Crypto Altruism Podcast Episode 147 - Dimitra - Empowering smallholder farmers with AI & blockchain-based AgTech solutions
In episode 147, we’re excited to welcome Jon Trask, CEO of Dimitra, an AgTech company on a mission to connect smallholder farmers with easy-to-use technology to increase yields, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. We discuss how emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI, and IoT devices, can help smallholder farmers grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods, how blockchain can improve monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) by equipping farmers with important data, and much more.
Three Key Takeaways
One of the biggest unlocks of blockchain is ensuring true traceability of products, allowing consumers to see every step of that product’s journey from point of harvest to consumption. This will be a gamechanger for socially conscious consumerism and building sustainable supply chains.
Blockchain alone won’t solve the challenges faced by smallholder farmers and must be leveraged alongside other emerging technologies. In the case of Dimitra, blockchain is built into their platform in conjunction with AI, IoT devices, satellite imaging, genomics, and more.
Smallholder farmers are vital to a sustainable and thriving planet. Not only do they play an important role in global food chains but are also vital to local economies and ecosystems. By improving the lives of farmers, it will lead to improved economies and a healthier environment.
Follow Jon and Dimitra
Episode Time Stamps
02:10 - What was your “Ah hah” moment that first got you excited about cryptocurrency and web3?
03:15 - To start things off, can you please introduce listeners to Dimitra, and how it came to be?
05:25 - I would love to share a quote you made on your website – ““Every smallholder farmer, regardless of economic status, should be able to benefit from simple, beautiful, and useful technology…because when farmers thrive economies thrive." Tell me more about the role smallholder farmers play in the global economy, and some of the challenges they currently face.
07:35 - You leverage many emerging technologies in Dimitra – AI, IoT devices, satellites and drones, genomics, and of course blockchain. What role does blockchain play in your platform?
12:30 - How can blockchain improve traceability of important products like coffee and chocolate?
15:35 - What is the $DMTR token, and what role does it play in the Dimitra ecosystem?
18:10 - Tell me more about how you’re leveraging NFTs to support smallholder farmers?
25:30 - I understand that you offer an Academy and Incubator to educate the community on AgTech and to support AgTech startups. Tell me more about the Academy and Incubator, and I’d love to learn about some of the startups you’ve helped incubate.
30:00 - To date, you have supported over 100,000 farmers in 14 countries around the world, which is truly incredible. Where do you see things 5 years from now?
33:40 - It can be difficult to onboard individuals from traditionally underserved communities. What are some of the steps you’ve taken to onboard farmers to the platform?
39:25 - Currently, over 1 billion people worldwide go to bed hungry everyday, many of them being smallholder subsistence farmers, presenting a cruel paradox. At the same time, the world will need to feed nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050. What needs to happen in the coming decades to ensure no one has to go to bed hungry, and what role does technology play in this?
46:00 - What’s the best way for listeners to learn more about Dimitra?
47:15 - To wrap things up, if you could name one thing that excites you most about the social impact potential of web3, what would it be and why?
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