MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

SourceTrace Data-Driven Agriculture

One-line solution summary:

Data Driven Equity and Sustainability in Agriculture

Pitch your solution.

Even though the agri-market is flooded with multiple software, nothing ties the whole value chain(farmer to consumer) together on a singular platform. SourceTrace's DATAGREEN enables both Web & Mobile modules for seamless streamlining of the critical events in the supply chain for food safety and international trade for food businesses, regulatory bodies, and consumers. This makes the small farmer visible like never before.

What happens when cohesive data-driven agri-food value chains are established:

1. Reduce waste by tracking each stage from pre-harvest and procurement to storage, finally the retail shelves.

2. Improve supply chain efficiency by bringing all stakeholders on a single data platform, minimizing the need for training, and complex data systems.

3. Digitizing all agricultural events and integration with smart hardware on the field for food safety, quality, and farmer data.

4. Provide complete transparency with data and enabling sharing with the end consumer via tools such as QR codes.

5. Makes identifying, rewarding and integrating the small farmer in the global value chain possible.

What specific problem are you solving?

Currently, agriculture, food, and supply chain sectors are so fragmented that assuring safety and transparency is a challenge even for the largest corporations. The one who suffers most because of this fragmentation is the small farmer. Our objective is to fill the data gap that exists in the current food ecosystem and make the small farmer visible.

Making the small farmer visible is the first step towards empowering them. Identifying and linking growers to their produce not only assures better price, it also differentiates farmers adopting better growth practices to be rewarded differentially.

We aim to take digital inclusivity to the smallest farmers in the farthest countries with little access to internet and modern tools. Our solution suite makes it possible it to deliver modern information, advisories, financial tools and supply chain to the doorstep of the small farmer.

What is your solution?

Given that rolling out digital solutions to individual smallholder farmers is challenging given the issues of scale, low literacy levels, low internet penetration and language barriers. SourceTrace engages with farmers through large agribusinesses, financial institutions, developmental organizations food majors, governments and farmer collectives.

SourceTrace platform combines advanced technologies like machine learning, remote sensing ,IoT, traceability using blockchain, and certifications. For instance, using harvest date, yield estimates and crop calendar, DATAGREEN can estimate crop volumes. Crop volume data in turn can be used to predict market price and empower farmers on timing their sale operations. As a result of the digitalization of transactions across the agri-value chain, the data from the platform can also be used for assessment of the credit-worthiness of the individual farmers.

Here are a few pain points in agriculture and food processing that we can help resolve:

Farmer profiling and data collection
Farmer Advisory Services
Remote monitoring and Evaluation
Track agricultural growth practices
Digitize data collection for Certification
Capture transactions and provide financial Services
Provide market linkage
Trace food origin and chain of custody
Monitor ethical and sustainable practices
Meet legal and compliance norms

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Farmers are underrepresented and they are the real reason we can eat and survive. Currently, by the time the food reaches the consumers, the grower has not only become invisible, she has also become the smallest and least rewarded stakeholder in the value chain. SourceTrace aims to transform the agri-food value chain by:

making the small farmer visible
tracking the produce through different stages of processing
connecting the grower and consumer via a simple tool, such as a QR code
making a transparent ecosystem possible for food companies

We make this possible by:

simplifying adoption of technology by all stakeholders
reducing the number of vendors/interfaces for agri-food companies
by building a single platform for all Agri & Food tech requirements'

Our platform delivers all of the following:

Provenance - Trace food origin and chain of custody of each crop.
Sustainable Farming - Monitor ethical and sustainable practices
Transparency and Visibility - Complete value chain traceability
Global Compliance - Meet legal and compliance norms
Fair-Trade - Blockchain and Fair-Trade practices in supply chains, make the farmer more visible
Bringing trust and transparency to all transactions with farmers

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Equip everyone, regardless of age, gender, education, location, or ability, with culturally relevant digital literacy skills to enable participation in the digital economy.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

The small farmer is still one of the most excluded categories when it comes to digital inclusion. And, that is where our solution works best at integrating them with co-operatives, banks, corporates, governments, donors and more.

Digital inclusivity of small farmers is at the very core of our solution. That is why, it is designed to work in remote areas with no internet, difficult weather and is curently deployed in 15 different languages.

Our solution not only delivers information and tools digitally, it also brings smallest of farmers into the modern value chain, adding value and dignity to their labour.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Cambridge, MA, USA

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Scale: A sustainable enterprise working in several communities or countries that is looking to scale significantly, focusing on increased efficiency.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

Our solutions are impacting over 1.5 million smallholder farmers across 32 countries.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Venkat Maroju

More About Your Solution

If your solution has a website or an app, provide the links here:

https://www.sourcetrace.com/

If you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:

Which of the following categories best describes your solution?

A new application of an existing technology

What makes your solution innovative?

SourceTrace provides full spectrum traceability by digitizing data across the value chain by:

1. Enabling collection of data through mobile application - at field/farm.

2. Aggregating data from varied software, smart hardware and non-digital sources.

3. Enabling contribution and consumption of data between all stakeholders(FPO's, processors, wholesale, retailers)

4. Providing complete control over the data events, transparent supply chain.

5. Enabling information sharing with the end consumer via tools such as QR codes.

In brief, it provides a single platform that works with farmers, extension workers, procurement agents, logistical partners and retailers. SourceTrace captures data about the farmers, soil, location, growth practices, farmer trainings, certification, storage and transport among others. This data can then be shared with compliance agencies, banks, end consumers or just absolutely anyone else. This is precisely what food companies are looking for and we can help them tie the ends together.

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Blockchain
GIS and Geospatial Technology
Imaging and Sensor Technology
Software and Mobile Applications

Select the key characteristics of your target population.

Women & Girls
Pregnant Women
LGBTQ+
Rural
Poor
Low-Income
Middle-Income

Which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals does your solution address?

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequality
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
15. Life on Land
17. Partnerships for the Goals

How many people does your solution currently serve? How many will it serve in one year? In five years?

We have proven implementations in 32 countries, over 350 commodities, 3Mn hectares of land, and impacting the livelihoods of more than 1.5 million farmers. Our solutions are currently being used by Agri and Food businesses, farmer organizations, financial institutions, multiple governments, and large multilateral funding agencies. In brief, we cover the entire spectrum from Farm-to-Retail in Agri-Food Industry.

We plan to reach over 10 million farmers in next five years.

How are you measuring your progress toward your impact goals?

Our impact is measured by our clients through the following:

1. Number of farmers

2. Impact on their income

3. Livelihood access

4. and more

About Your Team

Your Business Model & Partnerships

Partnership & Prize Funding Opportunities

Why are you applying to Solve?

The biggest problem we are solving is making the small farmer visible. Be it for internal monitoring by corporates, programs by governments or identification by end consumers. Giving each farmer and her produce a distinct persona is our end goal.

While there is a trend towards this and the ecosystem is evolving, the pace is dreadfully slow. We are interested in doing projects that can have a domino effect. And, it takes all stakeholders to collaborate in ways not done before. We hope Solve can take it closer to forming those collaborations.

In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?

Financial (e.g. improving accounting practices, pitching to investors)
Product / Service Distribution (e.g. expanding client base)

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The ASA Prize for Equitable Education? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The Andan Prize for Innovation in Refugee Inclusion? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The HP Prize for Advancing Digital Equity? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The HP Prize for Advancing Digital Equity to advance your solution?

Our solution has been used for bringing economic opportunity to farmers in the farthest corners of the world. From bringing transparency into input distribution to farmers in Nigeria to digitizing payments to farmers in Zimbabwe to enabling first of its kind livelihood survey of organic cotton farmers in India, we have been working towards making agriculture equitable and to bring smallest of farmers into the fold.

However, we are looking at conducting larger interventions where every grower is a proud owner of her brand and commands the respect that currently stops at food processors only.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for the Innovation for Women Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The AI for Humanity Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

Yes, I wish to apply for this prize

Explain how you are qualified for this prize. How will your team use The AI for Humanity Prize to advance your solution?

Our solution has been used for bringing economic opportunity to farmers in the farthest corners of the world. From bringing transparency into input distribution to farmers in Nigeria to digitizing payments to farmers in Zimbabwe to enabling first of its kind livelihood survey of organic cotton farmers in India, we have been working towards making agriculture equitable and to bring smallest of farmers into the fold. We have also worked on palm plantations to identify deforestation and to stop child labour in fabric industry.

However, we are looking at conducting larger interventions where every grower is a proud owner of her brand and commands the respect that currently stops at food processors only.

This can be achieved by completely digitizing value chains and working on data-stakeholder models that bring transparency, inclusivity and equity into every transaction.

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for The GSR Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if the prize funder is specifically interested in my solution
Yes, I wish to apply for this prize