The Korea IT Times had an interview with Jon Trask, CEO and Founder of Dimitra, a leader in applying blockchain, AI, and satellite technology to sustainable agriculture and carbon markets. In this conversation, Trask discusses Dimitra’s collaborations with MANTRA and Fundación Biósfera Alica, focusing on empowering smallholder farmers through transparent and innovative solutions. As South Korea advances in digital agriculture, this interview offers valuable insights into how emerging technologies can foster more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable farming practices worldwide.

출처 : Korea IT Times(https://www.koreaittimes.com)

Food security is under threat. Extreme weather events sparked by climate change are resulting in droughts, flooding, severe high temperatures, dangerously low temperatures, and increasingly destructive storms.

Dimitra and Surveyor Indonesia are deploying AI, blockchain, and satellite-powered platforms to help millions of coffee and cocoa smallholders safeguard access to one valuable export markets as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) tightens.

By 2035, the real-world asset (RWA) market is expected to reach over $60 trillion, with green RWAs well-positioned to become a significant subsector in this global onchain movement.

Today, tokenized green assets still represent less than 1% of total climate assets and a similarly small percentage of RWAs, which currently are mostly tokenized treasuries.

However, with the total value of green assets set to soar and the rate of tokenization increasing, the green RWA market is an untapped growth opportunity. 

Kenya is ramping up efforts to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a game-changing rule that could shut out non-compliant agricultural exports from the EU market starting December 30, 2024.

Under the regulation, companies exporting commodities like coffee, tea, cocoa, and palm oil to the EU must prove their products are deforestation-free. That means tracing goods back to the exact plot of land they were produced on – a massive challenge in countries with fragmented supply chains and limited digital infrastructure.

FinTech Insights (FTI): Hi Jon, Welcome to the Fintech Top Voice interview series. Please tell us a little bit about your journey in the tech industry and how you arrived at the idea of starting Dimitra.

Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be speaking with you. I’ve spent over two decades developing and deploying enterprise technology, and all the way felt there was a massive disconnect. Cutting-edge technology with the potential to revolutionise farming as we know it was not reaching the smallholder farmers who form the backbone of global agriculture.

The idea for Dimitra came from seeing how emerging technologies like AI and blockchain could radically improve outcomes for farmers, especially those in traditionally overlooked regions. We created Dimitra to empower farmers to enhance their livelihoods by providing access to farming technologies, regardless of their geographic location or economic status.

Watch our CEO, Jon Trask, share how Dimitra Technologies is empowering over 2 million farmers worldwide with AI-driven tools, satellite insights, and innovative blockchain solutions.
From boosting crop yields and enabling farmer financing, to digitizing real-world agricultural assets, Dimitra is redefining sustainable agriculture globally.

Dimitra and MANTRA – Dimitra, a global leader in agriculture technology and sustainability solutions. That leverages blockchain and artificial intelligence to support farmers. Has partnered with MANTRA, a layer 1 blockchain platform focused on real-world assets (RWAs). This collaboration aims to bring green agricultural assets onchain. Offering innovative ways for farmers to finance their activities, and enable global investors to engage in sustainable value creation.

Dimitra uses blockchain and artificial intelligence to help smallholder farmers boost productivity and build more resilient agricultural systems. MANTRA brings a secure, regulation-friendly blockchain designed for tokenizing real-world assets, across real estate, commodities, and agriculture. Together, they will unlock new pathways to connect high-impact farming projects with investors seeking transparent, asset-backed opportunities that deliver both returns and positive change.

The first phase of the partnership will focus on cacao production in the Amazon region of Brazil and carbon credit projects in Mexico. In Brazil, Dimitra is working with smallholder farmers to improve cacao yields through the Connected Cacao platform, designed to provide tools for soil analysis, crop monitoring, AI technical assistance and regenerative best practices. Cacao is a high-demand crop, especially among chocolate producers. Tokenizing cacao-based RWAs can open new paths for financing infrastructure, traceability and farmer incentives. Making the entire value chain more profitable and transparent.

Heading 1 – Dimitra and MANTRA

In Mexico, Dimitra and MANTRA will leverage Dimitra’s carbon monitoring tools to support a forest conservation project covering over 20,000 hectares, with the potential to generate nearly one million carbon credits in the next ten years. These efforts will produce 100% traceable carbon credits, making it easier to verify, trade and invest. As the global demand for carbon credits continues to rise. Tokenization of carbon projects offers a path to broader access and greater impact.

While the initial projects will focus on Brazil and Mexico. This partnership will establish a framework for tokenizing agricultural projects worldwide. Dimitra’s portfolio includes dozens of agricultural projects in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Many of these projects are economically sound, but struggle to attract funding. With MANTRA’s infrastructure, these initiatives can be turned into investable opportunities that appeal to a growing number of people and institutions looking to make a real impact with real returns.

“This partnership is about unlocking new value from the real economy,” said Jon Trask, CEO of Dimitra. “Through MANTRA’s platform, we’ll be able to turn powerful, regenerative agricultural projects into accessible investment opportunities. Benefiting both farmers and investors.”

Subheading 2

“Tokenizing agriculture isn’t just about innovation, it’s about finding solutions to real-world issues long associated with food supply – at scale – and for long-term impact,” said John Patrick Mullin, CEO of MANTRA. “Dimitra is solving real-world problems, with a focus on  traceability and transparency –  and we’re proud to help bring those to a wider audience. MANTRA Chain was built to support projects like these.”

The partnership follows a string of strong developments from MANTRA, which continues to build momentum in the real-world asset space. Earlier this year, MANTRA was awarded the first DeFi license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to operate as a Virtual Asset Exchange, as well as provide Broker-Dealer and Management and Investment Services. It also launched the RWAccelerator – a start-up program for builders and startups supported by Google Cloud.

About Dimitra

Dimitra is a leading AI and blockchain-based platform for AgTech driving productive, intelligent and inclusive farming. Dimitra empowers farmers to make their processes smarter through actionable data-driven insights. Now working with farmers and co-ops across 35 countries, Dimitra’s AI-driven solutions equip farmers, agribusinesses, and governments with cutting-edge technology to combat deforestation, increase yields, reduce costs, and mitigate risks. Dimitra ensures seamless access to precision agriculture, supply chain transparency, carbon credit generation, and regulatory compliance.

About Mantra

MANTRA is a purpose-built Layer 1 blockchain for real-world assets, capable of adherence to real-world regulatory requirements. As a permissionless chain, MANTRA Chain empowers developers and institutions to seamlessly participate in the evolving RWA tokenization space by offering advanced technology modules, compliance mechanisms, and cross-chain interoperability. MANTRA holds a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). To operate as a Virtual Asset Exchange, as well as provide Broker-Dealer and Management and Investment Services.