DigiFarm Credit & Climate Passport

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

DigiFarm Credit & Climate Passport

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

95000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

10

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

Smallholder farmers lack verifiable identity and trusted farm data. This makes them "invisible" to lenders and insurers, blocking their access to credit, insurance, and premium markets.

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://nfts.digifarm.io/
,
• https://digifarm.io/
,
• https://digifarm.io/blog/digifarm-and-cardano-360-revolutionizing-agriculture-with-blockchain-powered-smart-fields-in-kenya

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

Yes. Dependencies: (1) A Cardano-native DID framework (e.g., Cardano Foundation's Veridian, Atala PRISM, or a collaboration with Socious) for issuing farmer identities; (2) Landano for land‑claim/ownership linkage; (3) Commonlands for community verification/governance; (4) ZenGate for produce traceability; (5) A Cardano-native insurance protocol like FIDA.finance for risk pooling. These integrations make FieldNFT data actionable for credit, insurance, and markets.

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

All Fund14 modules will be open-sourced (MIT): FieldScore algorithm & API; DID–NFT binding module; NDVI/yield oracle scripts; parametric insurance contract templates; integration bridges (Landano/Commonlands/ZenGate); technical docs and examples.

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.

Financial Services

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).

While prior funds created the static on-chain asset (the FieldNFT), this project makes it active. Our innovation is the synthesis of three new, previously unfunded layers: 1) verifiable DIDs for farmer identity, 2) a FieldScore for on-chain creditworthiness, and 3) a parametric insurance oracle. This is not an incremental update; it's the first project to combine these elements into a single, interoperable financial passport for farmers. It transforms a passive dataset into an actionable tool for real-world finance, unlocking the true potential of all our previous foundational work.

Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.

Our MVP will be a live, interactive pilot hosted on a public testnet version of our dApp (nfts.digifarm.io). Reviewers, using demo credentials, can simulate the complete user journey: 1) View a sample farmer profile with a newly issued DID. 2) Inspect their linked FieldNFT, enriched with its FieldScore v0.1 and insurance data. 3) See how the on-chain data generates a creditworthiness score and simulates a loan evaluation. 4) Trigger a simulated parametric insurance payout based on oracle data. This provides a tangible, end-to-end showcase of the complete financial passport in action.

Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.

Success is the successful execution of our pilot and the tangible on-chain activity it generates. Key metrics: ≥100 farmers issued DIDs and linked to FieldNFTs; ≥500 FieldNFTs enriched with FieldScore and insurance data; ≥1 live partner integration for the pilot. On-chain, success is measured by >2,000 transactions related to DID issuance, NFT metadata updates, and oracle queries on testnet/mainnet. This provides a realistic, measurable foundation for our long-term vision of scaling to 100k+ farmers and demonstrates a clear return on impact.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

The Problem: Smallholder farmers lack verifiable identity and trusted farm data, making them "invisible" to lenders and insurers and blocking their access to credit, insurance, and premium markets.

The Catalyst Funded Gap: In Funds 11-13, we successfully created the foundational asset: the FieldNFT, a credible on-chain record of a farm's land and historical performance. However, this asset remains passive. What’s missing is an identity, risk, and interoperability layer that connects this on-chain data to the real-world economy, allowing farmers to actively use their data to improve their livelihoods.

Our Solution: The DigiFarm Credit & Climate Passport

This project will build and pilot the "DigiFarm Credit & Climate Passport"—an integrated, Cardano-native solution that transforms our static FieldNFTs into active, interoperable financial instruments. The goal of this "Concept" proposal is to build and validate this complete, end-to-end system in a live pilot.

The Passport is built on three new, innovative layers:

• Verifiable Farmer Identity (The 'Who'): We will issue W3C-compliant Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) to farmers through a Cardano-native framework (e.g., Cardano Foundation's Veridian, or in collaboration with partners like Socious). Each DID will be cryptographically linked to the farmer’s FieldNFTs, creating a privacy-preserving "farmer passport." This verifiable link between a person and their land's performance history is the foundational layer of trust.
• FieldScore Creditworthiness Engine (The 'How Good'): We will build an open-source engine that turns the 40+ years of raw satellite data in each FieldNFT into a single, decision-ready metric: a normalized FieldScore (0-100). This score analyzes trends in yield, volatility, and land stability, providing an instant, unbiased assessment of a farm's creditworthiness for lenders.
• Parametric Insurance Oracle (The 'What If'): We will create a transparent, on-chain trigger engine for climate insurance. The oracle will monitor satellite data for events like drought. When a trigger event occurs, a smart contract template can authorize an automatic payout through a partner risk-pooling protocol like FIDA.finance.

Ecosystem Interoperability (The 'Network Effect'):

The Passport's true power lies in its ability to connect to the wider Cardano ecosystem. Our planned integrations will add further layers of value:

• Landano: Will add verifiable legal ownership claims to the FieldNFTs.
• Commonlands: Will enable community attestations (e.g. "Verified Organic").
• ZenGate: Will link tokenized harvest batches to their source FieldNFT for provenance.

**Farmer DIDs bound to FieldNFTs. **

We issue W3C‑compliant decentralized identifiers (via a Cardano-native framework like Cardano Foundation's Veridian, Atala PRISM, and other identity partners like Socious and bind them to existing FieldNFTs. The binding is privacy‑preserving: PII stays off‑chain; on‑chain we publish verifiable references (hashes/VCs) and pointers in NFT metadata to DID docs/credentials. Result: a portable farmer passport that proves “this person cultivates this field with this historic performance.”

**FieldScore (creditworthiness). **

We publish an open specification and reference implementation that turns FieldNFT metadata into a normalized 0–100 score for underwriting. Features include: multi‑year yield/NDVI trend, volatility, seasonality, acreage, sustainability index, land‑cover stability, and recency of activity. We expose the score via REST API and an on‑chain evaluator template so lenders/DeFi protocols can call it deterministically.

**Parametric insurance oracle. **

Using satellite signals (e.g., NDVI anomaly vs. field’s 5/10‑yr baseline, rainfall proxies) we create a transparent trigger engine. When a deviation crosses threshold (e.g., drought, crop failure), a smart contract template can authorize payouts from Cardano-native insurance protocols like FIDA.finance or other insurer counterparts. We’ll ship oracle jobs, reference contracts, and two scenario sims (drought & yield shortfall) on Cardano testnet. We will aim to collaborate with FIDA (https://fida.finance) which is also collaborating on the Satellite oracle currently as well.

Interoperability with Cardano partners.

Confirmed; Existing Partners:

1. Syngenta India Foundation — field validation, farmer onboarding, agronomy expertise for India pilot context.
2. NMKR Studio — NFT minting infrastructure, metadata pipelines, asset management.
3. Blockia Labs — smart contract and Cardano dApp engineering support.

Planned integrations:

• Landano: attach ownership/claim attestations to FieldNFTs (or pointers to such certificates), hardening legitimacy for lenders/insurers.
• Commonlands: enable community attestations and governance signals (e.g., steward endorsements, co‑op membership VCs) to increase trust in farmer/field identity.
• ZenGate: map harvest/batch tokens to originating FieldNFTs to establish provenance and optional ESG credentials (sustainability index, carbon proxy), enabling better market access and potential price premiums.
• FIDA.finance: to serve as a key partner for risk pooling and smart contract templates for parametric insurance payouts.o
• Socious: to enable farmers to add their on-chain agricultural credentials (e.g., 'Verified Farmer,' 'Sustainable Practices') to their broader social impact profile, creating a more holistic digital identity.

Planned integrations are open and standards-based, so no formal agreement is required to deliver the intended functionality.

**Pilot and validation with real users. **

We onboard 100+ farmers (Kenya/Tanzania) and demonstrate: (a) DID issuance + FieldNFT binding; (b) lender evaluation using FieldScore (+ sample loan offers); (c) insurance trigger simulations; (d) at least one provenance flow with ZenGate. Open standards, re‑use, and consent. All modules (scoring, oracles, contracts, bridges) are MIT‑licensed; metadata extensions remain CIP‑25‑compatible. Farmers consent through clear UX—what data is linked, what is shared, and revocation options.

Why this solves the problem:

• Identity turns “data about a field” into a verifiable person‑field relationship acceptable to finance/insurance.
• Risk scoring translates satellite history into a decisionable metric lenders recognize.
• Parametric oracles remove disputes and speed payouts after climate shocks.
• Interoperability ensures the same FieldNFT powers finance (credit/insurance) and markets (traceability/ESG)—driving adoption and actual on‑chain activity.

Technical outline:

• Data layer: existing FieldNFT metadata (area, geometry, indices, land‑cover mix) + off‑chain archives.
• Identity layer: DID issuance (VCs: “Field steward,” “Co‑op member,” optional KYC). NFT metadata extends with DID URI and credential hashes.
• Scoring service: feature extraction → normalization → score; exposed via REST; optional on‑chain evaluator for deterministic checks.
• Oracle layer: scheduled satellite index pulls; baseline modelling; threshold evaluation; post result to Cardano.
• Smart contracts: insurance template (parametric) and sample loan‑evaluation contract integrating FieldScore.
• Bridges: Landano (ownership claims), Commonlands (attestations/governance), ZenGate (batch↔FieldNFT linking).
• Security/privacy: separate PII; signed proofs; least‑privilege keys; auditable logs; rate‑limiting and monitoring.

Rollout. M1: partner and DID integration; M2: FieldScore; M3: oracle ansd contracts; M4: pilot and open release. (See detailed milestones below.)

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

This project will deliver a flagship RealFi application on Cardano, generating significant and multi-layered impact across three key areas: direct adoption, ecosystem utility, and a powerful strategic narrative for Cardano.

1. Direct, measurable Cardano adoption. This project moves beyond theory to generate tangible, real-world usage.

• On‑chain identity: Onboarding 100+ smallholder farmers with DIDs linked to their FieldNFTs will create a new cohort of on-chain identities tied directly to real economic activity.
• Live DeFi usage: The pilot will involve testnet, and where feasible, mainnet loan evaluations and insurance events using our open source contracts, demonstrating a complete and practical financial workflow of Cardano.
• Transaction Projections (10 months): We project over 2,000 on-chain events, including (a) ≥100 DID issuances (b) ≥500 FieldScore-related NFT updates (c) ≥10 insurance simulations, and (d) ≥3 provenance pilot trades. This represents a significant increase in meaningful, non-speculative transaction volume.
• Interoperability in action: a single FieldNFT drives flows across Landano (ownership), Commonlands (governance attestations) and ZenGate (provenance), showcasing Cardano composability to voters, reviewers and new builder

2. Open Infrastructure and Compounding Ecosystem Value

Our work is designed to be a force multiplier, creating value that extends far beyond our own application.

• Network Effects: The MIT licensing of all new modules (DID-binding, FieldScore, Oracle) invites forks and integrations into other agri-sectors (coffee, tea, rice) and even beyond agriculture (land restoration, forestry).
• Reduced Friction: By adhering to standards (CIP-25, DID/VC conventions), we reduce the technical barriers for every subsequent Cardano RealFi project that needs to connect identity, risk, and provenance, creating a compounding effect.

3. Tangible Socio-Economic and Sustainability Benefits

This project delivers on Cardano's promise of creating positive global change.

• Credit Inclusion: Field-based reputation, proven on-chain, allows previously “unbankable” farmers to access fairer credit for the first time.
• Climate Resilience: Parametric insurance triggers provide rapid financial assistance after climate shocks like drought, cutting the time to relief.
• Market Access & Premiums: Verifiable provenance and ESG signals attract premium buyers and open access to new, quality-focused markets.
• Local Governance: Integrating with partners like Commonlands elevates community voice and helps mitigate fraud through local attestations.

4. Unique Strategic Value to the Cardano Ecosystem

This project is not something that could be built on any blockchain; it leverages Cardano's unique strengths to create a powerful and repeatable pattern.

• A Repeatable RealFi Pattern: Cardano already hosts identity solutions (Atala PRISM, Veridian), UTXO-based NFTs with rich metadata, and active dApps for supply chains. This project binds them all together, creating a powerful and replicable model for other RealFi applications.
• High Demo Value: Reviewers and voters will see a tangible, human-centric Cardano story. Through videos, dashboards, live transaction links, and partner attestations, we will provide undeniable proof that aligns perfectly with Fund14’s emphasis on impact, feasibility, and value for money.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

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?

Our capability to deliver this project with the highest level of trust is grounded in our proven Catalyst track record, deep domain expertise, and a robust, de-risked validation plan.

1. Proven Track Record (Catalyst Delivery):

We have consistently delivered on our promises across multiple funds, demonstrating our accountability and technical expertise.

• Fund 11: Successfully developed the foundational AI models for creating verifiable digital identities for fields from satellite data.
• Fund 12: Delivered a fully functional web dApp (nfts.digifarm.io) with NMKR, minting over 500 FieldNFTs and proving our ability to build user-facing applications on Cardano.
• Fund 13: Enriched these on-chain assets with 40+ years of historical performance data, demonstrating our ability to manage complex data pipelines.
• This demonstrates we can ship full pipelines, integrations, and public documentation, making us a low-risk, reliable team.

2. World-Class Team & Partners:

Our team's unique strength is its blend of deep agricultural expertise and top-tier Cardano development partners.

• DigiFarm Core Team: Our leadership has over 40 years of combined international experience in precision agriculture and has successfully built and exited ag-tech startups.
• Confirmed Technical Partners (NMKR Studio & Blockia Labs): Our long-standing partners are the most experienced NFT infrastructure providers on Cardano, ensuring all on-chain components are secure and scalable.

3. Validation Plan & Feasibility:

This project is feasible because we are not inventing the base dataset or the minting stack—that’s done. Fund14 focuses on the application layer, which we will validate through a clear, multi-stage process:

• Technical Validation: All new components will undergo rigorous testing. The FieldScore engine will be validated against historical data; the insurance oracle will be tested with simulated drought events; and all smart contracts will be rehearsed on testnet with video proof and transaction links.
• User Validation: We will onboard 100+ farmers and conduct structured demo days with our pilot partner(s). Usability surveys and direct feedback will ensure the solution is practical and valuable for the end-user. We will secure at least two Letters of Intent (LOIs) from potential lending/insurance partners
• Governance & Trust: We will use community attestations via Commonlands to validate claims and build trust, with transparent scoring documentation published for review.

4. Risk Mitigation:

• Partner Timelines: We will begin integration work with partners in Milestone 1 and have contingency plans for solo demonstrations if a partner slips.
• Adoption Risk: The solution will be co-designed with on-the-ground partners, and we will offer incentives (e.g., reduced fees, pilot stipends) to encourage farmer participation.
• Regulatory/KYC: Our DID approach keeps all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) off-chain, minimizing regulatory hurdles. We will work with financial partners to meet their specific, minimal KYC requirements in a compliant manner.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Partner Integration & DID Framework (Months 1-3)

Milestone Outputs

This foundational milestone focuses on establishing the technical and partnership framework. Deliverables include: 1) A finalized DID schema and issuance workflow, designed for interoperability with partners like Landano and Commonlands. 2) A technical specification for the ZenGate traceability integration. 3) Updated FieldNFT metadata standards to support pointers to DID/ownership/governance credentials. 4) A functional prototype of a user wallet for DID issuance and management.

Acceptance Criteria

The DID schema and partner integration specs are formally documented and shared with partners for feedback. The FieldNFT metadata is updated on a testnet asset. A demo wallet can successfully issue a live DID on the Cardano testnet and display it.

Evidence of Completion

A public link to the GitHub repository containing the DID schema and integration specifications. A short demo video showcasing the wallet's DID issuance flow. Links to testnet assets with the updated metadata structure.

Delivery Month

3

Cost

25000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

FieldScore Credit Engine (Months 4-5)

Milestone Outputs

The core deliverables are the components of our creditworthiness engine. This includes: 1) The first version (v0.1) of the FieldScore algorithm, which analyzes historical yield trends, sustainability, and acreage. 2) A REST API for querying the score. 3) A set of sample credit reports generated from real (anonymized) field data. 4) A functional mock-up of the lender dashboard.

Acceptance Criteria

At least 500 fields from our dataset have been successfully scored by the algorithm. The API is live on a test endpoint. We have produced at least 10 sample borrower dossiers that can be shared with potential lending partners for feedback.

Evidence of Completion

A link to the open-source code repository for the FieldScore algorithm. A link to the API documentation and a Postman collection for testing. A PDF containing sample credit reports and a Loom video walkthrough of the lender dashboard mock-up.

Delivery Month

5

Cost

40000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Insurance Oracle & Smart Contracts (Months 6-8)

Milestone Outputs

This milestone delivers the risk-mitigation layer. Key outputs are: 1) A functional oracle service that can pull NDVI/yield deviation data for a given FieldNFT. 2) A Plutus smart contract template for a parametric insurance policy that can be triggered by the oracle. 3) A sandbox environment for simulating insurance scenarios.

Acceptance Criteria

The oracle successfully fetches and posts data to the testnet. The smart contract template is successfully deployed, and at least two end-to-end scenarios (e.g., a drought and a yield shortfall) are simulated, triggering a correct payout on testnet.

Evidence of Completion

A link to the smart contract code in a public repository. Links to the testnet transaction hashes from the successful simulation runs. A demo video showing the oracle job configuration and the resulting on-chain payout.

Delivery Month

8

Cost

15000

Progress

90 %

Milestone Title

Pilot Deployment & Open Release (Months 9-10)

Milestone Outputs

This final milestone brings everything together in a live pilot. Deliverables include: 1) The onboarding of 100+ farmers in Kenya/Tanzania. 2) The issuance of at least two Letters of Intent (LOIs) from potential lender/insurer partners for a future scale-up. 3) A cross-dApp demonstration video showcasing the full passport with a ZenGate traceability integration. 4) Public release of all open-source components.

Acceptance Criteria

On-chain interactions for the 100+ pilot users (DID issuance, FieldNFT updates) are recorded and verifiable. The LOIs are signed. The final demo video is published. All code is released under an MIT license.

Evidence of Completion

Anonymized wallet/DID logs. PDFs of the signed LOIs. A link to the final cross-dApp demo video. Links to all public code repositories.

Delivery Month

10

Cost

15000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Total Budget: ₳95,000

The budget is allocated across four work packages that directly mirror the project milestones, ensuring a clear and accountable use of funds for this 10-month project.

• WP1 – Partner Integration & DID Framework (₳25,000): This covers the initial strategic and technical work. It includes project management time for partner workshops (Landano, Commonlands, ZenGate), blockchain developer time for designing the DID schema and updating NFT metadata standards, and frontend time for the initial wallet prototype.
• WP2 – FieldScore Credit Engine (₳25,000): This allocation is for the development of the core credit scoring logic. It funds our Data Science Lead for algorithm development and our Backend/API Engineer for building the REST service and sample lender dashboard.
• WP3 – Insurance Oracle & Contracts (₳25,000): This covers the development of the risk-mitigation layer. Funds are allocated to our Blockchain Leads (NMKR/Blockia Labs) for building the Plutus smart contract templates and the oracle service. It also includes costs for sandbox testing and simulation environments.
• WP4 – Pilot Deployment & Open Release (₳20,000): This funds the final, crucial stage of the project. It covers the operational costs for our Field Ops team to onboard 100+ farmers, project management time to secure partner LOIs and produce the final demo videos, and technical writing for the public documentation and open-source release.

Resource Mix (Indicative): The budget supports a team mix of 1 Project Manager, 1 Blockchain Dev, 1 Data Scientist, 1 Backend Dev, 1 Frontend Dev, and part-time Field Ops. All hosting, testnet/mainnet fees, and compliance costs are included within these work packages.

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

This project delivers exceptional value for money by using a modest "Concept" budget to prove an end-to-end, high-impact RealFi solution, which in turn de-risks and validates a much larger scaling opportunity for Cardano.

• Reuses Existing Infrastructure: This ₳95,000 investment is highly leveraged because it builds on top of the foundational technology we already developed in Funds 11-13 (datasets, NFT schema, dApp). The new funds are targeted exclusively at building the new, high-value layers—identity, risk, oracle, and interoperability—not reinventing the base.
• Creates High-Value, Reusable Open-Source Modules: For a relatively small cost, the project delivers three distinct, open-source modules (FieldScore, DID-binding, Insurance Oracle) that can be independently reused and integrated by other projects across multiple RealFi verticals, multiplying the value of the initial investment.
• Unlocks Massive Narrative & Marketing Value: The story of a Kenyan farmer using a Cardano-based "passport" to access finance is invaluable. This project delivers a powerful, human-centric narrative of "banking the unbanked" that can be used in marketing and communications to showcase Cardano's unique value proposition to a global audience.
• Clear Cost-to-Impact: The budget delivers a clear and tangible set of artifacts for voters and future integrators: a live pilot with 100+ real users, multiple production-grade open-source modules, public documentation, demo videos, and at least two LOIs from financial partners. This provides a very strong and measurable return on impact for the funds requested.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes