Last updated 2 weeks ago
Fewer than half of countries worldwide (and only ~13% in Africa) have even mapped the private lands, let alone rural areas. This lack of formal documentation excludes farmers from loans, insurance.
CoVo enables communities to map parcels, issue DIDs and Verifiable Credentials to right-holders, and verify claims on Cardano through a lightweight, open-source verifier.
Please provide your proposal title
CoVo: Land Rights with Veridian DIDs, VCs & NFTs
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
95000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
12
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Fewer than half of countries worldwide (and only ~13% in Africa) have even mapped the private lands, let alone rural areas. This lack of formal documentation excludes farmers from loans, insurance.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
Yes
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
We will integrate with NMKR Studio for minting NFTS once land ownership has been proven. We will also use newest SSI framework on Cardano-Veridian for issueing verifiable credentials for participating parties in the land ownership verification.
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
MIT
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
Real Estate
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
CoVo translates community-recognized landholding into cryptographic proof. Instead of relying on central registries, it enables people to anchor claims through DIDs, peer attestations, and Verifiable Credentials, later minted as NFTs on Cardano (via NMKR Studio). The innovation lies in: (1) peer-to-peer validation of land claims, (2) combining VCs with NFTs for both verifiability and market utility, and (3) a self-hostable issuer/verifier stack using Veridian’s DID/KERI framework.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The MVP demonstrates the end-to-end workflow for proof-of-landholding:
Creation of 10+ DIDs using Veridian/KERI,
Web app to register initial land claims with parcel polygons,
Peer attestations of those claims,
Issuance of Right-Holder VCs,
NFT minting for verified claims via NMKR integration, and
QR-based verification on Cardano testnet.
By Milestone 3, all code (DID registry, VC schema, NFT integration), demo app, and verifier stack will be open-sourced on GitHub, with a hosted demo portal for live testing.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
≥10 DIDs created and active in Veridian registry (Milestone 1).
≥30 peer attestations collected on land claims (Milestone 2).
≥20 Right-Holder VCs + NFTs minted for verified claims (Milestone 3).
≥50 verifications performed through QR flow on Cardano testnet.
At least 1 NGO partner using the system independently by project end.
All repositories open-sourced, with v1 CoVo SDK/API documented.
On-chain metrics: DID operations, credential anchors, NFT mints.
Off-chain metrics: # of claims submitted, attestations recorded, NGO adoption.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
What it is
CoVo is an open-source SSI toolkit for land tenure. Communities capture parcel boundaries, issue signed VCs to right-holders, and provide lightweight verification tools. Credentials prove use or ownership without requiring centralized registries.
How it works
Local admins/NGOs map parcel polygons or upload GPS traces.
Tenure details (ownership, lease, usufruct) + witnesses added.
Issuers sign a “Right-Holder VC” tied to a Cardano DID.
Claims include holder DID, parcel hash, tenure type, witnesses, dates.
Multi-signature and revocation lists supported.
Any verifier checks issuer DID, signature, revocation, and validity.
Works offline with QR payloads, syncs online later.
Architecture
Backend: Issuer API, Revocation service, Status list.
Identity: DIDs + VCs anchored to Cardano.
Client: Parcel editor + Holder wallet UX + QR verifier.
Infra: Open-source, containerized, MIT licensed.
In short:
CoVo converts community-recognized landholding into verifiable, portable credentials enabling farmers with evidence of rights, usable by lenders, buyers, NGOs, and governments.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
CoVo positions Cardano as civic infrastructure for land rights and trust. By anchoring community-recognized landholding into DIDs, Verifiable Credentials, and NFTs - built on the latest Veridian DID/KERI framework - it brings new user groups such as farmers, NGOs, and municipalities directly into the Cardano ecosystem.
The project generates measurable on-chain DID, VC, and NFT usage, while providing open-source issuer/verifier components for reuse in other identity and tokenization projects. Developers gain tested reference implementations for peer attestations, revocation lists, selective disclosure, and NFT issuance. NGOs and governments receive a ready-to-use toolkit for recording land claims, enabling them to replicate the system in underserved regions.
For the Cardano community, CoVo demonstrates real-world adoption of decentralized identity infrastructure, strengthens visibility for Cardano as a platform for solving land tenure and access-to-finance challenges, and opens the door to partnerships in Africa, South America, Balkans and beyond. By the project’s close, CoVo will deliver both a working MVP and an open-source foundation (anchored on Veridian + Cardano) that other Catalyst projects, enterprises, and civil actors can extend.
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
Blockia Labs OÜ (Estonia) is an established R&D studio specializing in Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI), Verifiable Credentials (VCs), and blockchain-based governance. Our team has delivered multiple open-source projects and pilots on Cardano and other ecosystems, working with NGOs, research institutes, and startups.
Why we are capable of delivering CoVo:
Proven SSI expertise: We have implemented DID and VC frameworks, credential issuers, revocation registries, and verification SDKs in previous projects.
Pilot experience: We partnered with NGOs and municipalities on agricultural and property credentialing pilots, giving us field-tested knowledge of community onboarding, mapping, and trust models. Refering to Digifarm Fund 12 and Fund 13 projects.
Technical stack: Our engineers are experienced in Cardano-native Veridian framework
Delivery discipline: We follow milestone-based delivery with public GitHub repos, testnet/mainnet proofs, and transparent Catalyst reporting.
Feasibility validation approach:
Incremental delivery: Each milestone results in a working output (schema, MVP, revocation, field pilot). Progress is visible on GitHub.
On-chain metrics: DID creation, VC issuance, and revocation events will be publicly measurable.
Independent sustainability: By creating a replication playbook and handing over to a community partner at the end, we prove that CoVo can outlive the initial grant.
Trust & accountability:
All code and schemas are open source (MIT)
Milestone Title
Identity & Schema Foundations
Milestone Outputs
In the first milestone, we will deliver the identity and claim registration foundation for CoVo. Using Veridian’s DID/KERI stack, we will create at least 10 DIDs for pilot participants (landholders, NGO staff, or community reps). Alongside this, we will build a web application where participants can register their land claims. The web app will capture basic metadata (plot ID, description, claimant DID, supporting documents) and anchor the claim to Cardano testnet for auditability. This ensures every land claim has a DID-bound identity and an immutable hash stored on-chain. The web app will be open-source and accessible to reviewers, with a simple login via DID authentication.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 10 Veridian DIDs created and anchored on Cardano preprod.
A functional web app deployed for registering land claims.
At least 10 land claims submitted through the web app.
Claims anchored on Cardano testnet via hash commitments.
Evidence of Completion
GitHub repo with web app source code.
10 Transaction hashes showing DID creation and claim anchoring.
Screenshots/video demo of web app submission flow.
Pilot report listing claim metadata (hashed for privacy).
Delivery Month
2
Cost
20000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
Peer Attestation of Claims
Milestone Outputs
The second milestone introduces community validation through peer attestations. Each land claim submitted in M1 will be subject to verification by other community members, NGOs, or trusted peers. Using the web app, participants will be able to issue attestations (signed endorsements) linked to the claimant’s DID. The attestations will be stored off-chain but anchored to Cardano via Veridian DID/KERI events, ensuring verifiability. This creates a multi-signature trust graph, where each claim must gather at least 2–3 attestations before moving forward.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 20 attestations submitted across the 10 claims.
Each claim receives minimum 2 peer attestations.
Attestations linked to DIDs and anchored on Cardano mainnet.
Web app updated with attestation dashboard.
Evidence of Completion
GitHub repo updated with attestation module.
20 mainnet transaction hashes showing attestation events.
Demo video of attestation flow.
Exportable JSON/CSV with attestations per claim.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
25000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Issuance of VCs & NFTs for Verified Claims
Milestone Outputs
The third milestone operationalizes verified claims into formal credentials. Claims that pass peer attestation will be issued as Verifiable Credentials (VCs) bound to the claimant’s DID. To ensure Cardano-native visibility, each VC will also generate an NFT anchor minted via NMKR, containing the schema hash, claimant DID, and claim metadata. This dual representation - VC in the wallet, NFT on Cardano - ensures both portability and auditability. A minimum of 10 VCs and 10 NFTs will be issued during this phase. The Issuer API v0.1 will be released to automate credential issuance and NFT minting.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 10 VCs issued for verified land claims via Veridian platform.
At least 10 NFTs minted via NMKR linked to VCs on mainnet.
Veridian Wallet app updated to store and present CoVo VCs.
Issuer API open-sourced with NMKR integration.
Evidence of Completion
GitHub release of Issuer API and wallet client.
NMKR Explorer policy ID showing 10 CoVo NFTs on mainnet.
Demo video showing VC issuance + NFT minting.
Metadata schema for NFTs and verifiable credentials.
Delivery Month
10
Cost
35000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Scale-up & Closeout
Milestone Outputs
The final milestone focuses on scaling the pilot and closing out the project. We will extend issuance beyond the initial 10 claims, targeting at least 50 land claims, each resulting in a DID, peer attestations, a VC, and an NFT. We will also produce a sustainability package: playbook, training materials, and a replication guide for other communities. A final closeout report will summarize adoption metrics and lessons learned.
Acceptance Criteria
At least 50 claims processed (DID - attestation - VC - NFT).
At least 50 VCs and 50 NFTs issued on Cardano mainnet.
At least 1 partner commits to continued use beyond Catalyst.
GitHub release v1.0 with mainnet-ready code + documentation.
Evidence of Completion
50 Mainnet transaction hashes proving DID, VC, and NFT issuance.
NMKR Explorer links to 50 NFTs.
Final project report + closeout video.
Signed MoU with at least one ongoing adopter.
Delivery Month
12
Cost
15000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Total requested: A95,000
The budget is structured across four milestones (M1–M4), each producing a working deliverable and open-source output. Costs cover development (backend, frontend, integration), design, testing, documentation, and partner services (NFT minting via NMKR).
Phase 1 - Identity & Schema Foundations (Month 1–2)
Cost: A20,000
Backend (DID integration & claim anchoring): A7,000
Frontend (Web app for land claim registration): A5,000
Project lead & architecture (DID/KERI stack, audit setup): A4,000
UX & product design (pilot user flow, low-literacy UX): A2,000
Community partner onboarding & coordination: A2,000
Deliverables:
10 DIDs created and anchored on Cardano testnet
Web app deployed for land claim registration
10 land claims submitted and hashed on-chain
Phase 2 – Peer Attestation of Claims (Month 3–4)
Cost: A25,000
Backend (attestation module, DID linking): A8,000
Frontend (attestation dashboard, claim view): A6,000
Veridian integration (multi-witness events, mainnet anchoring): A5,000
UX & user testing (NGOs + landholders): A3,000
Community partner engagement & training sessions: A3,000
Deliverables:
At least 20 attestations submitted across claims
Claims anchored to Cardano via DID/KERI events
Web app updated with peer attestation dashboard
Phase 3 – Issuance of VCs & NFTs (Month 5–10)
Cost: A35,000
Backend (Issuer API v0.1, credential issuance, revocation): A12,000
NFT minting integration via NMKR Studio: A8,000
Wallet client update for VC storage & presentation: A7,000
Schema finalization & metadata integration: A4,000
DevOps + testing + deployment: A4,000
Deliverables:
10 VCs issued for verified land claims via Veridian platform
10 NFTs minted on Cardano via NMKR (linked to VCs)
Issuer API (open-sourced) released with NMKR integration
Veridian wallet app updated for CoVo VC support
Phase 4 – Scale-Up & Closeout (Month 11–12)
Cost: A15,000
Backend + frontend scaling (50 claims): A5,000
Replication package (playbook, training materials): A3,000
Final technical documentation & GitHub release: A3,000
Partnership development & MoUs with NGOs/municipalities: $A,000
Closeout reporting & dissemination: $A,000
Deliverables:
≥50 verified claims processed end-to-end (DID - attestation - VC - NFT)
At least 1 partner commits to continued usage beyond Catalyst
v1.0 release of CoVo on GitHub with documentation
Final adoption + sustainability report
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
The requested budget of A95,000 represents strong value for the Cardano ecosystem because it directly funds the delivery of an end-to-end, open-source land claims verification framework powered by DIDs, Verifiable Credentials, and NFTs on Cardano. Each dollar maps to a measurable outcome:
Concrete outputs per milestone:
M1 (20k) : 10 DIDs + land claim registration app
M2 (25k) : peer attestation module live with at least 20 attestations
M3 (35k) : 10 VCs + 10 NFTs minted through NMKR for verified claims
M4 (15k) : scale-up to 50 claims, v1.0 release, and sustainability report
Partner leverage:
NMKR Studio provides enterprise-grade NFT minting infrastructure, saving an estimated 15–20k in custom development.
Veridian DID/KERI stack is already operational, reducing implementation risk and ensuring compatibility with Cardano identity standards.
Ecosystem alignment:
All modules (Issuer API, schemas, wallet client updates) are released as open-source SDKs on GitHub.
NGOs and local partners gain a turnkey toolkit for verifiable land rights pilots, positioning Cardano as the preferred identity + RWA chain.
Sustainability:
By M4, CoVO will demonstrate a replicable model where NGOs and municipalities can issue and verify claims without external developers, ensuring ongoing adoption beyond Catalyst funding.
Future funding streams (government programs, NGO adoption, RWA tokenization) will sustain and expand the platform.
In short: for less than the cost of a single small land digitization pilot, Cardano gains a reusable identity + credentialing framework, a first-of-its-kind DID/VC/NFT land registry demo, and a pathway to scale real-world adoption across regions.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Blockia Labs OÜ (Estonia) is the lead applicant and development team. Blockia has successfully delivered multiple Catalyst-funded collaborations (e.g., DigiFarm Fund12, Fund13) and develops decentralized identity and credentialing frameworks. For CoVO, Blockia leads the technical design, SSI integration, and community pilot delivery.
Team Members
Panche Isajeski – Project Lead & Architect
Founder & CEO of Blockia Labs. Over 10 years of experience in blockchain, fintech, and SSI systems. Responsible for project delivery, system architecture, and integration of Veridian DID/KERI stack for land claims and peer attestations.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pan-i/
Goran Gavrovski – Lead Developer (Backend; Veridian Integration)
Senior software engineer with strong expertise in identity protocols, credential issuance, and backend API development. Will lead DID anchoring, claim registration APIs, and VC issuance flow for CoVO.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/goran-gavrovski07/
Stefan Dellström – CXO & Product Strategy
Experienced entrepreneur and product strategist. Will drive UX design for the land claims web app and ensure CoVO’s adoption pathways are simple for end-users in Africa pilot regions.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-dellstrom/
Alan Radi – GTM & Partnerships
Business development and ecosystem partnerships lead. Will focus on onboarding local NGOs, land rights groups, and municipality stakeholders into the CoVO pilot.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alanradi/
Extended Contributors
Frontend engineer (contracted) – responsible for the land claims registration web app (M1) and peer attestation UI (M2).
Technical writer (contracted) – responsible for user documentation, step-by-step onboarding guides, and training material for NGOs and local pilot partners.
Partners
NMKR Studio (Partner – NFT & Token Integration)
NMKR Studio will provide the NFT minting infrastructure for verified land claims. They will support the integratation of NFT issuance workflows into CoVO (Milestone 3).