Why the SAP Rural Sourcing Management System is important for Cashew Coast

Digital Traceability: Driving Resilience in Cashew Production

At the heart of what we do is traceability, traceability from farm to fork and the way we enable traceability is through digital technology because if you can't trace it you can't fix.

The key enabler to allowing us to trace where the product is coming from is tech and for that we use SAP's Rural Sourcing Management technology where we map and enroll farmers, and we track the farmer data throughout each harvest.

So we have data at the price we've bought, the quality we've bought and the impact of weather conditions on what the farmer has actually yielded in terms of cashew harvest.

Beyond real-time data during the harvest, what's critical as well is our ability to forecast what kind of harvest we should be expecting because being based where we are today in the world, we're heavily impacted by climate change.

We are faced with aging plantations, farmers that are living on the poverty line. So we are extremely exposed to the impact of climate change. And building resilience towards such impact is critical for our survival.

The way we build that resilience is actually by capturing data. And that data we use drones and artificial intelligence to be able to know how flowering is progressing, how the trees performing under the heavy sunshine and the lack of rains that we're seeing in West Africa.

That gives us some guidance into buying strategy and what kind of production planning we can expect for our cashew production for the year.

SAP Rural Sourcing Management (RSM) System

SAP's Rural Sourcing Management (RSM) system is essential and vital for Cashew Coast, given the unique challenges and opportunities in the cashew industry, especially in Côte d’Ivoire. Here's why it's a game-changer for your operations: 

• Enhanced Traceability and Transparency: The RSM system enables end-to-end traceability across the cashew supply chain by digitising every transaction from farm gate to factory. This transparency is essential for demonstrating ethical sourcing, verifying organic compliance, and meeting buyer expectations for proof of origin. As consumers and international markets increasingly demand verifiable information, RSM allows Cashew Coast to provide reliable documentation showing exactly where and how each batch of cashews was produced and handled.
• Stronger Farmer Relationships and Reliable Data: While RSM does not replace intermediaries, it formalises and digitises interactions with farmers, ensuring accurate records of deliveries, payments, and training. By maintaining verified digital farmer profiles, Cashew Coast can improve fairness, strengthen loyalty, and build a clearer understanding of production capacity. Farmers benefit from improved communication, access to information, and transparent documentation of their contributions to the supply chain.
• More Efficient Supply Chain Management: RSM streamlines supply chain operations by improving visibility over procurement volumes, stock movements, and logistics. With real-time data from field agents and collection centres, Cashew Coast can better plan transport, anticipate processing needs, and minimise delays. This improved coordination helps reduce post-harvest losses, supports consistent quality, and lowers operational inefficiencies.
• Better Documentation for Sustainability and Compliance: RSM does not directly enforce sustainable farming practices, but it provides the structure needed to document them. The system centralises the data required for organic, fair trade, and social compliance certifications—such as farm inspections, training records, and chemical-use declarations. This simplifies audit preparation, reduces administrative errors, and ensures Cashew Coast can demonstrate its adherence to high sustainability standards.
• Data-Driven Insights and Decision-Making: By consolidating farm, procurement, and supply chain data, the RSM system equips Cashew Coast with insights that support better decisions. Monitoring farmer engagement, analysing delivery trends, and understanding geographic variations in productivity helps the company identify risks, anticipate bottlenecks, and plan future investments. This data-driven approach strengthens long-term resilience and supports the company’s goal of building a fully sustainable, locally anchored cashew value chain.

Ensuring Traceability from Farm to Fork

Traceability is the foundation of Cashew Coast’s promise: fresh, genuinely organic, ethically sourced cashews from Côte d’Ivoire.

RSM enables this by:

• Digitising procurement at farmer and collection-centre level.
• Creating digital identities for farmers and linking each delivery to a verified individual or group.
• Recording volumes, quality, locations, and dates for every transaction.
• Tracking batches throughout the supply chain—from farms to Cajooma collection centres, into processing plants, and all the way to finished goods.
  
  

Why it matters:

• It provides transparency and builds consumer trust, especially in export markets where buyers demand proof of origin, ethical practices, and organic standards.
• It helps differentiate Cashew Coast from competitors by showcasing superior supply chain accountability.

Empowering Smallholder Farmers

In Côte d’Ivoire, many cashew farmers are smallholders with limited access to technology or market information. SAP RSM allows Cashew Coast to bring farmers into a more modern, transparent, and equitable system by:

• Digitisation of farmer data: Developing digital farmer profiles that include details such as production capacity, land size, and certifications.
• Fair compensation: RSM ensures accurate tracking of produce deliveries, preventing exploitation by middlemen and guaranteeing timely payments.

Why it matters:

• Empowering farmers improves their loyalty and increases the consistency of your raw cashew supply.
• Digitisation of farmer interactions strengthens your relationships with producers and ensures sustainable sourcing practices.

Simplifying Compliance with Certifications

For a company holding major certifications—BRCGS, SMETA, Organic (USDA, EOS, Naturland, BioSuisse), Fairtrade, HACCP, FSMA—documentation and audit readiness are non-negotiable.

SAP RSM supports this by:

• Recording farming practices, field inspections, pesticide monitoring, and training sessions.
• Ensuring every batch of organic product is verifiably linked to certified farmers.
• Real-time data collection: Ensuring compliance with certification standards by capturing and storing the necessary evidence.
• Audit readiness: Simplifies audits by providing a clear, accessible compliance record for certification bodies.

Why it matters:

• Certifications make your products more valuable and marketable, especially in export markets.
• It reduces administrative burden and eliminates manual errors in compliance reporting.

Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Losses

Agricultural supply chains, particularly for cashews, are vulnerable to inefficiencies and losses due to:

• Poor coordination between farmers, collectors, and processors.
• Lack of real-time visibility into stock levels or logistics.

While RSM is not a logistics-optimisation tool, it enables sharper operational oversight, helping Cashew Coast to:

• Optimising logistics: Real-time data allows you to efficiently coordinate transport from collection points to processing plants.
• Reducing post-harvest losses: Our improved planning ensures cashews are processed before quality deteriorates, saving costs and ensuring consistent product quality.
• Data-driven decision-making: Insights from the system help you forecast demand and plan accordingly.

Why it matters:

• You save costs by reducing inefficiencies.
• Improved stock management ensures consistent product quality.
• Early visibility helps reduce quality losses and delays.
• Better forecasting strengthens processing efficiency and protects product freshness.
• It reduces financial risk and improves resilience in a volatile industry.

Building Trust with International Buyers

• Complete supply chain visibility: Buyers can access digital proof that your cashews are sourced responsibly.
Strengthened brand credibility: By leveraging SAP’s globally trusted platform, Cashew Coast gains a competitive edge in the global market.

Why it matters:

• It helps you secure premium prices for your cashews.
• It opens doors to high-value markets that require traceability and ethical sourcing.

Supporting Long-Term Sustainability Goals

Cashew Coast has a vision to:

• Reduce dependency on foreign machinery.
• Build a sustainable, fully localised cashew processing industry in Côte d’Ivoire.

SAP RSM aligns with this vision by:

• Enabling data-driven strategies: RSM data insights can guide investments in local processing, infrastructure, and sustainability initiatives.
• Promoting farmer inclusivity: Integrating smallholder farmers into your supply chain supports the local economy and sustainable agricultural practices.

Why it matters:

• You build a resilient and scalable business model rooted in local strengths.
• It reinforces Cashew Coast's commitment to sustainability and industrial autonomy.

Strengthening Farmer Networks

Cashew Coast’s operations depend on a wide network of farmers across Côte d’Ivoire. SAP RSM helps:

• Organise farmer groups or cooperatives: Making it easier to manage large numbers of suppliers.
• Improve communication: Farmers stay informed about market trends, prices, and training opportunities.
• Provide incentive data: Use RSM to track farmer performance and reward sustainable practices.

Why it matters:

• Strong farmer networks ensure reliable sourcing.
• It helps you scale your operations while maintaining quality and traceability.

Conclusion

SAP's Rural Sourcing Management System is vital for Cashew Coast because it addresses the most critical challenges in your industry: traceability, efficiency, farmer empowerment, compliance, and sustainability. By digitising and integrating your supply chain, the system positions Cashew Coast as a leader in Côte d’Ivoire’s cashew sector and strengthens its global competitiveness.

Let me know if you'd like to explore specific system features or discuss further strategies for leveraging SAP RSM!