Last updated 8 months ago
Farmers lack capital to lease or expand farmland, while investors lack access to the high-yield returns generated from diverse agricultural produce cultivated by skilled farmers.
NFTs represent farmland leases for agricultural produce. Smart contracts automate revenue distribution, splitting profits 50% to NFT holders and 50% reinvested for growth.
This is the total amount allocated to Farmland Lease Tokenization.
Please provide your proposal title
Farmland Lease Tokenization
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
40000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
5
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Farmers lack capital to lease or expand farmland, while investors lack access to the high-yield returns generated from diverse agricultural produce cultivated by skilled farmers.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
'No dependencies'
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
All smart contracts, DApp code, and documentation will be released on GitHub under the MIT License, making it freely reusable, auditable, and adaptable for other farmland or agricultural tokenization models. This ensures transparency, trust, and ecosystem-wide impact, as developers and stakeholders can verify, contribute, and replicate the framework.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal.
RWA
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously funded (whether by you or others).
This proposal is innovative because it transforms farmland leasing into a tokenized, transparent, and globally accessible investment model. By linking NFTs to farmland parcels, smart contracts automate profit-sharing and reinvestment, ensuring trust without intermediaries. Unlike traditional leases, this model empowers farmers with capital to scale, while giving investors direct access to high-yield agricultural returns. Its open-source MIT framework ensures replication across crops and regions, multiplying ecosystem impact.
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
The MVP will be a Cardano mainnet DApp showcasing farmland lease NFTs linked to real parcels. It will allow users to connect a wallet, mint test NFTs, and view ownership details, lease terms, and profit-sharing logic through a simple dashboard. The smart contracts (Aiken-based) will demonstrate automated revenue split and reinvestment. All code will be published open-source on GitHub (MIT License), and the live MVP will be accessible via a web link with full transparency.
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
Success will be measured by: number of farmland lease NFTs minted, active wallets holding them, volume of leased farmland financed, diversity of crops onboarded, and transparency of profit distributions on-chain. Additional metrics include farmer income growth, reinvestment into land and equipment, and community engagement through workshops. Final success is demonstrated by a completed harvest cycle, automated payouts to NFT holders, and open-source adoption by other agricultural projects.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
This project creates a blockchain-based farmland leasing system where investors purchase NFTs that represent farmland leases, and farmers cultivate the leased land to generate profits. The model lowers entry barriers for farmers who need land access and provides investors with transparent exposure to agricultural returns.
How It Works
NFT Representation: Each NFT represents a lease agreement tied to a specific farmland parcel. Metadata includes parcel ID, crop type, lease duration, and ownership records.
Investor Role: Investors mint or purchase NFTs, funding the lease. Their ownership is secured on Cardano, visible and verifiable on-chain.
Farmer Role: Farmers operate the land, plant and harvest crops, and submit results. They benefit from capital access without upfront leasing costs.
Profit Sharing: After each harvest, revenues are deposited into a smart contract. The contract enforces a 50/50 split — 50% distributed to NFT holders, and 50% reinvested into the farm (soil health, inputs, or equipment upgrades).
Smart Contract Logic
The solution uses Cardano Aiken smart contracts to ensure automation and trust:
Profit Pot Contract: Receives revenues from crop sales and automatically executes payouts to NFT holders.
Reinvestment Contract: Directs the farmer’s 50% share into designated accounts for approved uses like seeds, fertilizers, or land expansion.
Escrow Mechanism: Funds are held until harvest reporting is verified, protecting investors from default risks.
On-Chain Proof: All transactions — NFT minting, profit distributions, reinvestments — are publicly verifiable.
DApp MVP
The MVP will be a cross-platform DApp built in Flutter, deployed on Cardano mainnet, and compatible with Yoroi, Lace, and Eternl wallets. It will showcase:
NFT Minting & Ownership: Investors can connect their wallet, mint farmland lease NFTs, and view details of their parcels.
Dashboard: Displays ownership, projected APY, lease terms, and harvest cycles.
Profit Tracking: Shows distributions to NFT holders and reinvested amounts, with direct links to Cardano Explorer.
Transparency Reports: Harvest reports and financial breakdowns stored on IPFS, ensuring verifiable data.
Transparency & Governance
IPFS Reporting: Farmers submit harvest results (yields, expenses, revenues) with links to sales invoices; hashes are stored on-chain.
Legal Compliance: Legal advisors provide enforceable agreements so lease contracts are recognized off-chain as well, adding institutional credibility.
Open Source Commitment: All smart contracts, DApp code, and reporting tools are released under MIT License. This ensures transparency and allows other agricultural projects to replicate or extend the model.
User Journey
Investor connects wallet (Yoroi, Lace, or Eternl) to the DApp.
Investor mints NFT, representing farmland lease.
Farmer operates land, cultivates crops, and submits reports.
Harvest revenue is deposited into smart contract.
Smart contract executes:
50% payout to NFT holders.
50% reinvested into farm improvements.
Investor tracks ownership, payouts, and reinvestment via DApp dashboard.
In summary, this full solution combines:
NFTs for secure farmland lease representation.
Smart contracts to automate transparent profit-sharing and reinvestment.
DApp with wallet integration for seamless investor and farmer interaction.
IPFS + legal framework for accountability and compliance.
Open-source design for ecosystem replication and growth.
This creates a scalable and sustainable farmland financing model that empowers farmers, unlocks new investor opportunities, and strengthens Cardano’s role in real-world asset tokenization.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This project creates meaningful outcomes for farmers, investors, and the Cardano ecosystem:
Farmer Empowerment: By tokenizing farmland leases, small and mid-sized farmers gain affordable access to land they could not otherwise lease or expand. This unlocks their ability to scale production of key crops like soybeans, cassava, cacao, beans, and vegetables, while improving livelihoods and community food security.
Investor Access to Agriculture: Investors gain transparent, blockchain-secured exposure to agricultural profits, with smart contracts guaranteeing distribution and reinvestment. Unlike traditional farmland investments, this model is global, liquid, and verifiable on-chain.
Economic Sustainability: With 50% of profits reinvested into land improvements, equipment, and future leases, the project creates a compounding growth model that expands production capacity over time, reducing reliance on external funding.
Ecosystem Innovation: As a fully open source MIT project, the architecture can be replicated for different crops, regions, and agricultural models. This amplifies impact by enabling Cardano to host a growing class of real-world asset tokenization solutions.
Transparency & Trust: IPFS-hosted reports, on-chain profit-sharing, and wallet access (Yoroi, Lace, Eternl) ensure radical transparency. Stakeholders can verify every step — from lease creation, to crop harvest, to revenue distribution.
Social & Environmental Benefits: Beyond economics, this model supports rural development, fosters agricultural entrepreneurship, and promotes sustainable farming practices by tying reinvestment to soil health and productivity.
In summary, the project bridges the financing gap between farmers and investors while delivering measurable social, economic, and ecosystem benefits, positioning Cardano as a leader in real-world agricultural tokenization.
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?
This project is backed by a team with proven expertise in blockchain development, agricultural engagement, legal compliance, and community adoption, ensuring delivery is both technically and operationally feasible.
Core Capabilities
Smart Contract Development: An experienced Aiken smart contract developer (already engaged) will design and deploy secure contracts for NFT leasing, profit distribution, and reinvestment. Previous Cardano projects delivered by the team show capability in writing and auditing production-ready contracts.
DApp Development: A Flutter developer will build a cross-platform DApp accessible on mobile and web. The app will integrate with Yoroi, Lace, and Eternl wallets, making participation seamless for investors worldwide.
Legal & Compliance: Legal advisor Edward Laporte ensures enforceable farmland lease agreements aligned with local frameworks, bridging on-chain logic with off-chain recognition.
Project Leadership: William Shelton, a Fund 8 recipient, has a track record of delivering blockchain projects on time and within budget. He oversees project execution and coordinates across technical, legal, and community streams.
Advisory Strength:
Jeffery Sisco, MBA – business strategy and marketplace scaling.
Danilo Parmegiani – nonprofit and institutional engagement.
Seth Kaper-Dale – social impact and equity in agricultural trade.
Gary Minkoff – public policy expertise for government partnerships.
Feasibility
Proof of Concept (PoC): A pilot with select farmland parcels will validate smart contract logic, NFT minting, and profit distribution on mainnet before scaling.
Independent Audits: All smart contracts will undergo third-party auditing to ensure security and transparency.
Farmer Partnerships: Initial farmers will be engaged for early adoption, providing real harvest data and validating the reinvestment model.
Open Source Development: By releasing all code under MIT License, the project ensures community support, external validation, and rapid improvement.
Scalability: The 50% reinvestment model compounds growth, reducing dependency on ongoing external funding and ensuring long-term sustainability.
In summary, with a skilled development team, strong legal and advisory backing, tested feasibility through pilots, and a self-sustaining reinvestment model, this project is both achievable and impactful within its proposed budget and timeline.
Milestone Title
Milestone 1: Development & Smart Contract Deployment
Milestone Outputs
Output: Design, develop, and deploy smart contracts for NFT leasing, profit-sharing, and reinvestment on Cardano mainnet. Deliver a functional MVP DApp built in Flutter with wallet integration (Yoroi, Lace, Eternl) to enable NFT minting, parcel tracking, and revenue distribution visualization.
Acceptance Criteria
Criteria: Contracts deployed to mainnet, fully audited for security, and verified through testnet trials. MVP live with NFT minting and dashboard functions accessible. Codebase released open-source under MIT License for audit and reuse.
Evidence of Completion
Evidence: GitHub repo with code and documentation, Cardano Explorer links to deployed contracts, audit report from an independent third party, and a public MVP access link for demonstration.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
12000
Progress
50 %
Milestone Title
Milestone 2: NFT Minting & Community Onboarding
Milestone Outputs
Output: Conduct the first NFT minting event tied to pilot farmland parcels, launching tokenized leases accessible to investors. Develop supporting sales and educational campaigns to build trust and adoption among farmers and investors. Host at least one workshop to onboard users and provide guidance on using the DApp.
Acceptance Criteria
Criteria: Successful mint of the first farmland lease NFTs, with tokens distributed across unique wallets. Active community onboarding through marketing campaigns, digital outreach, and workshop participation. NFT listings visible in at least one secondary marketplace.
Evidence of Completion
Evidence: On-chain minting records on Cardano Explorer, analytics from outreach efforts (wallets onboarded, campaign reach), documentation of workshops (agendas, photos, or recordings), and confirmation of marketplace listings.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
12000
Progress
90 %
Milestone Title
Milestone 3: First Harvest Cycle, Profit Distribution & Close-Out
Milestone Outputs
Output: Complete the first farmland harvest cycle. Farmers provide transparent yield and revenue data, verified and stored on IPFS. Revenues deposited into the smart contract are automatically split: 50% distributed to NFT holders, 50% reinvested for scaling. Deliver a final close-out report and harvest video to demonstrate accountability.
Acceptance Criteria
Criteria: Farmer reporting submitted with crop data and invoices; on-chain payout transactions completed to NFT holders; reinvestment transactions executed and recorded. Final community report published, detailing lessons learned and next steps for scale.
Evidence of Completion
Evidence: IPFS-hosted harvest reports and receipts, Cardano Explorer payout and reinvestment transaction hashes, close-out written report, and a publicly shared harvest video documenting the impact.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
16000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Smart Contract Development & Auditing – 12,000 ADA
Aiken smart contract developer: 9,000 ADA
Independent third-party audit: 3,000 ADA
Rationale: The smart contracts are the backbone of the project, automating NFT leasing, profit-sharing, and reinvestment. A higher allocation ensures quality development and robust auditing for security and trust.
DApp Development (Flutter, Web & Mobile) – 9,000 ADA
Flutter developer: 7,000 ADA
UI/UX design and integration testing: 2,000 ADA
Rationale: A user-friendly, mobile-first application ensures accessibility for both farmers and investors. Supporting wallets Yoroi, Lace, and Eternl requires proper integration and testing to guarantee smooth adoption.
Legal, Compliance & Governance – 6,000 ADA
Legal advisory: 4,000 ADA
Lease agreement drafting and documentation filings: 2,000 ADA
Rationale: Enforceable farmland lease agreements bridge blockchain with real-world recognition. This ensures both investors and farmers are protected within a legal framework.
Sales, Marketing & Community Engagement – 7,000 ADA
Campaign development and investor outreach: 3,500 ADA
Farmer onboarding workshops & education: 2,000 ADA
Content production and digital media: 1,500 ADA
Rationale: Community adoption is critical. This budget supports trust-building campaigns, educational workshops, and outreach to both farmers and global impact investors.
Operations, Reporting & Close-Out – 6,000 ADA
Project management: 4,000 ADA
Reporting, IPFS-hosted harvest reports, and close-out video: 2,000 ADA
Rationale: Ensures accountability and transparency through professional project management and open reporting to the Cardano community.
Total: 40,000 ADA
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This proposal delivers strong outcomes with a lean 40,000 ADA budget by focusing resources on secure smart contracts, user-friendly DApp development, legal enforceability, and transparent reporting.
Efficient Technical Spend: Nearly one-third of the budget is dedicated to smart contract development and auditing, ensuring the profit-sharing and reinvestment logic is secure and reliable. By subcontracting an experienced Aiken developer, costs remain efficient while guaranteeing technical robustness.
Accessible DApp: Over 20% of the budget ensures a mobile-first application built in Flutter with Yoroi, Lace, and Eternl wallet support, lowering entry barriers for both investors and farmers.
Balanced Legal Coverage: With 15% allocated to compliance, lease contracts are enforceable off-chain, protecting stakeholders without excessive overhead.
Targeted Community Adoption: 17% of funds support farmer onboarding, investor outreach, and educational workshops, maximizing adoption per ADA spent.
Transparent Operations: The allocation for project management, IPFS-hosted reporting, and a close-out harvest video guarantees accountability and builds trust with the community.
Crucially, this project is fully open source under MIT License. All smart contracts, DApp code, and reporting tools will be published publicly, ensuring auditability and enabling replication by other projects. The model is reusable for different crops and regions, multiplying ecosystem impact well beyond this initial proposal.
In summary, this proposal demonstrates exceptional value-for-money by balancing security, usability, compliance, and community adoption, while creating an open-source, reusable framework for farmland tokenization that compounds value over time.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Leadership
William Shelton – Project Lead
Responsible for overseeing project execution, managing operations, and ensuring delivery within scope and timeline.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willpshelton/
Core Development Team
Flutter Developer (To Be Hired)
Will build the Android/iOS DApp, ensuring cross-platform usability and accessibility for NFT holders and stakeholders.
Aiken Smart Contract Developer (Engaged/Hiring Finalization)
Responsible for designing and implementing Cardano smart contracts, including NFT minting, future-crop escrow, lending protocols, and dispute resolution. The role is already budgeted and subcontracting discussions are underway, ensuring immediate onboarding once funding is secured.
Advisory Team
Jeffery Sisco, MBA – Business Advisor
Provides strategic guidance on marketplace development and scaling strategies.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreysisco/
Danilo Parmegiani – Nonprofit Engagement Advisor
Supports institutional outreach and partnerships with nonprofit organizations.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilo-parmegiani-aa075a40/
Seth Kaper-Dale – Social Impact Advisor
Advises on inclusion, equity, and social responsibility in agricultural trade.
Gary Minkoff – Public Policy Advisor
Provides expertise on government partnerships and public policy alignment.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyminkoff/
Edward Laporte – Legal Advisor
Ensures compliance oversight and legal framework development for enforceable agreements, covering token issuance and revenue-sharing obligations.