Oakland – November 02, 2026 -- Fair Trade USA has received a $600,000 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation (PJMF) to build an AI-powered tool that gives farmers climate, market and outcome data for investment planning. The funding runs from September 2026 through September 2027.
Platform merges certification records with open source climate data
The tool combines Fair Trade USA's certification records, audit findings and Community Development Fund investments with open source climate data. It also draws on documents, images, voice recordings and stories submitted by producers. Fair Trade USA says producer data is often fragmented across internal systems and rarely reaches farmers in an actionable form.
The system is designed to return seasonal climate outlooks, market signals, agronomic guidance and prioritized actions. Fair Trade USA's on-the-ground staff will support delivery.
Colombian coffee dashboard pilot serves as the foundation
The new tool builds on the Nature Intelligence Dashboard, implemented with Colombian coffee farmers in 2026. That dashboard converted open source soil, crop and biodiversity data into guidance and action plans.
Coffee, cocoa and banana producer leaders in Peru, Côte d'Ivoire and Colombia will co-design the platform through workshops and follow-up visits.
Fair Trade USA targets 10 cooperatives and 3,000 farmers by September 2027
The organization aims to reach at least 10 cooperatives across three origins and multiple languages, with a broader reach of 3,000 farmers. The tool will track cooperatives' Community Development Fund dollars against actions, laying the groundwork for resilience investments as use grows.
Fair Trade USA will also formalize guidelines on producer data ownership and consent, covering how data is collected, stored and shared. Its stated principle is that a cooperative's own nature, market and outcome data should serve the producer first.
Vilas Dhar, president of PJMF, said farmers often lack the information available to the buyers they sell to, calling the tool "technology built by and with the people who will use it."
Tools go to producers, exporters and buyers at April 2027 events
Fair Trade USA will present the tools at World of Coffee and Fair Trade's Impact Fair in April 2027. A self-guided module on the Fair Trade Academy, its global training platform, will support wider use.
Fair Trade USA describes the work as public-interest infrastructure that others can adapt and replicate. It supports a phased path toward the 1.2 million producer partners the organization works with in 52 countries.