A few months ago, we launched the first prototype of the Phito app, an app designed to provide digital tools for smallholder farmers and strengthen local agricultural communities. Since that launch, we got together with farmers and other stakeholders all across Europe and the Caribbean to gather feedback and better understand how we can further develop the app to meet the real-world needs of farmers and other local agri-food actors.
Their input has given us a long list of great ideas. It also helped us identify what’s working already, what’s still missing, and where the app should go next.
Offline Inspiration for digital tools for smallholder farmers: ‘Pressure Cooker’ on a Dutch island
While most of our work happens online, some conversations are just better in person. That’s why, instead of another virtual meeting, we decided to meet with some of our core team members in person in a very special location.
To let our creative energy flow, we exchanged our formal offices and screens for an “outdoor office” on a small island in a former peatland area in the Netherlands. It was one of our design sprints, where we allowed ourselves to “cook the features under pressure” using the user data we previously collected–hence, Pressure Cooker.
Surrounded by nature, with no distractions, we brainstormed, discussed, and took a close look at both; the features that have already been built, and the many ideas waiting in our development pipeline.
Revisiting ‘My Farm’: A Digital Tool for Smarter Daily Work
We spent time reviewing the My Farm feature, the heart of the current Phito app prototype. In a nutshell, My Farm helps farmers monitor their fields, manage their everyday tasks, and better understand their land using available geo data. My Farm is designed to offer a simple but powerful overview of the farm, making daily work more manageable and supporting informed decision-making. In the future we will work on making this feature more intuitive, adding new functions and tailor it even more to farmer needs. We are also working on adding more functions specifically tailored to the needs of farming cooperative and agricultural technicians, who are another important user of this feature (more on this soon).
Supporting strong communities through Townsquare: A Community-Driven Tool for Smallholder Farmers
While we will keep improving My Farm, the Phito “Branches” phase has another major development goal: the Phito Townsquare feature. While My Farm is mainly designed for the individual farmer, Townsquare is meant to connect the entire agri-community. It will be a space for farmers to offer their produce directly to local buyers, for agri-businesses to promote services, and for everyone involved in local agricultural systems to share knowledge and opportunities. It’s a space designed to strengthen local value chains and foster collaboration—not just between farmers, but across the whole agricultural sector and beyond.
What’s Next for Our Digital Tools and the Phito App
The result of this island meeting? A clearer roadmap for the next app development phase, shared priorities, and a stronger sense of how to compromise on our ambitions, while making it useful.
Building Phito is not a linear journey. But with each step, whether it’s a prototype, a workshop, or an intense brainstorm, we’re getting closer to creating an app that is truly valuable for farmers and their communities.
Stay Connected: Be Part of the Phito Journey
Make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to stay in the loop and be among the first to download it once it is publicly available. We are confident that the Phito app will offer something for you whether you are a farmer
