[Note: A local language translation of this privacy notice can be provided.]
A. Introduction
This privacy notice describes how Meridia and its affiliates collect, store and use personal data. Meridia is registered in the Netherlands as Meridia Land B.V., with its registered address being Matrix 6, Science Park 408, 1098 XH Amsterdam, the Netherlands. When we refer to ‘Meridia’, ‘we’ or ‘us’, we refer to Meridia and its affiliates.
Last modified: [8 July 2021]. With regard to projects which include participant interviews or surveys specifically, this notice will be made available in electronic form prior to an interview and/or its contents will be explained orally beforehand.
B. Data controller and scope
1. When is this privacy notice applicable?
This notice applies to all participants in projects initiated or carried out by Meridia and the users of our website (both users and participants are referred to as ‘users’).
2. Who is the controller of your data?
Meridia (Meridia Land B.V.) is the controller of your personal data collected in connection with Meridia’s programs and services.
In providing land mapping, documentation, verification or data services, Meridia may, at the request of a client, also act as a processor. Meridia will process data provided by a client in accordance with its legal obligations. The client providing the data to Meridia will act as the controller for that data stream.
C. Data collection and uses
3. What sort of data do we collect?
The following data is collected by or on behalf of Meridia.
3.1. Data provided by users.
This includes:
- Basic user information: including, but not limited to name, date of birth, address, family status, photograph, and gender, needed to create a landowner, participant or user profile and for identity verification purposes.
- Detailed user information: including, but not limited to dependents, location-specific data (e.g. neighbours), representatives, educational level, and proof of identity.
- Data regarding your farm and land: including, but not limited to plantation, size of the land, photographs of parcels, products that you are growing, state of the land, vegetation, and general farming activity.
- Financial data: including, but not limited to yield data, your finances (income, outflows, credit scores, loans), and financial transactions with cooperatives or other traders.
3.2 Data from other sources.
If we need to complement our records or otherwise require data to render our services, we may also use data from other sources, including:some text
- Data is made available by governmental authorities through public databases.
- Data from clients or service providers provided that data has been collected in accordance with the applicable law.
4. For what purpose do we process your personal data?
Meridia primarily provides services to digitally map land boundaries and to validate legal documents in relation to land ownership. These services are, for example, offered to Meridia’s clients to verify the supply chain of the products that they are purchasing. More specifically, Meridia uses the data it collects for the following specific purposes:
- Land mapping. In order to map land ownership and usage, we use and categorise data regarding the users and/or owners of the respective land.
- To obtain crop certification. If you have consented to this by requesting crop certification, we will provide the certification body or a selected intermediary with your data (e.g. in relation to plantation, crops and land usage) to allow them to issue certificates or otherwise provide for certification regarding the crops growing on your land.
- To obtain a land rights document. If you have consented to this by requesting a land rights document, we will provide the authorities or a selected intermediary with the data required to apply for a land rights document for your land.
- For data services, including supply chain verification, to affiliated parties. To enable affiliated farmer groups, cooperatives and commodity traders, and end buyers to generate management information, statistical data and analyses, perform market research and improve performance, we collect and use data on, for example, land ownership, usage and financial transactions regarding crops or other products that have been sold. They can use the results of such research to evaluate their strategy and to adapt their strategy to new developments. Furthermore, the affiliated farmer groups, cooperatives and commodity traders and end buyers might use the data to improve their training and communications towards you or provide crop certification services. This data will be primarily used to verify the supply chain of the products produced by you and which are eventually purchased by the end user.
- To provide you with offers from selected service providers. If you opt to receive offers from selected service providers, we use the data needed to enable those service providers to offer you those services. Those service providers include credit or insurance providers. You may receive your offers verbally, by regular mail, USSD codes, SMS, through the website, apps, social media or any other digital channels used by you and Meridia.
- Improvement of our services. For the development of our offerings and software, we use the data we collect to ensure that our data analysis remains relevant to our users’ needs and land use.
- To measure socio-economic and/or environmental impact. For the analysis of the impact of the services of Meridia and/or Meridia’s clients and partners on beneficiaries, we collect and use data on social, economic and environmental indicators. If you are sharing your data for the purpose of impact measurement, we may share this data with Meridia’s affiliates, clients or partners.
5. On which grounds do we process your data?
We collect and use personal data only where we have one or more lawful grounds for doing so. Such grounds may vary depending on where our users are located, but generally include processing personal data on one or more of the following grounds:
- To provide our land mapping and related services. In order to provide our services, we must collect and process certain personal data, including but not limited to data related to land ownership and usage.
- For our legitimate interest or of other parties. For example, we may collect data to ensure that our land mapping is as accurate as possible and/or to improve our services.
- To fulfil our legal obligations. For example, we may be required to collect and store data to ensure that our database with regard to land ownership or usage remains accessible in accordance with local law.
- On the basis of consent. For a number of data processing purposes and to enable third parties to provide you with the services you have requested, we will ask for your consent. A user who consented to the collection or use of their personal data can revoke it at any time.
6. What sort of cookies do you use?
Our website uses cookies to enable, optimise and analyse site operations. Cookies are usually small text files that are stored in your computer's browser directory. Cookies allow our website to access or store information from your browser about you, your settings or your device. They are mainly used to ensure the website’s expected functionality. As a rule, cookies do not contain any information that could identify you directly. They do, however, make it possible to offer you a more personalised web experience.
We make use of various types of cookies, which broadly fall into two categories:
- Strictly necessary cookies. Through these cookies, we process data, such as your unique session ID, and authentication data. This data allows us to relate the visitor's unique session to server-side data. The legal basis for storing these cookies is your and our legitimate interest to view our website and for us to allow users to visit our website.
- Functionality, performance and analytics cookies. Functionality and performance cookies are set to provide enhanced functionality and make our website easier to use (e.g. by accelerating the display of our website). We use web analytics cookies to create anonymised user statistics (e.g. number of visits and traffic sources). We use these cookies based on your consent, which you can withdraw at any time by adjusting the settings in your web browser or, alternatively, by making use of the ‘do not track’ functionality.
7. When may we share your data with other Meridia entities and third parties?some text
7. 1. Meridia affiliates
If required to provide our services, we may share your data with other Meridia entities, which will adhere to this privacy notice, and only for the purposes described in this notice.
7. 2. Third parties
We will not share your data with a third party not belonging to the Meridia group, except in limited circumstances, including:some text
- When companies perform services on our behalf, like the development of our software or web services for which they need access to the data collected by us.
- When we share your personal information with third parties in connection with the sale of our business, to enforce our privacy notice, to protect our rights or to comply with a legal process or in other cases if we believe in good faith that disclosure is required by law.
- When we are engaged by one of our clients to provide data services and follow your consent.
- When we cooperate with financial institutions for them to be able to offer the products or services you have requested and following your consent.
- When we cooperate with governments to obtain land titles.
If you consent to us sharing your data with another company, your data may be controlled by that company and become subject to the other company’s privacy practices.
[Note: please know that Meridia is asking participants/farmers for specific consent to share data with financial service providers so those providers can offer, for example, credit services or pay for land titles.]
8. Data storage and retention: where and how long do we store your data?some text
8. 1. Secure data storage
We securely store your data at servers operated by Amazon Web Services in the European Union. We have taken a number of security precautions to protect your data, including access verification measures to ensure that only authorised persons will be able to access your data for the purposes set out in this notice.
8. 2. Data retention
We will store data for the duration necessary to meet the purposes and obligations as described in points 5 and 6 and no longer than necessary.
D. Your rights and contact details
9. Your rights: what are your data protection rights?
You have a number of data protection rights. We have listed them below.
- Right to access. You have the right to request us for copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for additional copies.
- Right to rectification. You have the right to request us to correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also may ask us to complete information you believe to be incomplete.
- Right to erasure. You have the right to ask us to erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
- Right to object to processing or request restrictions to our processing. You can object to our processing of your personal data or request us to restrict processing your personal data, under certain conditions.
- Right to data portability. You have the right that we transfer the data that we have collected to a different organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
- Right to revoke your consent. If we process data on the basis of your consent, you may revoke your consent at any time.
If you want to exercise any of your rights and make such request, we have one month to respond. You can contact us by emailing us at info@meridia.land or by writing to us at the address listed below. To the extent permitted by law, Meridia may charge a small fee to fulfil your request.
10. Contact us: how can you reach us?
You can reach us by emailing or writing to us:
Meridia Land B.V.
Matrix 6, Science Park 408,
1098 XH Amsterdam
11. Contact the data protection authority: how can you contact the responsible authority?
If you wish to report a complaint in relation to the processing of your personal data, you can contact the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) through its website: www.autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl.
E. Updates to this notice
This privacy notice may be changed over time. Participants of the project and users of the website are advised to regularly review the notice for possible changes. You can review the most current version of the notice at www.meridia.land/privacynote. Use of our services or continued participation in our programme after such update constitutes consent to the extent permitted by law.