Last week our CEO, Jon Trask sat down with the QQ糖 community on Discord to talk through all things Dimitra! Here is the recap of the questions that were asked:

Could you please tell us a little bit about Dimitra Technology and yourself?

Hello everyone, thank you for having me here today. My name is Jon Trask and I am the CEO and Founder of Dimitra Incorporated. I’ve been working in blockchain since 2017 and I have had an extensive career building and developing enterprise software solutions focused on supply chain, identity, traceability, and I’ve held several C-level positions with some multinational corporations.

Dimitra is a blockchain based agricultural technology company and we provide elegant and useful technology to farmers around the world at a low cost. Think of Dimitra as the operating system for Ag-tech, and that the Dimitra token (DMTR — https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/dimitra) is what drives our ecosystem. We have a data driven approach at Dimitra to help: increase crop outputs, reduce expenses for farmers, and to help mitigate their risks.

I think I have to ask one of the most talked about topics nowadays, which is how you feel about the recent buzz about the meme hype. And as the CEO and founder of a real technology company that’s helping people all around the world, how do you view this amount of undeserved attention to meme coins?

Meme coins are a novel new area within the crypto industry and the interesting thing about crypto is that people are creating new use cases and value within crypto each day which is driving new innovation. At Dimitra, we are focussed on utility and solving real-world problems within agriculture for small farmers and providing utility with our technology stack and within our ecosystem which is powered by our utility token the DMTR.

What are you most excited about in 2023, and how has this year been so far for you and the Dimitra team?

In 2023 Dimitra is laser focused on expanding our capabilities at detecting and reporting on deforestation. The Dimitra Deforestation module uses satellite imagery to differentiate between trees, crops, forested areas, and clear-cut sections to do precisely that. Machine learning models analyze this data to understand what’s happening on the ground without ever touching the soil. To intelligently identify the deforested areas in a sea of green, the module uses AI to determine texture, color, reflectivity, and much more. This allows both farmers and traders to offer full transparency in their supply chain. Additionally, it allows them to prove with data-backed insights their compliance with deforestation regulations.

So far, three nations have already started using and testing the Dimitra Deforestation module and we’ve been training our Machine Learning with 500,000 square kilometers of forested land. Over time, we expect this to grow exponentially and to become many regions of many countries across the globe as it is a global problem and a global initiative that 141 nations have signed up via legislation to solve.
We’ve written the Dimitra Deforestation Certificate to the Polygon blockchain to ensure the lowest possible gas fees which also ensures the deforestation certificate is time stamped and dated which ensures immutability. If you’d like to read about the legislation here is a link for it:
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/615721825/eu-deforestation-regulation-and-compliance

141 nations have signed a pact at COP to eliminate deforestation by 2030. The EU has mandated that goal that seven crops (coffee, timber, rubber, soy, palm oil and cocoa) are deforested free by 2030. Imagine all the companies that will require a certificate to be compliant and they could potentially be using our system. It’s a massive opportunity for us.

We are also expanding our capabilities to combine drone imagery analysis with our satellite analysis. Recently we ran a project in Papua New Guinea collecting drone data on corn being affected by Fall Armyworm (FAW). We have determined that we can detect early and minimize pesticide costs and losses for those that use our techniques. FAW decimates billions of dollars of crops annually, and we have a viable way to significantly reduce those losses all driven by AI and drones.

We have a major AI-based project in Brazil to mitigate fruit losses, particularly — citrus and mango. This will be applied globally to reduce disease-related losses which can wipe out citrus groves.

We are continuously building out the DMTR marketplace, and increasing awareness of the DMTR token across the world. In addition, we are adding projects to our Farmer Sponsorship Program, with the goal of getting more people to support the Dimitra Farmer Sponsorship Program (https://dimitra.io/dimitra-sponsorship-program-for-individuals/).
And, in time, add more key exchange partners.

Dimitra is also focused on both scaling and improving our five platforms, and adding more farmers, cooperatives, and nations to our list of customers (we have sixteen nations under contract). We’ve got a bright future ahead coupled and now its about execution in 2023–2024 and also growing our customer base and having people purchase our platforms with the DMTR token.

What are the key features about Dimitra that you would like to share with our community?

Great question! Dimitra’s platforms are built on blockchain technology and incorporate mobile technology, machine learning, IoT devices, satellite and drone imagery, genomics, and advanced farming research. We want to help farmers across the world improve their productivity with the power of information.

We know that the ecosystem token $DMTR can be traded on Kucoin, Gate, Bitmart, Bittrex International, and Uniswap. What is the role $DMTR playing in the whole ecosystem?

The token drives our ecosystem. DMTR is a utility token, and our hope is that it creates real-world value or utility for the farmers and all the facets within our ecosystem. That value is not just relegated to digital exchanges, and much of the value is wrapped up in the success of a related project.

Farmers can do things like pay for their licenses (Connected Farmer, Livestock Guru, Deforestation, Connected Coffee) with $DMTR tokens, and when our marketplace goes live, they’ll be able to buy things like sensors, coffee, and crops, and pay for their transactions with $DMTR tokens.

For example, one of our Cooperatives in Indonesia is called Solok Radjo, the cooperative leaders used tokens to purchase their Dimitra Connected Coffee licenses. Over time, they will continue to pay for their licenses using the DMTR token and if they want buy advanced features like additional AI machine learning reports they will have to pay with DMTR. Once our marketplace goes live they will also be able to transact in DMTR within the marketplace.

Dimitra’s market opportunity is massive as we are operating in one of the world’s largest untapped technology markets. I can’t think of many crypto projects that have real-world utility and have contracts with 16 nations as we do already.

What is the long-term sustainable value driver for the $DMTR token?

Sustainability is core to everything we do at Dimitra. When farmers receive notifications and advice from our platform during the growing seasons, it always has sustainability in mind. Therefore, when our customers purchase their licenses with the DMTR token sustainability is at the core. When farmers purchase deforestation certifications they prove that their farm complies with regulations. We are very focused on making the world a better place one farm at a time.

Can you please share a little bit more about the Dimitra team?

Absolutely and thank you for the question. The Dimitra team is so important and we wouldn’t be where we are without everyone and what they bring to the table. Dimitra is operating in over 70 countries and we have 140 team members. Our team is made up of the following: leadership, country sales partners, tech, operations, finance, and marketing.

Thank you so much for having me here today. We appreciate everyone coming for today’s AMA and asking so many great questions.

Dimitra GBA Award – Our CEO and Founder Jon Trask is the winner of the 2023 Government Blockchain Association Annual Achievement Award in the “Social Impact” Category! This award is an acknowledgment of what we are doing as a company, and what we have in store for the future.

At Dimitra, social impact is more to us than just an idea. It is one of the main goals that we work towards each and every day.

However, We are on a journey to bring widespread, life-changing results to farmers around the globe. By continuously working to improve the well-being of farmers. We believe that the results will spread to their communities, societies, and even the world at large.

Thank you to those who voted, and those that continue to support the efforts we put forth at Dimitra.

Dimitra GBA Award – To learn more about the Annual Achievement Awards: https://gbaglobal.org/vote-aaa/

Therefore, The Annual Achievement Awards Finalists Have Been Chosen!

Please look over the 3 Finalists per Award and choose one winner per each of the 4 awards.

However, You do not need to be a GBA Member to vote. So feel free to invite all your friends and family to participate. There is no charge for voting.  Only one submission per IP address will be counted as valid.

Therefore, Winners will be announced from stage at the AAA ceremony, May 24, 2023, in Washington, DC. Winners do not need to be present to win. All finalists will be alerted that they made the finishing round and will be encouraged to come. – Dimitra GBA Award Dimitra

Cointelegraph Dimitra – Blockchain has a lot to offer to agriculture, helping the oldest industry reach a new dimension. Everything related to data and transactions can be enhanced with traceability, security, and speed. All of these benefits can transform agriculture and help it scale. With demand for food and products expected to jump 70% by 2050, scaling is more than a necessity.

Decentralized ledger technology (DLT) can be mixed with other tech solutions, including machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, artificial intelligence (AI), satellites, and drone imagery, to augment the benefits.

Therefore, The adoption of block chain can help farmers and other players stream line supply chain processes to increase customer and stake holder trust. With the block chain providing an unmatched level of security for data storage and sharing. Traceability can transform insurance processes, speeding up processes that can take months.

One of the most active agricultural sectors adopting the technology is the coffee industry, the biggest segment in the market for hot drinks, and is expected to reach global revenues of $541 billion by 2025, driven largely by a continued boom in specialty coffees in food service. The largest coffee producers, including Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia, should be interested in the use of block chain to boost revenues. – Cointelegraph Dimitra

How Indonesia’s Solok Radjo Cooperative is using block chain

Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world. Coffee plantations cover more than 1 million hectares of the countries territory. With over 90% of the land cultivated by small scale producers.

Solok Radjo, a cooperative of over 3,000 coffee farmers based in West Sumatra. Is using block chain thanks to a partner ship with Dimitra, a global AgTech firm.

Therefore, Dimitra offers a wide range of solutions for the global agriculture industry. With its applications that combine block chain with AI, IoT, satellites, and mobile technology, among others.

Solok Radjo uses Dimitra’s Connected Farmer and Connected Coffee applications. These user friendly solutions help coffee farmers improve the value chain by stream lining data collection and sharing, quality assurance, coffee processing, cupping, and more.

One of the most painful challenges for coffee farmers, especially smaller ones, is to meet certification and other export requirements. Dimitra’s Connected Coffee app helps Solok Radjo implement food safety and growing requirements to be ready for its export markets, including the United States, Australia, and Europe. This increases profitability and benefits thousands of local farmers.

Therefore, Thanks to its partner ship with Dimitra. Solok Radjo is a forward thinking agricultural collective that uses eco friendly farming methods to cultivate their crops. They inspire coffee farmers to maximize the productivity of their lands. The cooperative handles the processing and marketing of the coffee, allowing farmers to reap the benefits. The ecosystem also includes cattle as an integral element that serves multiple purposes: providing protein for humans, diversifying income through sales, and improving soil health through the use of manure on plantations.

Blockchain benefits farmers worldwide – Cointelegraph Dimitra

Therefore, Dimitra offers block chain and tech solutions for different agricultural sectors worldwide. Which empowers small and large scale farmers by improving the supply chain and helping with finance. The application incorporates multiple module components, including:

• My Farm — helps farmers register their businesses and record critical farming operations.
• My Crops — used to track crop inputs and fertilizers. It involves field level sensors and integrated satellite imaging to offer data and AI-based analytics.
• My Livestock — this module tracks the value chain of live stock, including birth, vaccinations, illnesses, sale, export, and logistics.

Additionally, the module Insurance that is also on the roadmap will assist farmers in managing their insurance documents and data, providing protection against drought, floods, and pests.

Dimitra’s ecosystem, which around the Connected Farmer app, is fueled by the native Dimitra Token. The ERC-20 token incentivizes farmers to perform certain actions and is used for financing within the ecosystem.

Therefore, thanks to block chain technology, farmers can increase their profitability by focusing on the quality of their products and their reach. – Cointelegraph Dimitra

Dimitra Interview – Digital inequality reinforces existing social disparities, demanding considerable efforts to acknowledge and address this pressing issue. In this interview series, we are talking to business leaders, policymakers, think tanks and experts on this topic to share their insights and stories about “How Companies and Policymakers Are Taking Action and Can Further Contribute to Closing the Digital Divide.” As part of this series, I had the pleasure to interview Jon Trask.

Jon Trask is the CEO and Founder of Dimitra Incorporated, a global agriculture technology company that utilizes Blockchain, AI, and IoT technologies. Jon is a globally recognized blockchain expert with a background in enterprise software development and designing complex supply chains for multinational corporations. They are passionate about using the power of information to deliver agricultural technology (Agtech) to small farm holders who, while playing a vital role in keeping our world fed, often struggle to feed their own families.

Dimitra Interview – Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

Igrew up in Nova Scotia, Canada. I spent a lot of my childhood playing with computers, coding or spending time on my family’s farm. I enjoyed a few sports (martial arts and track and field), but loved to be on the computer or reading. My father was in the RCMP (Canada’s national police force) and my mother was a Christian minister. I also had a younger brother who was more interested in bikes and skateboards.

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Looking back on my childhood, that time I spent on the farm was so magical. There was so much land, I was surrounded by animals, I enjoyed horseback riding and fresh crops. As kids, we ate my grandmother’s blueberry pie made from blueberries picked on the farm. Every time I eat blueberries now, it sparks memories of the farm. All of these are memories I will cherish forever.

Fast forward to today and I am married to my best friend, Jackie. We have four children and live in British Columbia during the summers and spend our winters in sunny Florida.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

John Elkington’s “Cannibals with Forks” played a big role in shaping my views about the evolution of sustainable business. He illustrated how leaders must transition businesses to a triple bottom line of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice.

I read it first twenty years ago and picked it up again about eight years ago, right as I was thinking more about the intersection of agriculture and technology. When I started in blockchain, it was impossible to envision where we’d be today, with Web3 taking shape and the relevance of this technology pulling these two sectors closer than ever.

That’s where I see my mission. Farmers are increasing their connectivity with the global push of mobile technology and becoming more reliant on the successful integration of IoT, Satellite and other technologies.

I’m fascinated by the ways all of this can align. Take agri-food, which is one of the largest businesses in the world. Its cycles are driven by nature and happen over time. Technology happens at a totally different pace, with industries like crypto operating at lightning speed. Could these two align? It’s an idea I handle every day, because I think leveraging the power of technology to benefit smallholder farmers is how we are going to change the world.

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Dimitra Interview – Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

I have two life lesson quotes. The first is by Confucius, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

The second quote is by Jane Goodal, she says “What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

I have spent a great deal of my adult life using technology to simplify complex supply chains and that has been gratifying. All of those early efforts were focused primarily on Fortune 500 corporations.

As I have aged, I have reflected more on the difference I am making.

Those reflections led me to Dimitra.

Small farmers represent such a large part of the world population but often struggle to make ends meet. As a group, they have substantial impact on poverty, global warming, clean water, clean soil and the economic prosperity of many nations. I saw a way to apply technology to global agriculture problems and knew that focusing on small farms would make a considerable impact on all of these social and environmental issues.

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Ok, thank you. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. How would you define the Digital Divide? Can you explain or give an example?

The digital divide is the difference between those with access to technology and those without access. An example of this is the large-scale industrial farms in G20 nations. These farmers have access to technology that helps them operate their farms as commercial enterprises, exceeding their family’s needs and allowing them to supply food to hundreds of people.

In the world’s developing nations, farmers need agricultural technology the most. However, due to its expense, its availability is limited, meaning these farmers do not have access to resources that will help improve their farms and produce.

Dimitra is bringing useful, affordable technology to those who need it most. We are working to close the digital divide because we believe that every farmer, regardless of their economic status, should have access to agriculture technologies.

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Dimitra Interview – Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to close the digital divide? Can you share a story with us?

Smallholder farmers in many areas of the world struggle to make ends meet. These farmers can play a huge role in solving the world food shortage, improving food safety, and addressing food security issues. Putting simple, effective technology in their hands is our core goal. We want to help them improve their productivity with the power of information.

Dimitra has been working with over seventy nations since we started on this journey.

We now have contracts with 18 nations in different regions of the world.

Each contract and project has a different agricultural focus, objective, and pain point that we are addressing and solving.

Dimitra works alongside the governments of those nations we contract with, the NGOs in that country, and usually their farming cooperatives.

A great example is Indonesia. We are working with Solok Radjo Cooperative to improve their coffee output, provide traceability, digitize document management, and help them get their coffee to expanded international markets.

In addition, we have partnered with one of their Universities to help bring our technology to the farmers and train them on the Connected Coffee application.

There are so many aspects of spanning the digital divide, and we work with as many players in as many sectors as possible to advance progress.

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This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important to create change in this area?

Giving farmers advanced technology provides them with actionable data. In a data-driven approach, farmers can make informed decisions, leading to an increase in their yield and a reduction in their expenses.

Dimitra Interview – What specific actions has your company or organization taken to address the digital divide, and how do you ensure that your efforts are making a positive impact in the communities you serve?

Dimitra is mission-driven to address the digital divide.

We are here to make agriculture software affordable. We work closely with governments, NGOs, and non-governmental organizations to make our technology available to smallholder farmers in developing nations.

Our efforts positively impact the communities we serve in a multitude of ways, and we are committed to being an engaged, useful partner for the long run.

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What are some of the challenges that individuals or communities face when trying to bridge the digital divide?

There are endless challenges to bridging the digital divide, especially in developing countries. These include everything from the cost and accessibility of technology to regional language barriers and rural locations.

Another challenge is tackling the rate of adoption. We have to quickly win trust and equip users, because the quicker farmers have access to technology that can improve their farming practices, the quicker the divide will close.

What role do you see technology companies playing in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to ensure that their products and services are accessible to all?

Technology companies like ours play a central role in bridging the digital divide. Dimitra has created five applications for different farming use cases. Everything from working with crops like coffee and quinoa, to helping with livestock breeding, animal health, and improving genetics.

Technology companies will make accessibility a problem of yesterday by ensuring that a company’s product or service is available in rural areas, as well as being easy to use. Having a commitment from all parties — the supplier and the user — is necessary in order to close the digital divide.

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Because of investment coming from the federal government, we have funding for great access to infrastructure and digital skills training. In your view, what other policy changes are needed to address the digital divide? How can companies and policymakers work together to implement these changes?

The digital competency of smallholder farmers varies greatly from highly competent to few skills with mobile phones and applications. Application developers need to develop training programs which allow for an initial training session and then repetition with a coach.

Policymakers should remember how imperative it is to have some amount of structured training which combines basic mobile skills and agricultural training.

We are already in Web3.0. What should we be doing as leaders to ensure the next iteration(s) of the Web are green, accessible and beneficial to as many people as possible?

At Dimitra, we’ve incorporated sustainability into our DNA as a company. We want to leave the world in better shape than we found it. We want every farmer to implement more sustainable practices, which will translate into increased productivity, less pesticides and reduced expenses. When farming communities thrive, societies will thrive. We are dedicated to reducing poverty and social inequality in a tangible way.

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This is the signature question we ask in most of our interviews. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1 . Great people are the key to business success. Finding motivated people with demonstrated critical thinking skills and creativity is important. Align with people who support your mission and are loyal to the company and team. People who are in conflict with the team cause chaos. Cultural fit and teamwork are important.

2 . Keep the team on mission and remember that technology is a great distractor. In the agriculture world, there is a need for many great technologies and the rate of adoption is accelerating. We can’t build it all. Keep your designers and developers on mission. Finish your modules, test them and deploy and then listen to your customers and adapt. Don’t let the shiny new object in the market sway you to deviate from your plan, unless your plan is just wrong.

3 . Be action oriented. Figure out your goal and the steps needed to get there, then prioritize action. Driving action has been a key to accomplishing my goals but also getting recognized for success early in my career. Don’t get distracted, because it will slow you down. There is a process and time for innovation and roadmap planning, but move forward in productivity as soon as possible.

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4 . Listen more, talk less. When I was younger I loved to share my knowledge (I still do, in fact), but listening is a skill that must be developed. It took me years to evolve my listening ability and it will take me a lifetime to master it.

5 . Learn, learn, learn. This is the key to innovation. I’ve taken so much time to learn what farmers need, how farmers impact the environment, how farmers impact the global economy, and how they impact world hunger. It is amazing that all of these social challenges are on the backs of almost 600 million farmers and their families. The tech industry needs continuous innovation and the only way for us to do this is through continuous learning.

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What role can individuals play in closing the digital divide, and what steps can they take to support these efforts?

You can sponsor a smallholder farmer with a Dimitra software license. Dimitra has launched an individual sponsorship program. When DMTR token holders stake tokens, they can also sponsor individual farms and projects with which Dimitra works.

How can our readers follow you online?

Your readers can follow me on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-trask-59423632/

They can also visit www.dimitra.io to learn more and view all of our social platforms there.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!

Dimitra Perfect Daily Grind – Among the many sustainability issues in global agriculture, deforestation is one of the most prominent – including in coffee production. Experts estimate that large-scale agriculture accounts for around 75% of deforestation around the world, which is one of the leading exacerbators of climate change.

In December 2022, as a direct response to this issue, the European Union (EU) announced a new provisional deal which would seek to minimise and eradicate the import of products linked to deforestation. Effectively, from 2024, this deal means unless traders of certain commodities – including coffee – can certify that their products have come from deforestation-free supply chains, import of these products into the EU will be prohibited.

Naturally, these new EU regulations have major consequences for those working in the export and production of coffee. It’s already difficult to accurately know just how much deforestation is taking place in a supply chain, or if it’s taking place at all. However, industry professionals looking to export to the EU will now have to prove the production of their coffee results in no deforestation following 31 December 2020.

In line with this, more and more coffee professionals are relying on technology and data platforms to map and detect deforestation. Moreover, they also have to prove compliance with these new laws.

WHY IS DEFORESTATION IN COFFEE PRODUCTION AN ISSUE?

First and foremost, we need to define deforestation. Simply put, it is the removal of trees to increase land area for agricultural and commercial purposes. Naturally, this can lead to a number of environmental problems.

There is a significant knowledge gap about deforestation in coffee production. In turn, it’s hard to know just how much takes place in the coffee supply chain. However, what we do know is that deforestation is happening in origin countries. And this includes the top five producers in the world.

According to Global Forest Watch, in 2020 and 2021:

• Brazil lost 6.28 million ha of forest, over 70% of which was because of commodity-driven deforestation
• Vietnam lost 401,000ha of forest, 95% of which was the result of commodity-driven deforestation and changes in the agricultural sector
• Colombia lost 589,000ha of forest, 97% of which was because of commodity-driven deforestation and shifts in the agricultural sector
• Indonesia lost more than 1.8 million ha of forest, 92% of which was from commodity-driven deforestation
• Ethiopia lost 366,000ha of forest, over 90% of which was because of commodity-driven deforestation and shifting agricultural practices

As well as worsening the effects of climate change, there are many reasons why deforestation causes significant harm to the environment.

Alfadrian Syah is the head of the Solok Radjo, an organisation of coffee farmers in Gumanti Hill, Solok in West Sumatra.

“Deforestation can lead to a loss of shelter for animals which help maintain the biodiversity of local ecosystems, such as birds of prey and pollinating insects,” he says. “Additionally, soil erosion can worsen the quality of soil and reduce the availability of water for coffee plants.

“As a result, coffee yields can decrease and quality may also be compromised,” he adds. 

Challenges that smallholder farmers face – Dimitra Perfect Daily Grind

Coffee production isn’t necessarily a driver of deforestation. But evidence suggests that deforestation does take place on coffee farms, as well as in immediate surrounding areas. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that the vast majority of deforestation is directly attributed to large-scale agriculture.

In fact, deforestation on a small scale can actually be sustainable. For example, a smallholder farmer may cut down a few trees to use for firewood or construction. With the intention of replanting the trees at a later date.

“Coffee farmers need to understand the impact of deforestation and make efforts to avoid or minimise deforestation practices,” Alfadrian tells me. “One way to do this is to implement agricultural practices that prioritise environmental preservation and sustainability.”

The new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) initiative was created as a way to ensure more farmers and companies adhere to stricter standards on deforestation.

Jon Trask is the CEO and founder of Dimitra. The blockchain platform supports smallholder farmers around the world – including in the coffee sector.

He explains that because the EU coffee market is so lucrative. It’s important that producers, millers, exporters, and importers adhere to the new regulations.

“It’s a very, very large market to lose out on if your supply chain is linked to deforestation,” he explains. “However, the economic burden of implementing more sustainable farming is put directly on the producer, who may already make little money.

“We can’t penalise farmers – some of whom live below the poverty line – or prevent them from scaling their business,” Jon adds.

Dimitra Perfect Daily Grind

HOW CAN COFFEE FARMERS AND BUYERS TRACK AND PREVENT DEFORESTATION?

It’s no understatement to say that accurately measuring levels of deforestation is challenging, especially on the ground. Deforestation typically occurs at a slow rate, and can often happen far away from coffee farms.

Moreover, some smallholder producers may need to cut down trees to plant more crops or sell wood for timber. However, with the new EUDR initiative in place, it’s now more vital than ever that coffee farmers, millers, and traders know where and when deforestation is happening – as well as how to reduce it.

As part of a project with the Faculty of Agriculture at Andalas University in West Sumatra, Dimitra is working with farmers at the Solok Radjo coffee project to reverse soil degradation and prevent deforestation. 

By conducting land surveys and monitoring soil and plant health. Researchers found that the topsoil layer on local farms was too thin, while the soil’s pH levels were too high. In turn, this meant certain crops couldn’t be grown on these farms. To add to this, soil erosion from rain and wind was also causing further damage.

“Without action to change the course of deforestation, we will continue to lose vegetation, as well as soil due to continued erosion,” Alfadrian says. 

Jon explains how Dimitra worked with local coffee farmers to reduce deforestation and improve growing conditions.

“We realised that if we changed the pH level of the soil by applying nutrients, we could increase farmers’ yields,” he tells me. “We analysed soil samples and found that we could increase revenue by US $3,000 per hectare by investing in and applying a natural calcium-based fertiliser.” 

Why is using technology to track deforestation important?

Dimitra Perfect Daily Grind – Without using the proper tools, it’s nearly impossible for coffee farmers, millers, importers, and exporters to monitor deforestation rates. In line with this, technology plays a critical role.

“Most farmers we work with don’t have access to these kinds of platforms,” Jon says. “Some farmers may not have used smartphones before, too.”

However, when using dedicated apps which map deforestation, coffee producers can provide a range of information about their farming practices. These include:

• Soil health
• Irrigation and weeding
• Harvesting techniques

Alfadrian explains how receiving more support and formal training has helped local coffee farmers.

“We can understand more about the importance of implementing agricultural best practices, as well as how to mitigate deforestation levels,” he tells me. 

Jon says that Dimitra plans to carry out similar projects with universities in Bolivia, Colombia, and Honduras in the future.

“As we train more coffee farm workers, more and more producers will become competent with our app, and can potentially teach their neighbours,” he adds.

Riganov Wijaya Kusuma is the Manager of the Minang Coffee Association. The institution connects farmers with the government, academics, financial institutions, and non-profits in West Sumatra.

“We hope to implement similar projects in other areas in the province of West Sumatra,” he says. “Serving high-quality specialty coffee starts at farm level.”

ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH ANTI-DEFORESTATION REGULATIONS

Monitoring and preventing deforestation is essential. However, for producers to sell their coffee in EU markets, they now must be able to prove that no deforestation took place in their supply chain following December 2020.

To provide this information, and therefore ensure compliance with the new EUDR initiative, farmers, millers, and traders need access to secure and reliable data.

“When governing bodies first started to talk about anti-deforestation legislation, there were ways around the rules,” Jon explains. He adds that some farmers who didn’t comply with anti-deforestation regulations would provide photos of other areas of land, or use geo-data which didn’t match the boundaries of their farms.

However, given the strict regulations now imposed by the EU, it’s more important than ever to prove compliance.

Using technology

Jon explains how Dimitra’s app includes a Deforestation Compliance feature. This ensures that every shipment of coffee meets new regulatory demands.

He tells me that the app includes both a risk assessment and a mapping and certificate feature, which uses blockchain technology and its own cryptocurrency (DMTR). Farmers can then map out the boundaries of their farm using satellite imagery. They can also request deforestation reports which compare the latest weekly satellite images to ones from 2020.

Using AI-driven technology and high-resolution satellite image analysis, the app allows supply chain actors to detect deforestation, prove compliance with the EUDR, and reduce the risk of fraudulent activity. This is done by highlighting lost tree cover in red and new tree cover in green.

Another important aspect of complying with new anti-deforestation regulations is providing any required documentation. For example, farmers using Dimitra’s app can provide their certificate to prove compliance.

With the EU’s anti-deforestation regulations set to come into effect in spring 2023, coffee professionals need to be aware of what these new laws mean for them.

Ultimately, technology can better assist producers, millers, and traders to track deforestation across their supply chains. At the same time, there needs to be a bigger focus on how this can be done in a way that best supports producers and their communities. 

Dimitra Perfect Daily Grind

Dimitra SDG Life on Land – Over 10 million hectares of land are destroyed by deforestation every year. Globally, it is an estimation that 90% of this land undergoes deforestation due to the expansion of cropland and livestock grazing areas.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a list of 17 priority objectives that promote worldwide sustainability. There is a critical demand to protect and restore terrestrial life. This effort focuses on limiting and reversing deforestation and ecosystem degradation.

Above all, SDG #15, Life on Land, is more important than ever before.

At Dimitra, we’re helping farmers, operators, and global trade companies advocate for sustainable land usage and crop management.

Life on Land SDG

15 “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.”

For instance, people are making continuous efforts toward ensuring sustainable forests and more responsible natural resource management.

However, even with these efforts, many of the commitments and instruments designed to protect and restore forests — as well as the biodiversity they contain — must still be implemented properly.

This call is urgent if we are to ensure healthy and resilient societies that sustainably use forested land.

Deforestation Risks to Life on Land

Agriculture, deforestation, and biodiversity loss are inseparable issues that impact sustainable development. For example, in 2022, the Amazon rainforest experienced deforestation at a record high. As one of the most biodiverse places in the world, the Amazon continues to face serious risks of species extinction and rainforest destruction — mainly due to agribusiness operations.

Equally important, through other land threats such as desertification, pollution, and increasing construction in rural areas, it is an estimation that 40,000 species are at risk of extinction in future decades. Although the data and warnings are imminent. Millions of hectares of land continue to be the victim of destruction every year.

Sustainable Forest Management Solutions – Dimitra SDG Life on Land

If the world is to experience the progress it needs, agriculture and land-resource industries must activate sustainable land management.

However, critical biodiversity areas throughout the world need to be properly established and safeguarded. Area-based conservation is essential for SDGs 14 (pertaining to marine ecosystems) and 15 (pertaining to terrestrial ecosystems).

In other words, countries need to commit to setting these safeguards for sensitive areas. In addition, they must be setting voluntary targets for achieving land degradation neutrality. The recent EU law banning commodities linked to crops grown on deforested land exemplifies this proactive effort.

New Farming Technology: Protect Forested Land and Life

At Dimitra, we have a commitment to helping farmers and global trade companies comply with new and upcoming laws similar to the EU deforestation ban. With the Dimitra Deforestation Module, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, farmers, and importers can obtain certifications that comply with new trade laws.

In fact, using satellite analysis, geofencing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and mobile technology, operators can detect deforested areas. Farmers who operate on non-deforested land can prove their compliance in an effort to protect biodiversity. More importantly, farms that operate fraudulently — utilizing deforested land or furthering deforestation — can be easily detected and penalized.

Farmers and agricultural companies around the world can now use the Dimitra Deforestation Module to mark their geographical location at times of harvest. Furthermore, they can then automatically generate maps of the area to certify changes in deforestation or reforestation over time.

With this innovative solution, farmers gain access to risk assessment, farm mapping, certification, and the DMTR token. In addition, a record of all farming activity is securely on the blockchain for immutability.

Dimitra SDG – You may think that water is the most important resource for all life on earth. But it’s clean water that is absolutely essential, and this particular resource is at risk.

Today, 771 million people lack access to clean, sanitary water — about 1 in 10 people all over the world. Because all rely on water for drinking, bathing, farming, and hygiene, water scarcity is considered a top threat to human health.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the United Nations list clean water as #6 on the priority list. At Dimitra, our work alongside farmers, families, and communities supports this mission toward clean, sustainable water supplies.

Clean Water and Sanitation SDG

6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”

Access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene is essential to a hopeful future. However, it’s estimated that over 85% of the planet’s natural wetlands have been lost over the past 300 years. 3 billion people lack quality monitoring of their local water resources, resulting in the depletion of hygiene and increased scarcity.

An ongoing lack of sanitary water can result in waterborne illnesses and death. It can also result in reduced productivity, barriers to education, and chronic hunger. Moreover, unless leading nations work to deliver SDG #6 by 2030, sustainable development remains in jeopardy — especially in critical industries such as agriculture.

Clean Water Access and Resource Management

Water management and land management coincide strongly when it comes to ensuring more sustainable farm practices.

As noted in SDG section 6.5, the goal is to “implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate by 2030.” Water resource management is critical for farmers globally, from smallholder farms with limited technology to large-scale agriculture enterprises.

The solution? Invest in water sanitation projects and improve clean water infrastructure, primarily in underserved regions around the world. Educate families, employees, and farmers about adequate sanitation protocols for their location, and work with local governments to promote water solutions for consumption and agriculture.

Sanitation and Water Solutions for Farmers – Dimitra SDG

At Dimitra, we’re helping increase water efficiency for farms of all sizes, making agricultural technology more accessible than ever before. Dimitra provides actionable insights that inform farmers: when they need to water crops, where to source clean groundwater, and how to ensure sanitary, sustainable practices in everyday operations.

Equally important, overwatering crops is a common and wasteful reality in farming. With IoT sensors, satellites, and other remote monitoring technologies, farmers gain access to water predictions and watering schedules for every crop.

With powerful farming technology, smallholder farms no longer need to play the archaic guessing game of where or when to water. Through the Dimitra Connected Farmer app, farmers use sensors and data to view intricate reports on soil, moisture levels, fertilizers, and pests. With this live data, farmers know when and exactly where to water their crops. This saves a significant amount of their most precious resource.

Dimitra’s mission to empower and educate farmers on sustainable practices strengthens water-scarce communities. Furthermore, as we expand international cooperation with farms and government partners, we hope to make water quality and availability a reality for all.

Dimitra x IMFI DAO Community AMA – On April 24th our CEO, Jon Trask sat down with Discord community IMFI DAO for an AMA! Here is the summary and key talking points.

Q1: Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and Dimitra Technology?

A1: Hello everyone, thank you for having me here today. My name is Jon Trask and I am the CEO and Founder of Dimitra Incorporated. I’ve been working in blockchain since 2017 and I have had an extensive career building. And developing enterprise software solutions focussed on supply chain, identity, traceability. And I’ve held several C-level positions with some multinational corporations. Dimitra is a blockchain based agricultural technology company. And we provide elegant and useful technology to farmers around the world at a low cost. Think of Dimitra as the operating system for Ag-tech, and that the Dimitra token is what drives our ecosystem. We have a data driven approach at Dimitra to help: increase crop outputs, reduce expenses for farmers, and to help mitigate their risks.

Q2: We know that Dimitra is utilizing AI and ML to help farmers and the agricultural industry worldwide, can you please tell us more about how AI blends into Dimitra’s technology?

A2: Great question and I’d be happy to provide insights as to how Dimitra uses AI. The Dimitra Connected Farmer platform has a ton of AI embedded in it. And it uses On-the-ground data that is essential to making real improvements in crop performance. Satellite-based spectral and radar imagery analysis pairs with soil, weather, planting, and other agricultural data. To deliver farmers AI-based recommendations that can have a significant impact on crop yields and overall productivity. By combining all these elements and then applying AI we provide farmers with powerful insights and suggestions. For example, In Bolivia which is one of our customers, farmers use our AI to analyze data from all kinds of sources efficiently such as:

• Crop Inputs
• Satellite imagery
• Value chain partners
• Internet of things (IoT) devices

Our Connected Farmer Platform provides insights and recommendations for their farmers that results in improved crop yields and, in turn, overall profits. Moreover, it connects national agricultural data to help the government generate reports and organize local agricultural value chains. Therefore, Dimitra is helping individual farming families, their villages, communities, regions, and countries (like Bolivia).

Dimitra also helps by improving traceability that is within our systems. Which is useful data that helps to develop better public policies. I also want to point out that customers can pay for their Connected Farmer licenses with DMTR tokens.

A second example of our AI capabilities at Dimitra, would be to improve animal productivity. When we talk about leveraging AI and ML to improve livestock performance. It directly translates to giving these farmers a data-driven advantage in their everyday decision-making. Dimitra’s Livestock Guru puts those practical AI-based tools right into their hands.

Many environmental, management, and hereditary factors affect the performance of cattle. Moreover, having a comprehensive vantage point based on ML. And statistical analysis results in better predictions, performance, and productivity across many different areas:

• Cost optimization
• Pasture management
• Genetic selection
• Farm performance

Nutrition, weather, water, disease, temperature, etc., all affect the lifecycle of the animals.

By categorizing livestock into groups using these conditions, Livestock Guru helps farmers make better-informed decisions based on data-driven predictions. This influences areas like farm management, animal management, and breeding.

The result? More efficient livestock practices for those who need them most and higher quality products and the customers can pay for their Livestock Guru licenses with DMTR tokens.

Lastly, another example of our AI capabilities would be Dimitra’s Deforestation Compliance Module. The module uses satellite imagery to differentiate between trees, crops, forested areas, and clear-cut sections to do precisely that.

Machine learning models leverage this data to understand what’s happening on the ground without ever touching the soil. To intelligently identify the deforested areas in a sea of green, the module uses AI to determine texture, color, reflectivity, and much more. This allows both farmers and traders to offer full transparency in their supply chain. Additionally, it allows them to prove with data-backed insights their compliance with deforestation regulations.

Three nations have already started using and testing the Dimitra Deforestation module. And we’ve been training our Machine Learning with 100 kilometer areas of forested land. Over time, we expect this to grow exponentially and to become many regions of many countries across the globe as it is a global problem and a global initiative that 141 nations have signed up via legislation to solve.

So far, we’ve written the Dimitra Deforestation Certificate to the Polygon blockchain to ensure the lowest possible gas fees which also ensures the deforestation certificate is time stamped and dated which ensures immutability. If you’d like to read about the legislation here is a link for it:

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/615721825/eu-deforestation-regulation-and-compliance

Dimitra x IMFI DAO Community AMA

Q3: Congratulations on all the awards and recognitions Dimitra is getting from all over the world. Any of the awards or recognitions you’d specifically like to share with the audience?

A3: Thank you for your kind words and I’d be happy to. I was selected as one of the finalists for the Government Blockchain Association for their “Social Impact Award,” which is a great honor. Dimitra also won the W3B & Blockchain World 2022 Entrepreneurship Award in the Industry Solutions Category. Plus, we were featured in the Blockchain for Europe article last week for our work in Climate action and Sustainability in this Blockchain for Europe article: https://www.blockchain4europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/An-Overview-of-Blockchain-for-Climate-Action-and-Sustainability-BC4EU-IOTA-April-2023.pdf

Q4: We know Dimitra’s mission and vision are to help farmers everywhere to achieve sustainability, including these small-scale farmers in developing countries, yet they are usually the least informed and educated about the latest technology. How would Dimitra approach these farmers?

A4: You are 100% correct that many of the small farmers have not used new agricultural tech or blockchain. How we are accomplishing this is by having a true partnership with local Universities, cooperatives and governments. If we didn’t have buy in from everyone we could not attain mass adoption of our technology. For example, in Indonesia where we are doing a coffee focused project, we are collaborating with Andalas University and Solok Radjo Cooperative to develop an integrated Carbon Soil Assessment Program and also to improve their coffee crop output and help with their supply chain and traceability to international markets. The students and lecturers go out to Solok Radjo Cooperative and work with the farmers by reviewing the current soil health. And monitoring the ongoing regenerative practices with our Connected Coffee platform. The coolest part is that Solok Radjo bought their licenses with DMTR tokens.

Q5: For those of us who just learnt about the Dimitra token, could you help us understand what drives the value of $DMTR with special emphasis on the Dimitra Token and what guarantees that the value will keep rising?

A5: First, there are no guarantees in life, are there? I also can’t say that our price will rise. However, the DMTR token is a utility token and our hope is that it creates real-world value or utility for the farmers, and all the facets within our ecosystem. And much of the value is wrapped up in the success of a related project. Take Solok Radjo, for example, the cooperative leaders used tokens to buy their licensing. Over time, they will give tokens to the farmers in their cooperative, who can then use those to buy advanced features in the platform. Dimitra’s market opportunity is massive as we are operating in one of the world’s largest untapped technology markets. I can’t think of many crypto projects that have real world utility and have contracts with 16 nations like we do already.

Q6: What are the future plans and goals for the Dimitra ecosystem? Any specific countries or regions Dimitra is going to focus this year? – Dimitra x IMFI DAO Community AMA

A6: Great question! Dimitra has many future plans but I will name a few as its a long list: we will add more machine learning capabilities and reports to all our platforms so we continue to add value for our customers, to keep testing and

In 2023 we are focused on expanding our capabilities at detecting and reporting on deforestation, we have had great success working with farming cooperatives and multinational food companies in assessing their impacts on reducing deforestation in their supply chains.

141 nations have signed a pact at COP to eliminate deforestation by 2030. The EU has mandated that 7 crops will be deforestation free by 2024 (coffee, timber, rubber, soy, palm oil and cocoa). In less than a year companies will need to evaluate their shipments for compliance. We have built a system that we are using in Brazil and we are training our artificial intelligence to support these features around the world.

2. We are also expanding our capabilities to combine drone imagery analysis with our satellite analysis. Recently we ran a project in Papua New Guinea collecting drone data on corn being affected by fall armyworm (FAW). We have determined that we can detect early and minimize pesticides costs and losses for those that use our techniques. FAW decimates billions of dollars of crops annually and we have a viable way to significantly reduce those losses all driven by AI and drones.

3. We have a major AI based project in Brazil to mitigate fruit losses, particularly — citrus and mango. This will be applied globally to reduce disease related losses which can wipe out citrus groves.

We have many more projects this year, but those are a few interesting ones. We are also focused on scaling / improving our platforms, to add more farmers, cooperatives and nations to our list of customers, to build out the DMTR marketplace, and increase awareness of the DMTR token across the world, continue to add projects to our farmer sponsorship program and hopefully get more people to support the Dimitra Farmer Sponsorship Program (https://dimitra.io/dimitra-sponsorship-program-for-individuals/) , and in time add more key exchange partners. We’ve got a bright future ahead coupled with a lot of hard work and execution in 2023–2024.

Q7: How big is the market opportunity for Dimitra Technology? What is the market share Dimitra currently has compared to competitors, if there is any.

A7: The market opportunity for Dimitra and for technology in agriculture is enormous as it is one of the largest market segments in the world. Dimitra’s original goal when we launched was to help 100 million farms. And we’ve contracted for about 20 million farms to date so there is a lot more to do. We’re also committed to helping save the forests around the world and so Dimitra’s Deforestation Module opportunity is also massive.

There are many application developers in the agrifood space. But it is a very large market employing billions globally and generating trillions in revenue. We are keenly aware of other leaders in the space and are assessing their progress. There are very few competitors using blockchain as a tool which gives us an advantage in many use cases. – Dimitra x IMFI DAO Community AMA

Dimitra Mother Earth Day – When the UN named April 22nd International Mother Earth Day in 2009, it demonstrated how far the environmental justice movement had come. With roots tracing back to the 1970s — before the widespread awareness of the importance of environmental protection — Mother Earth Day reminds us of the power of advocacy and action.

Today, we at Dimitra are celebrating the achievements of the activists that came before us while also acknowledging the immense amount of work still to be done.

This day is about spreading awareness of the interconnectedness of humans and nature, and about fostering a sense of interdependence that will inspire our society to protect the earth and all the species that inhabit it.

The Accelerating Threat to Our Planet

There is a long list contributing to the climate crisis that is continuing to destroy our planet.

Man-made changes to nature and crimes that disrupt biodiversity make it increasingly difficult to reverse the damages done.

Deforestation, in particular, is a destructive practice that results in widespread habitat loss at a level that our planet cannot sustain. Last month, we acknowledged the International Day of Forests and discussed how Dimitra’s technology was designed to minimize the harmful impacts of deforestation.

Other factors contributing to the climate crises include land-use changes, the illegal wildlife trade, and intensified agriculture.

Healthy environments not only provide us with bountiful natural resources, but they also benefit public health by preventing the spread of disease. This is because biological diversity limits the ability of pathogens to spread.

“Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet — and its people. “ — UN Official Website

By abusing natural resources, we slowly decrease their availability to us. The UN estimates that approximately one million different species are presently facing extinction.

Every single one of us possesses a powerful tool to aid in the fight against the climate crisis: a voice. On Mother Earth Day, talk to your friends and family about climate change. Take some time to consider your role on this planet. Not as a person or professional, but as a part of the ecosystem.

Make a Difference and Sponsor a Farmer

Moreover, another way to help make an impact is with Dimitra’s Sponsorship Program. Improve food security and sustainability and make a real and tangible difference in the lives of farmers who need our technology but can’t afford it.

When DMTR token holders stake tokens, they can also sponsor individual farms and projects with which Dimitra works.

How Dimitra is Working to Protect the Planet

Dimitra has an established history of working to defend Mother Earth. Our Deforestation Compliance Module helps support every stage of the supply chain that is impacted by the EU’s new deforestation law.

Our technology provides farmers with data-driven, sustainable, and actionable solutions that help them combat the impacts of intensified agriculture. Plus, we encourage sustainable agriculture by creating opportunities for farmers of all sizes and income levels.