grain” and “giver of customs.” A distinctly female divinity, the motifs that surround Dimitra’s identity include fruitfulness, one who brings something to pass, and divine giver. This benefactress presides over sacred law that governs the cycles of life, death, the crops and the harvest.

• Dimitra is the mother of Persophones, the goddess of spring growth who searched for her daughter. A tale described in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, thought to have been penned sometime between 1400 – 1200 BC.
• Dimitra, a Greek goddess, closely associated with a Roman goddess, Ceres, and an Anatolian goddess, Cybele.
• As an earth goddess, Dimitra’s iconography includes fruits, grains, flowers, and similar symbols of growth and new life. Her emblem is a poppy.

Praise of Dimitra

Cretans were recorded to have worshiped the goddess Dimitra. She was in two major festivals: the Thesmophoria festival and the Eleusinian festival.

Ancient cultures did not have access to information about the science of farming. They were governed by superstitions, appealing to goddesses like Dimitra to bring them prosperity and good fortune.

Today, while the body of knowledge around agriculture has improved, there are still many farmers around the world who have understanding but lack the tools needed to support growth.

That is where we come in, and why we take this namesake as a charge to further our mission.

Dimitra: Agricultural Technology for Farmers Around the World

Here is a summary of our purpose-built platform:

“Dimitra Platform v1.0 is built to ensure equal access to technology, knowledge, and marketplaces to farmers globally. Dimitra v1.0 is a global platform that fosters collaboration between farmers, government ministries, international aid organizations, universities, agricultural input and service companies, finance and insurance companies, and other key stakeholders in the Agricultural value chain.”

We are working in the world, offering oversight, guidance, and provision to farmers.

Using the power of technology we are passionate about equipping smallholder farmers all over the world with resources that, compared to how they operate today, may even feel supernatural.

To be sure, the intricacies of technology connected by IoT and using things like data, sensors, satellite imagery, and more is at a level of sophistication most smallholder farmers in developing countries have never dreamed of.

We are delivering on a vision to enhance the agricultural capability of farmers across the globe.

Farmers are now, and always will be, at the heart of our solution. We work every day to give more to them.

Our Platform

In under developed countries around the world, women make up an average of 45% of the agricultural workforce. Women-run farming operations provide essential income for families combating poverty and lend to the economic needs of developing communities.

In the coffee industry alone, female farmers contribute up to 70% of labor in leading regions. But the effects of gender inequality do not go un noticed. As economic barriers and safety risks in the field continue to hold female farmers back.

Inequality Challenges Faced by Women in the Coffee Industry

Coffee farming takes place in some of the least developed areas in the world. Where farmers lack access to modern resources to sustain growth. In these regions, women experience limited access to farm funding, land rights, agricultural tools, and technology that are essential to reaping adequate yields and profits each year.

The ownership and holding of land are two domains of an opportunity. Landowners are those who legally own the rights and documentation to control or transfer their land as needed.

However, only 18–50% of landowners in the world are women, and women account for only 15% of agricultural land holders globally despite making up so much farm labor.

Domestic requirements place further limitations on female farmers. Working mothers are often solely responsible for their households’ childcare, cooking, cleaning, and overall health. Meeting these demands results in fewer working hours compared to men, and limits their capacity to earn the estimated income goals required to live above poverty.

Between 20% to 30% of coffee plantations are staffed with female farm laborers, meaning out of the estimated 25 million coffee farmers in the world today, over 5 million are women. Still, because of gender inequality, limited small holder resources, and domestic commitments, these women produce 20% less than male coffee farmers.

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) predicts if these gender gaps could be mitigated with continued effort, there would be an extra 30 billion cups of coffee per year. In global agriculture as a whole, closing the gender gap would ultimately decrease world hunger.

Meet Fitria Syahroni

Fitria Syahroni (age 34) works along side her husband at the Solok Radjo buying station in Sumatra, Indonesia. In that role, she educates local farmers on how to plant and harvest red cherry, while her husband Endro works in fermentation. She is a second generation leader of a Solok Radjo coffee cooperative two and a half hours outside of Padang.

Fitria’s story is an inspiring one. Since 2016, she has been legally blind due to complications from diabetes. Despite her disability, she works hard every day to proactively communicate and improve the skills of farmers throughout the region.

She explains, “I can listen, I can touch, I can smell, and I can talk. My blindness does not limit my goals and my purpose of life. I even want to do more. I encourage people to continuously learn, to never be afraid of making mistakes.”

Her impact has grown beyond the immediate area, and she now mentors students from universities and schools in the important practices around farming coffee. She is also now part of the “Coffee Curriculum” initiative championed by Dimitra, helping liaise between leadership at local schools and supporting curriculum preparation and delivery. Fitria and Endro have been local champions of the Dimitra Connected Coffee platform, embracing how technology can help manage their soil, farming and processes and help them make better decisions regarding their end to end coffee process.

Fitria is one powerful example of how women are stepping into more leadership roles in the coffee industry. One key catalyst that is shrinking the gender gap is agriculture technology.

Accessible Agtech to Bridge the Gender Gap

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a list of 17 actions toward improving life for the planet and people everywhere. Two of the top five of these goals include mitigating world hunger (#2) and achieving gender equality (#5).

For female land laborers and small holder farms everywhere, reliable technology is the answer. These modern technologies help empower female farmers to over come obstacles faced in the field by enabling sustainable growth, smart farming practices, and maximized profit.

Governments and economies working with technological solutions help break down the barriers of the gender gap through:

• Land management
• Traceability
• Optimized crop planning
• Land documentation
• Informed trade and purchase
• Inventory control
• Operation cost management
• And more

Encouraging access to land holder data, farm funding opportunities, coffee cooperatives, and farm performance management are critical to the future of coffee farming. No matter the gender, location, or situation of a farmer. Every person working in agriculture deserves equal access to the tech and education required for growth.

As a leading agricultural technology company, Dimitra aims to fuel this mission by providing reachable solutions to global coffee farmers. Dimitra’s Connected Coffee Platform advances small holder farmer operations to improve farmer potential, productivity, and profit. Dimitra is partnering with local agencies and governments across the world to work towards these goals.

Dimitra embraces block chain technology and uses their $DMTR token as a catalyst for the Dimitra eco system allowing farmers to exchange their data for tokens which can be used to access advanced analytic reports, sensors, farming aids, drone or satellite services or convert tokens to currency. $DMTR token holders enable Dimitra’s various applications to be delivered to small holder farmers free of charge by sponsoring a project and staking their tokens.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the milk consumption rate per capita has doubled in developing countries since the 1960s and continues to grow. Dairy is a high-demand global industry with intense labor requirements, but it also offers major economic benefits. Developing countries could benefit greatly from these economic benefits but often lack the advanced technology necessary at the farm to make data driven decisions. Dairy performance.

Quality, quantity and cost of livestock feed are a concern for large and smallholder farmers.

Appropriate protocols for both grain and pasture feeding require innovative nutrient sourcing, supervised dietary inventory, and careful genetic considerations for maintaining and producing healthy dairy cattle.

The production rate and quality of milk rely on strategies implemented during every stage of dairy production. Dietary requirements of cattle vary depending on age, health, breed, intended use, and season. But farmers without reliable systems for tracking find these variables difficult to manage.

Using the Dimitra Livestock Guru System, farmers around the world have access to a reliable platform that records farm-critical information such as feed management, grazing patterns, milk production, breeding and genetics, performance management, and more. Machine learning and artificial intelligence provide relevant insights to improve all aspects of dairy farming.

Feed Management

Feed is the primary cost of dairy agriculture in every country, followed by heifer raising and labor. Sufficient feeding patterns, access to clean drinking water, proper nutritional intake, and optimal digestibility are vital for dairy livestock to yield maximum production.

A comprehensive feed management system enables the formulation of rations according to the nutrient requirements of livestock and feeding strategies. It is a centralized place to monitor and analyze farm performance by using the reporting features, facilitating effective management of feed inventories.

The quality and quantity of nutrients in feed must be closely monitored to ensure optimal balance. A comprehensive feed management system allows farmers to supply, track, and diagnose the dietary needs of their livestock. During maintenance, milk production, and reproduction phases throughout the farm. Dairy performance.

Effective feed management includes:

• Nutritional intake guidelines for registered livestock
• Feed inventory control
• Ration formulation
• Feed cost management
• Optimal feed scheduling
• Feed effects on cow and herd health
• Production and performance analysis

Business benefits:

• Cost Monitoring Benefits
• Feed Inventory management
• Ration Formulation
• Feed Analytics
• Pasture Management with Grazing
• Feed traceability

Livestock must have adequate nutrient availability to reach optimal milk production. Many farmers use digital systems to record daily operations, feeding management, and the status of individual livestock. By expanding the current tracking methods from birth to maturity. Our Dimitra Livestock Guru provides farmers with every tool they need for livestock management.

Dimitra’s Livestock Guru feed management system design is based of the following three strategies:

Grazing Management of Dairy Livestock

Pastures are a vital resource to the livestock industry worldwide as they are a main source of feed for ruminant animals. To follow best practices that encourage healthy grazing and sustainable farming, farmers need reliable solutions that show them a 360-degree view of how their herd is grazing.

Dimitra Livestock Guru allows farmers to plan and make informed decisions that prevent overgrazing while following an effective management system to reach realistic production goals. This feed management IoT system lets farms reap the benefits of informative and efficient grazing:

• Overall animal welfare
• Increase in milk productivity
• Decrease in production costs
• Improving pasture ecosystems
• Raising forage crop yield
• Practicing sustainable pasture management

Grazing cows have been found to experience better health and quality of life than conventional indoor livestock. A three-year study in Switzerland found that cows who received processed feed in addition to a pasture-based diet had a decrease in milk quality. When farmers are informed of proper grazing management, they are given more opportunities to improve the quality of the milk. Dairy performance.

Improving Dairy Cattle Milk Productivity & Quality

Milk yield and quality are immediate and generational concerns. In addition to animal health, several factors affect milk quality, including genetics, nutritional provision, environmental stress, age, as well as seasonal conditions.

With superior feeding and grazing management, farms can reach peak milk production and quality. That’s not the end goal, though. Farmers can now maintain the vitality of dairy livestock so well that genetic recording can identify cattle with the greatest potential for breeding high-yield dairy cows.

At Dimitra, we believe farmers deserve the best no matter where they are. From dairy feed management and cattle record keeping to advanced genetic technology programs, our Livestock Guru System gives farmers access to data banks they need to achieve goals that help their business and the planet.

With the genetic analytics critical to prime livestock mate selection, only the best dairy cattle are chosen for reproduction, furthering the production of top-quality milk at higher volumes year after year. Animal health and activity monitoring for needed interventions and predicting disease and productivity analysis to help make informed decisions are tools that farmers can benefit from. This gives farmers opportunities to enter more competitive markets, where they can continue to improve the farming and dairy demands of the world in a way that’s profitable, healthy, and environmentally responsible.

Dimitra is featured as the cover story for American Dairymen’s October issue!

Quinoa in Bolivia – Our latest Case Study is out!

With Dimitra’s Connected Farmer Platform and other agriculture technology tools. Farmers in Bolivia can advance their understanding and practices to improve quinoa crops.

Take a look at our latest Case Study on Quinoa in Bolivia: Coordinated Efforts for Long-Term, Sustainable Solutions here: https://bit.ly/3fGZyal

Dimitra

Erasing uncertainty and building practices. A transformation is occurring among farmers in Bolivia, for quinoa and other high value crops. Most farmers in the region still engage in low tech processes. Pest attacks and soil degradation are jeopardizing profits from the high export value of quinoa. In 2021, the United States spent nearly $25 million Bolivian quinoa: countries throughout Europe, North America, China, and other regions spent an additional $55 million on Bolivian quinoa. Lack of widespread knowledge on scientific methods of cultivation and actionable solutions to disruption under mine Bolivian farmers ability to reliably profit from quinoa.

Bolivia’s Farmers need Education and Empowerment

Dimitra, the Government of the State of Oruro, SwissContact Bolivia, the Proinpa Foundation, and the Plagbol Foundation are all contributing to a new mission to help farmers in Bolivia. All five parties are providing resources and leadership to improve agriculture in the whole region. A significant task that will require ongoing education and training, tech based tools, implementation strategies, and results measurement.

BELIZE CITY, BELIZE — Dimitra Incorporated, a global Agtech company, is on a mission to make its Dimitra Connected Coffee platform the leading provider of digitization for coffee production in the developing world. As part of this journey, Dimitra is already working with Solok Radjo Cooperative, a Coffee Cooperative of 3,300 coffee farmers based in West Sumatra, Indonesia by connecting education and Indonesian coffee.

Solok Radjo and Dimitra have signed an agreement to develop a solution to accelerate the growth and profitability of Solok’s coffee to premium export markets. Demand for traceability and provenance in today’s coffee industry requires that the solution manages all areas of the extended supply chain — farming, harvesting, collection, processing, batching, and exporting.

In line with Dimitra’s drive to facilitate and educate smallholder farmers. We have signed an agreement with Andalas University, a public research university in Padang, West Sumatra. Andalas is one of the major public institutions of higher learning in Indonesia, and the oldest outside of Java.

Solok Radjo’s sustainability strategy

Solok Radjo’s sustainability strategy has seen them team up with Andalas University to develop an integrated Carbon Soil Assessment Program. To review the current soil health and monitor the ongoing regenerative practices with a digital platform. Dimitra is working with students, lecturers, and Professors to collaboratively digitize the user experience. And continually improve the platform to create an industry-leading service.

By leveraging the power of Dimitra’s ‘Connected Coffee’ application and dashboard. These are of soil test results collection, correlated satellite imagery, and plant and tree coverage in the Solok Rajo farms.

Dimitra brings a simple-to-use platform to this collaboration between the University, the farmers, and cooperative management. The technology’s powerful back-end Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial intelligence (AI) systems pull insights from tracked activities in the field. As well as soil sample traits, weather events, satellite imagery buying station statistics, and plantation yields.

Solok Radjo Cooperative is a progressive social farming enterprise using environmentally friendly farm practices to nurture the land under crop. The cooperative motivates farmers to optimize the yields of their land. In particular, farmers should be able to benefit from coffee farming while the cooperative processes and markets the coffee fruits. In addition, cattle are included in the ecosystem for human protein. Sold to domestic markets for diversified income, and the manure is used on the plantations to boost soil health. SR has 3300 farmers within the cooperative network and is looking to double its farmers in the next two years.

Quotes

Dimitra’s Indonesia Country Partner, Ricky Tanudibrata, said, “This project opens opportunities to students to experience coffee farming, to get involved in the coffee supply chain that is based on data. This is an eye opener for them about the future in farming, which for many reasons, has been demotivating. With this cooperation, they will understand that their capabilities are very much needed to build a sustainable coffee ecosystem. With the students’ collaboration, we can build a vibrant farming community that is based on data that gives everyone access to technology, to finance, to a market that is responsible and sustainable.”

‘Partnering with Dimitra is important for Solok Radjo to realize an integrated, data-based, sustainable coffee enterprise. We are greatly looking forward to working with Dimitra’s Connected Farmer platform to provide a more structured approach to our production and to allow us to meet the requirements of our export partners while helping the environment and ultimately the lives of our cooperative community,” said Head of Solok Radjo project, Alfadriansyah (Adi).

Coffee is one of the most widely-consumed beverages in the world today. Every minute, more than 2 million cups of coffee are enjoyed worldwide. And yet, it’s the 25 million smallholder farmers that account for over 80% of global coffee production, who operate on up to 2 to 5 hectares of land in regions along the equator.

Farming in rural locations with limited access to socioeconomic trends, coffee growers often receive about 2% of the revenue from every cup of coffee sold. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, for every standard $3.00 cup of coffee purchased, original farmers receive only $0.07. Nearly 75% of the cost goes to the retailer, with the remaining cost going back to the roasters, distributors, and exporters.

There are many social, economic, and environmental challenges coffee farmers face today, despite the world’s love for this caffeinated beverage. Read on to learn what the future of coffee farming looks like.

Economics of Coffee Farming

No matter where you live, your favorite cup of coffee wouldn’t be possible without the farmer — or the international coffee supply trade. Fortunately, smallholder farms have some opportunities to make more profit.

First, increasing the yield of coffee cherries will sell more on the market. Next, switching to higher-quality coffee varieties ensures a better profit margin, as there are five quality grades, and those ranking 0–1 can be sold at premium rates. Lastly, getting a coffee certification, such as organic or fair trade, as higher-paying buyers seek these out.

Many coffee farmers worldwide don’t have access to the resources to make these upgrades. And certification processes can vary from country to country.

Social Impacts Affect the Supply Chain

Unstable prices of coffee and a lack of access to basic technology puts farmers at risk of losing money. Farmers are affected by social issues such as poverty, crime, food insecurity, health complications, theft, and unfavorable working conditions. These are issues that directly impact the coffee supply chain, of which farmers are the least integrated aspect.

Some farmers benefit from local cooperatives: organized groups that share resources, training, and sales opportunities among collective farmers in the area. Co-ops help coffee growers access the necessary tools, technology, buyers, and education. These cooperatives also help coffee farmers with their distribution, financing, and crop planning.

Environmental Concerns of Global Coffee Demand

Coffee farming takes a toll on the environment, especially as farmers adapt growing and harvesting methods to suit volatile demands. Farming processes become unsustainable and continue to lend part to deforestation. For example, the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers threatens the local water supply due to contaminated runoff.

While coffee farming is a contributing factor to environmental impact, it also suffers from pressing issues such as climate change. When there are dry months during the expected wet season, coffee plantations suffer from delayed production and significant stress rushes farmers to outsource solutions.

Comprehensive Agtech: Empowering Coffee Farmers Worldwide

Smallholder coffee farmers are masters of cultivating coffee cherries year after year — many of them revered among generational family legacy. But overcoming the complexities of climate change, adjusting to unexpected market shifts, and optimizing their place in an inadequate supply chain is not an easy option for many coffee growers.

To give farmers the logistical support they need, one agricultural technology (Agtech) company developed affordable systems to help coffee farmers.

With Dimitra’s Connected Coffee Platform, coffee farmers from anywhere in the world can:

• Manage plantations and seedlings
• Digitally manage quality control of their soil, crops, harvest, and storage
• Access a broader network of buyers and sellers, empowering informed trade decisions
• Keep records of orders and transactions
• Manage sales reports and analytics

The Connected Coffee Platform enables coffee growers, processors, and traders to meet quality and reporting requirements while collecting critical data to improve their farming and processing operations. Farmers can seamlessly access all data essential to their operations with real-time traceability. This puts the power of choice and trust in the farmer’s hands, equipping them to increase production, mitigate risk, and reap greater profits.

To learn more about the Dimitra Connected Coffee Platform and other technology programs helping small-scale farmers thrive, visit www.dimitra.io.

https://dimitratech.medium.com/external-impacts-on-the-global-coffee-industry-6d60a34cbd87

50% crop loss and resorting to hand spraying options paint a bleak picture. In the 2019/2020 season, the Makham valley of Papua New Guinea was plagues by the fall armyworm. Seeing devasting losses of as much as 50% of maize crops. Traditional spray equipment, using a tractor and boom spray trailer. Was too small to get above the crop, leaving hand spraying as the only option. Hand spraying is not safe or healthy for the workers. And it results in inconsistent application. Smallholder farmers in Papua New Guinea need a large scale, effective solution to rule out a repeat of the maize disaster of 2019/20. Maize and Fall Armyworm

A Powerful Public, Private Partnership

An important public, private partnership has been formed between Rumion Limited, PHAMA Plus, Grow PN, and Dimitra, with the support of the New Zealand and Australian governments. Together, they are working toward a community based drone service model.

“The aim is for this engagement with precision agricultural technology to provide a lower cost of application, higher yield of crops, new technology job opportunities and providing PNG’s small holder farmers much needed access to new technologies.” said John Simango, Executive Director, Grow PNG.

Dimitra + Drones to the Rescue – Maize and Fall Armyworm

Each member in the public, private partnership has a role to play. Dimitra is offering drone pilot services, with pilots trained to fly the 30 L payload DJI T30 Ag Drones. Then upload data outputs to a central repository to support agronomists and the farm management staff of Rumion.

Dimitra is working with a leading AgTech data integration management company, Pairtree.co that provides a visualization platform. And dashboard that integrated into different Dimitra tools.