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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations launches an app to support Indigenous pineapple farmers in Suriname

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Through the FAO ELEVATE PROGRAMME of the Office of Innovation, smallholder farmers will be equipped with the technology to promote sustainable pineapple farming in Suriname.

ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, Nov. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dimitra, a global leader in agricultural technology and sustainability solutions, is supporting the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to develop a smartphone application for Indigenous farmers in Suriname. FAO is working in the country to enhance organic pineapple production by leveraging blockchain technology to modernize cultivation practices, boost productivity, and secure market access. Leveraging Dimitra’s traceable and immutable technology, through this app local growers will access advanced techniques including mechanical land preparation and artificial flower induction to produce premium organic pineapples and meet market demands.

Dimitra is deploying immutable blockchain and AI technology to support FAO providing Surinamese farmers with real-time comprehensive farming data on their crop production and supply chains from end-to-end. From creating digital farmer profiles and registration with their demographic and plot details, to tracking crop activities and managing harvests with traceability services, the platform aims to ensure that every step of the pineapple production process—from planting to harvesting—is traceable. By providing a secure record of sustainable practices through actionable data, Surinamese farmers can gain access to advanced technology to transform agricultural practices, enhance market competitiveness, and forge key alliances, opening doors to premium markets that require stringent compliance with international standards. 

FAO has been working in the country since 2018 with UNIDO, ILO and UNFPA through the ASTA Suriname initiative has been driving the pineapple sector’s growth in Suriname, a focal commodity for the country’s economic growth. Backed by the Joint United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) Fund, the ASTA Suriname project has conducted in-depth analysis of farms and rolled out initial implementation activities. The project aims to empower indigenous and rural communities across Suriname’s pineapple belt to modernize organic pineapple production, transforming Suriname into a major producer and exporter of high-quality organic fresh and processed pineapples, and moving away from outdated practices with little value-addition and limited exports.

The innovation project proposed by FAO – to develop a digital traceability app to support indigenous pineapple farmers in Suriname – was funded by the 2024 Elevate Grant Programme of FAO, an initiative that fosters innovative initiatives for the agricultural sector targeting smallholder farmers.

The new app, already developed in local language, will be launched with the farmers and key stakeholders in early December 2024.

Jon Trask, CEO of Dimitra said: “Dimitra is dedicated to empowering smallholder pineapple farmers in Suriname with cutting-edge, easy-to-use technology to enhance agricultural productivity, promote sustainability, and ultimately improve the quality of life for these communities. Through the Agrifood Systems Accelerator (ASTA) and the Horticulture Innovation HUB of Suriname – a newly established public-private partnership providing multiple services to farmers in Suriname – supported by the Joint UNSDG Fund, we aim to foster a more resilient and equitable agrifood system globally and give consumers the origin story of their food.”

With 95 percent of its land covered in forest including parts of it forming a portion of the Amazon rainforest, Suriname’s interior regions face economic challenges, leaving many Indigenous, tribal and rural communities in poverty. Through the ASTA Suriname project, farmers are provided with hands-on training, and on-the-ground trial plots to showcase effective techniques like enhancing soil, optimizing inputs, and planting pineapples in beds. By using the app local growers in the country will be exposed to international markets, expanding the country’s economic horizons, and aligning with the responsible consumption and production of the UN’s sustainability goals.

Margherita Bavagnoli, FAO’s International Value Chain Finance Expert, oversees project activities among various Indigenous villages in Suriname: “So far, the ASTA Suriname project has equipped 120 marginalized Indigenous women and youth to take control of and benefit from the evolving pineapple value chain. There was a need to allow Indigenous communities in the country to reach markets, receive agronomic information and access services. This app aims to be beneficial in controlling deforestation, providing access to markets and information to farmers in remote areas, significantly contributing to the realization of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).”  

Jon Trask, CEO of Dimitra Incorporated and Margherita Bavagnoli, FAO’s International Value Chain Finance Expert, are available for interview on request.

About Dimitra

Dimitra is a global Agtech company with a mission to help smallholder farmers across the world. Dimitra works with governments, government agencies, NGOs, and for-profit organizations. The Dimitra platform is built on blockchain technology and incorporates mobile technology, machine learning, IoT devices, satellite and drone imagery, genomics, and advanced farming research. Through our data driven approach, Dimitra helps farmers increase yields, reduces expenses, and mitigates risk. Dimitra believes that every smallholder farmer, regardless of economic standing, should benefit from simple, beautiful, and useful technology.

About ASTA

The Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA) program, led by FAO and UNIDO in collaboration with other UN agencies, aims to transform Suriname into a leading producer and exporter of high-quality organic pineapples. Supported by the Joint SDG Fund and driven by the Government of Suriname and key UN agencies, including FAO, UNIDO, ILO, and UNFPA, the program utilizes an inclusive and sustainable value chain approach. It connects local pineapple actors to new markets, fostering economic development in rural communities with a focus on gender equality, youth engagement, and environmental sustainability. Since 2018, ASTA has been developing Suriname’s pineapple value chain, culminating in a 2024 FAO Elevate grant to establish a traceability platform for producers.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-food-and-agriculture-organization-of-the-united-nations-launches-an-app-to-support-indigenous-pineapple-farmers-in-suriname-302301565.html

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Pave and Levels.fyi Announce Strategic Alliance, Bringing Levels.fyi Data Into Pave Agent and Market Pricing

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Compensation decisions draw on more data than ever, and that data is scattered across surveys, spreadsheets, and tools. Pave has built the place where it all comes together: one platform, powered by real-time intelligence and open to every source compensation teams trust. Today’s strategic alliance with Levels.fyi is the latest step in that effort.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pave, the Agentic Compensation Management platform, today announced a strategic alliance with Levels.fyi, a compensation data platform that shows what work pays by company, level, location, and skill.

The alliance builds on Pave’s partnerships with The Croner Company, Korn Ferry, WTW, and others and reflects a continuing commitment: making it easier for customers to bring the critical data behind their pay decisions into one place. Pave will continue to expand the network of data partners available on the platform, so that compensation teams don’t have to stitch together sources by hand or choose between the ones they trust.

Through this strategic alliance, Pave customers can now access Levels.fyi data inside Pave Agent as well as Pave’s Market Pricing tool to compare pay for a role across sources, benchmark against real-time Market Data, and price jobs and build competitive pay ranges. Customers can analyze Levels.fyi data alongside their own compensation data and any other data sources they choose to use. Pave Agent can use Levels.fyi data as a reference input to deliver compensation intelligence, so teams can ask a question in plain language and see the answer across Levels.fyi, their other sources, and real-time intelligence from 9,000-plus companies in Pave’s dataset.

Levels.fyi adds a distinct lens on the market. Its data is contributed directly by the people earning it and backed by proof documents such as offer letters, W-2s, and pay stubs. Alongside survey and real-time views, it shows compensation teams what talent is actually earning.

With Levels.fyi data in Pave, mutual clients can:

Ask Pave Agent to compare pay for a role across Levels.fyi, WTW, Korn Ferry, Croner, and Pave’s real-time Market Data, all within one platformSee self-reported Levels.fyi data next to survey and real-time benchmarks to understand where the market views agree and where they divergeAnalyze Levels.fyi data alongside their own compensation data to see where their pay standsGive every analyst on the comp team, not just the person who manages the survey license, direct access to Levels.fyi data in their daily workflow

“Compensation decisions are only as good as the data behind them, and no single source tells the whole story,” said Matt Schulman, CEO of Pave. “Our goal is for Pave to be the central source for the data compensation teams use to make decisions, with real-time intelligence from 9,000-plus companies as the foundation and every source a client trusts available alongside it. Croner, Korn Ferry, WTW, and now Levels.fyi are steps in that effort, and we will keep adding more. Clients shouldn’t have to choose between the data sources they trust. They should have them all in one place.”

“Effective compensation benchmarking starts with a simple question, ‘How do we compare with the companies we actually compete against?'” said Zuhayeer Musa, co-founder of Levels.fyi. “Our data gives customers a current, company-level view of the market, backed by real proof such as offer letters and pay stubs. Bringing that perspective into Pave means teams can build the peer groups that matter to them, focus on a single competitor, and combine Levels.fyi’s rich intelligence with the rest of their stack. Pave has set the standard for connected compensation, and we’re excited to keep helping our mutual customers make faster, more confident pay decisions.”

Levels.fyi data is now available to mutual customers through Pave Agent and Pave’s Market Pricing tool. Existing customers can contact their account teams for access and availability details.

About Pave

Pave is the Agentic Compensation Management platform, powered by real-time compensation intelligence from 9,000-plus companies and a growing network of data partners. Beyond Market Pricing, Pave’s platform spans Market Data benchmarking, Compensation Planning, Total Rewards, Team View, Visual Offer Letters, and Pave Agent, giving compensation teams one connected system to price roles, plan cycles, and communicate pay across the business. To learn more, visit www.pave.com.

About Levels.fyi

Levels.fyi is a compensation data platform that shows what work pays by company, level, location, and skill, and offers a different perspective of the market. Its data is contributed directly by the people earning it, backed by proof documents like offer letters, W-2s, and pay stubs. Levels.fyi reports 1M+ compensation data points, 2,100+ companies with fresh data, and 8,500+ company job ladders mapped, and says more than 3M professionals use the platform every month. To learn more, visit www.levels.fyi.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pave-and-levelsfyi-announce-strategic-alliance-bringing-levelsfyi-data-into-pave-agent-and-market-pricing-302922761.html

SOURCE Pave

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Updated Effective Date: Huron Consulting Group Set to Join S&P SmallCap 600

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NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASD: HURN) will replace Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASD: SUPN) in the S&P SmallCap 600 before the opening of trading on Tuesday, November 3, instead of Monday, November 2. S&P SmallCap 600 constituent Indivior Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASD: INDV) is acquiring Supernus Pharmaceuticals in a transaction expected to close soon, subject to final closing conditions. Post merger, Indivior Pharmaceuticals will assume the name Supernus Inc. and will trade under the symbol SUPN. It will remain in the S&P SmallCap 600.

S&P Dow Jones Indices announced the original November 2 effective date in its October 22, 2026 press release and is revising the effective date due to a special dividend ex- date announcement related to the merger.

Following is a summary of the changes that will take place prior to the open of trading on the effective date:

Effective Date

Index Name

Action

Company Name

Ticker

GICS Sector

Nov 3, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Addition

Huron Consulting Group

HURN

Industrials

Nov 3, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

Supernus Pharmaceuticals

SUPN

Health Care

ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES

S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.

S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies, and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

S&P Dow Jones Indices
index_services@spglobal.com

Media Inquiries
spdji.comms@spglobal.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/updated-effective-date-huron-consulting-group-set-to-join-sp-smallcap-600-302922778.html

SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices

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Worksmith Appoints Sonu Panda as Chief Revenue Officer, Enhancing Its Executive Team

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Panda reunites with Worksmith Founder and CEO Bryan Burkhart as the company completes the first phase of integrating Worksmith Workplace and Worksmith Workforce.

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Worksmith today announced the appointment of Sonu Panda as Chief Revenue Officer. Panda will lead Worksmith’s revenue organization across its two products, Worksmith Workplace and Worksmith Workforce.

Panda reunites with Worksmith Founder and CEO Bryan Burkhart as the company completes the first phase of integrating Worksmith Workplace and Worksmith Workforce.

Panda has spent his career building and leading revenue teams in software. At Callidus Software, he served as Vice President of Sales across North America, EMEA, and Latin America, and later led on-On-Demand sales as the company moved from traditional enterprise software to a public SaaS business with more than $100 million in revenue. Most recently, he was CEO of Prescriptive Data, a SaaS company applying connected devices, data, and machine learning to commercial buildings, where he oversaw sales, business development, marketing, customer success, and engineering.

The role also reunites Panda with Worksmith Founder and CEO Bryan Burkhart. The two co-founded H.Bloom, a B2B marketplace, where Panda served as Chief Operating Officer and built the company’s operating model.

“We are excited to have Sonu join the Worksmith team full-time as our first-ever CRO. Sonu’s successful career in building world-class sales teams and the decade he has spent on the Worksmith board make him uniquely positioned to lead our next phase of growth, as we strive to deliver the operating system for retail to more customers,” said Bryan Burkhart, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Worksmith.

Panda joins with momentum on both sides of the business. Worksmith Workforce, formerly Progress Retail, has more than doubled its revenue since Worksmith acquired the company in June 2025, alongside a rapid pace of product development.

The two products have also completed the first phase of their integration. Clients that use both now reach retail operations, facilities maintenance, and workforce management through a single login.

“Having witnessed Worksmith’s steady growth first-hand, I’m thrilled to join Worksmith as Chief Revenue Officer for the next phase of Worksmith’s expansion and beyond,” said Sonu Panda, Chief Revenue Officer at Worksmith.

Panda’s appointment follows the promotion of Ray Riley, former CEO of Progress Retail, to Chief Strategy Officer. Panda takes over group revenue responsibilities from Riley.

ABOUT WORKSMITH

Worksmith is a retail operations platform for multi-location brands, spanning two products. Worksmith Workplace covers facilities maintenance, vendor management, and store development, including new builds, remodels, and project management. Worksmith Workforce covers training and development, task execution, store audits, ticketing, employee communications, and AI-powered associate support. Worksmith serves retailers running anywhere from five to more than 500 locations across three continents.

Media Contact

Iprita Bhattarai, Worksmith, 1 8337472428, support@worksmith.com, https://worksmith.com

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/worksmith-appoints-sonu-panda-as-chief-revenue-officer-enhancing-its-executive-team-302922495.html

SOURCE Worksmith

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