Dimitra Connected Coffee — Dimitra Incorporated, a global Agtech company on a mission to make its technology available to farmers globally, is working with Ahprocafe, a coffee association in Honduras that has more than 100,000 associated farmers and dozens of local cooperatives. They bring state-of-the-art technology to coffee farmers, specifically traceability and AI, adding value to coffee locally.

Honduras coffee

Globally, people consume 166.6 million 60kg bags of coffee a year. Moreover, Honduras is the fifth-largest coffee producer in the world. In fact, they are the main coffee producer in Central America. The unique climatic conditions attests to it producing superior qualities of coffee.

Some of these unique conditions are due to the altitude of crops, the artisan processes to which the beans are subject, and the preservation of the genetic purity of many of its beans. So, it makes sense that Honduras, which once only grew coffee as a family crop, is destined to make an impact in the international market.

Currently, coffee holds the greatest weight in the country’s exports and, consequently, the one that generates the most foreign exchange.

Although Honduras has good productivity per hectare, there is still room to evolve. Particularly in pest management and reducing climate change effects, ensuring constant productivity, and increasing financial security for the farmers.

Traceability for coffee

The bottom line is that more attention than ever is on the supply chain. When farmers can provide traceability for their products, they reach consumers’ new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.

Dimitra and Ahprocafe will provide traceability for the coffee grown in Honduras by implementing Dimitra’s Connected Coffee Platform in as many cooperatives as possible.

This solution provides real-time track and trace on coffee beans throughout different levels of the supply chain, ensuring farmers’ operations are transparent and credible — attracting more customers looking for safe, premium quality coffee.

Data collection – Dimitra Connected Coffee

In addition to providing traceability and therefore increasing the value of coffee under Ahprocafe’s umbrella. Data is continuously collected to help the farmers predict, prevent and reduce losses due to pests, diseases, and climate change.

Combining satellite technology and advanced agronomic data with AI. Coffee farmers will receive customized recommendations to improve their farming techniques, forecast harvests, manage ripening timelines, and more. Most importantly, the data goes into creating reports for the farmers, helping them make informed decisions.

Calvin Funez from Honduras Conecta, Dimitra’s Honduras Partner, says, “We are excited to announce our alliance with AHPROCAFE, the first and largest coffee union organization in Honduras, as we have come together to provide state-of-the-art technology to small farmers in the country, helping them increase their yield, reduce costs, and provide traceability to their farms.”

Manfredo Villanueva, Ahprocafe’s General Manager, stated, “Ahprocafe seeks to strengthen the business capacity of affiliated coffee cooperatives, generate initiatives that allow us training support and potential market spaces, as well as develop marketing capacity through technical and technological strengthening. Within this framework, we faithfully believe that the alliance with Dimitra will allow us to achieve our objectives”.

Dimitra Appreciation for Women – Today, women make up about 45% of the workforce in agriculture around the world. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that although females represent anywhere from 18–50% of landowners, only about 12.8% of women can carry out the role of landholder. The two roles are different: a landowner is a person who legally owns the land; a landholder is a person who effectively operates and makes a living from the land owned.

Moreover, we know that in the coffee industry alone, up to 70% of farm laborers consist of females. But with gender pay gaps, local policy limitations, and insufficient access to the latest farming technologies, many women in agriculture today remain underpaid.

United Nations Women’s effort toward economic empowerment in all sectors promotes fair productivity, income equality, and a reduction in gender-based discrimination against women in the workforce. Today, on International Women’s Day, we’re shedding light on how women in farming are making this empowerment goal a reality.

Meet Fitria: Female Coffee Farmer and Educator in Indonesia

Fitria Syahroni, a 34-year-old woman in Sumatra, Indonesia, works at the buying station of Solok Radjo Cooperative. Here, she educates local farmers on how to properly plant and harvest red cherries (coffee berries). Her husband, Endro, works in the fermentation process.

Fitria is a second-generation leader involved in the Solok Radjo Coffee Cooperative. Despite being labeled legally blind in 2016 due to complications with diabetes, Fitria’s hard work greatly benefits her community. She works every day, communicating with farmers throughout the region and making sure they have what they need to improve their farming processes year-round.

When asked about her challenges working blind, Fitria shared, “I can listen, I can touch, I can smell, and I can talk. My blindness does not limit my goals and my purpose in life. I even want to do more. I encourage people to continuously learn, to never be afraid of making mistakes.”

Fitria’s Impact in the Community

For instance, the impact Fitria continues to have now expands beyond her immediate location at the cooperative. She currently mentors university and vocational students on the importance of responsible farming practices in the coffee industry. She’s part of the sustainability-focused Coffee Curriculum led by our agricultural technology company, Dimitra. Together, we’re helping liaise between local leaders and educators, improving farming curriculum preparation and delivery to meet new standards.

Fitria and her husband, Endro, are two locals who are championing the Dimitra Connected Farmer platform. What’s more, with access to the latest technology, they now know how to better manage their soil, farming schedule, and everyday operations. Together, they show how the Dimitra platform helps farmers make more informed decisions regarding their end-to-end process.

Fitria sets a powerful example of how women play a vital role in today’s agricultural leadership. Especially in the coffee industry, women are a major catalyst when it comes to stepping into more responsible, future-forward practices. Next, by shrinking the gender gap across agricultural lines, AgTech solutions such as Dimitra play a critical role in advancing change.

Women’s Work and Impact on Global Agriculture

What’s more, Fitria is one example of the millions of women who have positively impacted the agriculture industry around the world. Today, the positive impact women are having in farming grows stronger every day. Although women are often excluded from regional governance and major decision-making regarding labor policies, they continue to be strong forces in leading change.

To increase the impact women have on farming, several major obstacles must be eliminated. Primarily, this includes the lack of access to:

• Land
• Finances
• Market trade
• Agricultural training and education
• Suitable working conditions
• Equal treatment
• Fair wages

Before female farmers ever sow a seed, the lack of access to the above resources disadvantages them and limits their income. In fact, if women farmers had equal access as males in this vital workforce, it’s estimated that food production could increase by 30%. Like Fitria, however, women continue to show up, driven by necessity, passion, and empathy for their communities.

Furthering the representation of women in farming would benefit men and women, children and adults, leaders and future innovators. Without women, agriculture would not be the same. Throughout history, women continue to demand more inclusivity; more access to opportunities — it’s time global AgTech initiatives do the same.

Dimitra Appreciation for Women in Agricultural Technology

At Dimitra, we are passionate about the role women continue to play in global agriculture. From smallholder farmers in rural countries to software developers in the U.K., our growing community of AgTech pioneers includes many notable women worth recognizing.

Currently, Dimitra Technology proudly employs 3 women in Leadership, 4 women in Sales, and 26 women in Tech, Operations, Finance & Marketing. Moreover, the women of Dimitra contribute to the company like no one else could. They are consistently furthering the company and its worldwide mission.

Both in the office and in the field, Dimitra’s women deliver invaluable professionalism, purpose-led ambition, and innovative contributions to every person and farmer we work with.

What Women of Dimitra are Saying on International Women’s Day

Here’s what some of the women on staff at Dimitra are saying in support of today:

“I think that being a woman has equipped me with the skills of being able to break down and understand messaging in different ways. It is made me more aware of how we communicate with one another and the impact this can have on each individual who cares to listen.” — Roxy Cort, Director of Digital Marketing & Social Media

“I have worked in male-dominated industries in both my past and present jobs. And by doing so, I learned to navigate and represent myself in a way that makes me proud. My past experiences and interactions consistently shape the thoughts and feelings that I voice to others today.” — Cassandra Mellen, Communications Coordinator

“My purpose is to leave the world a better place… Changing the lives of those who are under oppression. I am passionate about my work.” — Tendau A. Dhodho, Business Analyst

“When I think of equality in the workplace, two concepts come to my mind: opportunities and salary. These two concepts simply mean giving women the opportunity to learn. And second, giving them a chance to enter the workplace by giving them internships. For example, for those who come directly from universities and of course making sure that women are promoted and well paid as per their valuable contribution.” — Nicole Musimbi, Business Analyst

From the bottom of our hearts at Dimitra: Thank you to all the women who play a part in feeding the world. You make responsible farming possible for all.

Dimitra AMA Morpheus – Our CEO Jon Trask recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Morpheus. Network’s CEO Danny Weinberger about all things Dimitra and Morpheus Network.

Take a look at the video to learn about what has happened in the last year. And what they are looking forward to for the rest of 2023!

Check out the video here: https://lnkd.in/g-78N8hi

Dimitra Incorporated is a global Agtech company with a mission to help smallholder farmers across the world. Dimitra works with governments, government agencies, NGOs, and for-profit organizations. The Dimitra platform is built on blockchain technology. And incorporates mobile technology, machine learning, IoT devices, satellite and drone imagery, genomics, and advanced farming research. Through our data driven approach, Dimitra helps farmers increase yields, reduces expenses, and mitigates risk. Dimitra believes that every smallholder farmer, regardless of economic standing, should benefit from simple, beautiful, and useful technology.

Dimitra AMA Morpheus

By 2050 we will need to feed 9.7 billion people. In 2021, over 1 billion people go to bed hungry everyday. In the past five years this problem is growing, not reducing. One third of the world’s population are smallholder farmers, operating subsistence level farms. Typically smaller than 5 hectares and struggling to produce enough food to feed their own family.  In G20 nations, farmers have access to technology that helps them operate their farm as a commercial enterprise. Greatly exceeding their own family’s needs and allowing them to supply food to hundreds of people. There is certainly a significant divide which needs to be closed.   

Our current farming practices are less than sustainable, agriculture accounts for 70% of the world’s fresh water usage, farms generate a significant amount of pollution.  We have lost 50% of our topsoil in the past 150 years, this is coupled with loss of nutrients and salinity problems with much of the remaining soil. Educating farmers about leading practices is a challenge for governments, creating a means to educate and share best practices is a labor intensive process.

Subheading

Our current methods further threaten food security, over 1/3 of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted in the process… Poor storage techniques, losses in transportation and border crossings, waste in the markets and grocery supply chain are all challenges that corporations, governments and farmers are trying to solve. Food security issues exacerbate growing challenges with malnutrition, the cost of healthy diets are unaffordable to over 3 billion people in the world.

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, beautiful, effective technology in their hands is our core goal. We want to help them improve their productivity with the power of information.

Dimitra Livestock Guru Pasture Management. In a world of evolving geological and economic conditions, the family farmer faces constant challenges when it comes to pasture management. From over grazing, to increased costs, to repairing damaged soil and land.

Now – through the use of cutting edge satellite technology, the Dimitra Livestock Guru platform gives the family farmer the power to optimize their pasture management, allowing them to:

Monitor grazing conditions to discover and implement a unique grazing pattern for their land.

Enhance soil quality by surveying damaged land and employing replenishment strategies.

Improve water and nutrient distribution.

Track seasonal conditions, measuring the effects of rain fall and temperature on their pastures.

Generate reports that track the vegetation density of their land, providing a year over year comparison of farm growth.

With the Livestock Guru‘s suite of enterprise level management tools, the family farmer can manage their land with confidence, maintaining optimal pasture performance.

Subheading

Dimitra Livestock Guru Pasture Management. In a world of evolving and economic conditions. The family farmer faces constant challenges when it comes to pasture management. From over grazing, to costs, to repairing damaged soil and land.

Now, through the use of cutting edge satellite technology. The Dimitra Livestock Guru gives the family farmer the power to optimize their pasture management, allowing them to:

Monitor grazing conditions to discover and implement a unique grazing pattern for their land.

Enhance soil quality by damaged land.

Improve water and distribution.

Track conditions, the effects of rain fall and temperature on their.

Generate reports that track the density of their land, a year over year of farm growth.

With the Livestock Guru‘s suite of level management tools, the family farmer can manage their land with confidence, optimal pasture performance.

Dimitra Climate Action – To limit dangerous global warming by 2030, scientists recommend that emissions should be cut by 43% compared to 2010 levels. But according to current projections, global emissions will likely rise by 14% this decade.

Collective urgency to take serious climate action is overdue.

This is by the fact that corrective climate activities are a top priority among some of the world’s most influential entities.

The United Nations developed a series of objectives that will obtain greater development around the world. These 17 are called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and range from ending world hunger to making quality education available to all.

Dimitra’s long-term mission aligns with these goals. SDG #13, Climate Action, is a major focus of Dimitra’s work with global agriculture.

Climate Action SDG

The SDG Climate Action is urgent action to combat climate change and its various impacts. Several key pillars of this goal relate to agriculture: education, awareness, and adaptive planning and management.

The lack of education about climate change and the limited awareness of responsible agriculture practices is a problem for farmers in both developed countries and under developed regions. It is imperative that these individuals gain better knowledge and tools, including:

• Agricultural technology
• Strategic operations
• Responsible sourcing
• Optimal farm management
• Connected distribution
• Impact reduction
• Early warning systems

Furthermore, to adequately negative climate impacts in the agricultural sector worldwide, communities and small holder farmers need resources that support farming operations.

Top Climate Challenges Farmers Face – Dimitra Climate Action

There isn’t one magical answer to develop, maintain and support solutions that encourage sustainable agriculture throughout the world. Agricultural climate problems are as vast as the loss of soil quality, lack of education, and rising green house gas emissions, to name a few.

Farmers need help reducing emissions, adapting to more resilient crop management practices, and implementing strategies that support long-term climate responsibility. It’s a slow process, as many small holder farms have very little access to sustainable technologies already in place.

Even in developed countries, conventional farming practices are far removed from long-term sustainability objectives. Global agriculture accounts for nearly 70% of the world’s fresh water consumption. Farming operations emit large amounts of pollution. Over the past 150 years, the earth has lost more than 50% of its topsoil due to monocropping, leading to a decrease in soil fertility.

Government-influenced farming education is limited, as greener practices aren’t as immediately profitable at larger scales. Farming is labor intensive, and smaller governments especially don’t have the resources to put toward education and leading practices.

Advancing Climate Action: Farmer Technology for Climate Responsibility

To get on board with intensive climate action efforts. Farmers have two priorities: wide spread education and supportive agricultural technology solutions.

At Dimitra, we give farmers the data driven mechanisms they need to ensure environmentally responsible change. One tool, the Dimitra Connected Farmer App, uses satellites to provide critical information to farmers:

1. Soil fertility data: Accurate satellite images show farmers which areas of soil require fertilizer. This preserves the amounts of fertilizer used seasonally and every year, allowing farms of all scales to prevent overfertilization and topsoil depletion. In return, farmers save money, time, and energy.
2. Predictive weather patterns: Precise weather predictions allow farmers to make informed decisions on when, where, and how much to water their crops. Accurate technology mitigates risks associated with harmful weather conditions and gives farmers actionable data to prioritize sustainability.
3. Crop health monitoring: Using satellite vegetation indices, farmers can remotely monitor the health of crops throughout their life cycle. Satellites monitor the farms to detect areas with uneven seed growth, aged or wilted crops, and diseased or pest infected fields. This helps farmers detect issues on the field before they get out of hand.
4. Tailored agronomy insights: Dimitra’s team of Ph.D. agronomists always analyze satellite, weather, and ground data to give every farmer recommendations.
5. Deforestation Compliance: Dimitra uses satellite data in its Deforestation Compliance Module, which allows operators to detect deforestation, prove compliance, and reduce the risk of fraud.

Subheading

Cutting-edge technology solutions aren’t a quick and easy fix — they are long-term strategies toward climate action. Our goal at Dimitra is to equip farmers with the information, digital tools, and practical farming methods that will trickle down into future generations.

Dimitra technology is already helping thousands of farms track daily farm activity, access data rich reporting, increase yield, and mitigate risks. We are working alongside governments and organizations that are leading the way toward climate action.

Dimitra Track and Trace – More than ever before, consumers and commercial goods traders care about where their food is coming from.

People want to buy products that are ethically grown and fairly made. Brands want to maintain best practices in everything from responsible sourcing to recyclable packaging. As a result, companies are changing business operations to ensure a more positive environmental impact.

Moving forward, many global brands will have no other choice than to meet new, sustainable practices.

In light of the recent European regulations on deforestation, all players in the global food supply chain are reevaluating their everyday practices. But, more importantly, they’re reconstructing existing partnerships with food growers, producers, and distributors.

Here’s a quick recap on the EU deforestation ban:

• Europe will no longer allow major commodities into the country if they’ve been sourced from deforested land past December 31, 2020. Commodities include soybean, coffee, palm oil, rubber, cattle, wood, cocoa, and more.
• Regional farmers, global exporters, and production operators will have a requirement to prove their compliance through due diligence statements, detailed risk assessments, and deforestation certifications that require GPS coordinates and satellite images. Failure to do so will result in fines or a complete ban on the shipment.
• When the law goes into effect, farmers and operators will have 18–24 months to adjust fully.
• Europe is the first to initiate such a law. There is an expectation that other leading countries will soon follow, with 141 countries pledging to reduce deforestation

These measures may seem strict, but they’re long overdue. If the world is to prevent further impact and reverse the negative effects of climate change, action needs to be taken now. Deforestation is one of the most significant issues to address first.

Dimitra has made the commitment to help farmers and global traders make the most sustainable transition through every change in the supply chain.

The Impacts of Farming, Producing, and Trading on Climate

As of now, deforestation accounts for nearly 10% of climate change. Furthermore, agriculture makes up about 90% of deforestation, contributing to biodiversity loss and global warming. Even with sustainable agriculture practices being put into place in areas around the world, more measures need to be taken to combat this overwhelming issue.

Harmful practices used in farming include the intentional clearing of forested areas for the use of crop growth. Slash-and-burn agriculture — a practice that burns down trees to clear the forest while also fertilizing the soil short-term — is not sustainable. Unfortunately, it’s still a common type of deforestation that occurs daily.

Beyond crop growth and harvest, the production and transportation of farm goods both further contribute to the rising impacts of climate change. The UN estimates that, as a whole, the agricultural industry makes up about one-third of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

To decrease this percentage, more sustainable production and transportation practices have taken shape. Namely, the careful tracking of produce shipments results in the prevention of food loss and waste.

In addition, these new deforestation laws place a greater demand on trackable and traceable solutions to ensure responsible farming from seed to final product sale. As a result, many agricultural operators are turning to Track and Trace to address these challenges.

The Importance of Traceability Throughout the Supply Chain

In between farm and fork, there is a complex system of processing and shipping protocols that take place.

In shipping, many logistics processes already utilize tracking and tracing methods to monitor an item’s location at any given time closely. Similar to the tracking number you receive for an online order, every product shipment has its own code that delivers location updates through transportation software. As its progression goes from one carrier location to the next, the delivery of live updates is electronic.

With Track and Trace for agriculture, the capture of essential data occurs across the supply chain. The tracing of products goes all the way back to their original source with exact GPS coordinates and is eventually printed on the blockchain to make the records immutable. The logging and tracking of vehicles, containers, packages and receivers throughout transportation occur electronically for accuracy.

This methodology allows shippers and receivers to identify products that are especially important in international trade. This prevention of mishandling or losing large quantities of produce also helps with unnecessary food waste.

Supply Chain Challenges – Dimitra Track and Trace

Nearly 30% of food produced for human consumption today gets lost or wasted somewhere along the supply chain. An important and growing concern is to note that farming is only the first step in food security. Production, transportation, and storage can impact food supply and shortages on an even broader level.

As a result of the many possible logistical issues during crop transportation, more than 800 million people are suffering from hunger today. It’s not that the world doesn’t have enough food to meet everyone’s needs. The reality is that food distribution is not as accurate as it should be.

This data is important so that commercial distributors and buyers can identify risks and responsibilities if something were to go wrong. Where is there a flaw in their supply chain process? What is the solution to fix it? And with the new EU laws on deforestation, is everything compliant enough to ensure the company stays in business?

On top of all these challenges, to continue selling products into the EU or exporting goods from Europe, companies will need to prove that their supply has no link back to deforestation. In addition, they will need to practice due diligence and provide detailed information determining they are within responsible compliance.

How Track and Trace Affects EU Deforestation Regulations

Now that the EU is implementing new regulatory standards for international trade partners, farmers must change and adapt to new practices at all levels of the supply chain.

GPS Track and Trace is now more necessary than ever before. Not only does it ensure fewer tons of produce get wasted or lost every year, it fairly evaluates the reality of deforestation on farms. This means new technologies are required for farmers, cooperatives, and commodity trading companies to prove compliance with the new deforestation regulations. They must show that the product — whether a crop yield itself or a derivative of it — was properly registered and came directly from the farm.

Dimitra has seen these inevitable regulations in development. We have developed agricultural technology software to provide the necessary proof for companies dealing with new climate compliance laws. But, more importantly, we’ve furthered our efforts to help farmers around the world adopt more responsible farming practices to avoid future harm to the population and the planet.

Through the Dimitra Deforestation Compliance Module, companies can effectively do the following:

• Obtain and deliver proof of farming taking place on non-deforested land
• Prevent fraudulent farming activity
• Keep track of deforestation and reforestation on farm properties
• Hold farmers accountable during further developments in climate laws
• Encourage more responsible land management practices
• Provide farmers with crucial data on the health and status of their produce
• Provide immutable and non-tamperable records on the blockchain

With Dimitra’s Track and Trace capabilities, operators can show the entire product journey through every step: the farm, wash plant, packaging center, vehicle transport overseas, and the final destination, such as a coffee shop.

Food for Thought

When it comes to food safety concerns, Track and Trace is also an ideal solution, especially with the capability to record information through the blockchain. For example, major companies such as Walmart have easily tracked recalled produce items such as leafy greens. Within seconds, companies can use traceability information recorded on the blockchain to address food contamination scares by stopping them at the source.

Cost is another concern among suppliers and consumers. People want to know how their food arrived at its final destination. Was the handling process sanitary and safe? Are food products in compliance with quality standards? Did the driver receive fair compensation during transportation? Track and Trace allow access to these important data.

AgTech Solutions: The Deforestation Compliance Module

Dimitra’s Deforestation Compliance Module answers these questions. It solves several important challenges regarding the new deforestation and safety regulations.

First, the Track and Trace feature lets people know where a crop originates and its growing method. Was the crop’s provenance reported for using unethical practices like deforestation, toxic chemical application, or child labor? Operations from each farm are logged and approved, meaning everyone from the trader to the consumer can know what types of farming occurred within the farm’s radius.

Furthermore, the Deforestation Compliance Module proves that a shipment of produce actually came from the designated farm.

Live Track and Trace GPS hits show crucial details such as:

• How many times was a farmer actively on the farm
• Location and number of livestock (using sensors and satellite data)
• Verification of packaging, vehicle, and shipment activities
• Where a product undergoes registration
• Certification that a Track and Trace report came from the farm’s legitimate location
• Everything is being printed to the blockchain, creating immutable records

How is this so groundbreaking? Currently, there are technology companies that provide blockchain technology and track and trace features across industries. There are companies that provide satellite tracking and geofencing of deforestation. But until now, there is no platform today that does both.

This is where Dimitra comes in.

Combining satellite tracking and monitoring, product Track and Trace GPS records, and compliance certificates all recorded onto the blockchain for immutability, the Deforestation Compliance Module gives farmers and companies everything they need to operate within EU regulations. It sets the standard for the future of digital tracking and compliance with climate-related agriculture laws.

Taking Traceable Steps Toward Positive Change

Every food company involved in the top global commodities such as palm oil, coffee, and coca needs to start evaluating their Track and Trace and compliance methods now. In the immediate future, levels of compliance with deforestation and other standards could make or break a business.

At Dimitra, we recognize that farmers deserve to stay in business. In fact, the world needs existing farmers — even if harmful practices are currently being put behind. Whether a smallholder farm needs accessible farming technology solutions or large-scale farms need to transition their partnerships, our digital tools are available to ensure success.

Moving forward, in order to survive and potentially scale in responsible ways, trackability and traceability are only inevitable. The time to make change is now.

On every level of operation, transportation, and supply, the future of food and farming depends on ethical compliance modules. Dimitra is proud to be leading the way.

“Changing the world doesn’t happen overnight, but with today’s Web3 tools like blockchain, artificial intelligence, satellite, IoT sensors and mobile we can start making an impact one farm at a time. A bountiful harvest begins by planting a single seed.” — Jon Trask, CEO — Dimitra

Hello Dimitra Community,

We hope you are well and are having a great 2023 so far. We appreciate your support, and we’re amazed at how many in our community have staked their tokens, indicating tremendous support for what we are doing.

Dimitra continues to build, and we continue to sign new deals for the Dimitra Connected Farmer Platform, Dimitra Livestock Guru Platform, Dimitra Connected Coffee module, and our new Dimitra Deforestation module with countries, cooperatives, and governments worldwide.

Here are a few of Dimitra’s highlights:

• Dimitra signed commitments with 16 nations.
• Dimitra signed a media partnership with Cointelegraph.
• Dimitra is now in 18 languages.
• Dimitra has built and deployed over 100 modules.
• Dimitra launched our first bounty program with Ocean Protocol in July 2022. Since then, we have completed Phase Two and announced the winners.
• Dimitra came out with a new “coffee” focused module in July 2022.
• Dimitra launched our genetics module for livestock in April 2022, and we just launched the Dimitra Livestock Guru platform.
• Dimitra has signed Bittrex as our latest exchange, and we’ve now listed on 5 of the top exchanges (https://dimitra.io/token/#markets).
• Dimitra raised $6.5 million USD in our presale token sale offering, and we announced that GEM has committed to $20 Million.
• Dimitra signed a media partnership with Cointelegraph to help get our message out to more communities across the world.
• Dimitra won the W3B & Blockchain World 2022 Entrepreneurship Award in the Industry Solutions Category.

(*** These are only a few of our accomplishments, and there are so many more)

The Dimitra Sponsorship Program:

We’re excited to announce the Dimitra Sponsorship Program.

We’ve listened to our loyal community of supporters and heard what you’ve said: that you’d like to be involved and that it’s important we show utility within our platform. Keep in mind that we can’t share all our news due to NDAs and conditions with big government contracts. We’d like to be able to, but there are larger considerations with some of our contracts, and they will show more utility over time. We’re also working very hard on our Farmer Points Program and will have updates later this year.

How The Dimitra Sponsorship works:

When you purchase DMTR tokens through one of our exchange partners (https://dimitra.io/token/#markets), you can move your tokens from our exchange partners to your wallet and then log in to the DMTR portal and do two things:

1. First, ensure your tokens are staked and receive up to 13% APY.
2. The next step to sponsoring a project is to log into the Dimitra Portal and click on the “Sponsorship” tab. Take some time to read about the program. The most important point to remember is that if you choose to sponsor a project, those $DMTR tokens will be locked for a one-year period.
3. To get started, select “Create New Sponsorship.” You will have the option to choose “Any Project” or a “Specific Project” to sponsor. If you choose “Any Project,” select the amount of DMTR in USD that you would like to use for Sponsorship.
4. If you choose to sponsor a specific project, be sure to select “Specific Project.” to learn more about each of the projects associated with this sponsorship opportunity, select the Projects tab.
5. When you are ready to choose the project you would like to sponsor, select the project region and the value of USD you want to contribute. Every 100 USD is one sponsored farmer. In addition, You have the opportunity to sponsor multiple projects.
6. Once you hit continue, you will be asked if you want to receive project updates.

Things you should know/things to consider:

When you choose to sponsor a project/region/farmer, your DMTR tokens are locked for a one-year period.

You will also receive a reminder notice/email one month before the end of your one-year term of sponsoring the farmer, asking if you’d like to continue supporting the farmer and project or unstake your tokens.

The default condition will be to keep sponsoring the farmer and receiving your yield for staking with us.

Everyone wins :).

You are also bringing real utility and adoption of our platform to the world.

Historically, there has always been criticism of “well-intentioned” projects that claim they will help without real transparency as to where their money is going (think of Haiti and the billions that went missing). We wanted to address this via the Dimitra portal (https://portal.dimitra.io/login). You’ll see which country, community, and farm you are helping within the Dimitra platform. You also receive a thank you letter from the farmers.

Why support the Dimitra Sponsorship program?

1. Make a real and tangible difference in the lives of farmers who need our technology but can’t afford it.
2. Empower farming families and improve their communities.
3. You’ll see how many farms you’ve impacted within the portal, which is pretty special.
4. Improve food security and sustainability.
5. Be part of a project that brings people together and real-world adoption of the Dimitra Connected Farmer Platform, the Dimitra Livestock Guru Platform, and our Connected Coffee Module.
6. Support Dimitra’s mission of being and delivering on being an ESG company that aligns with the United Nations SDG goals.
7. Be part of something bigger.

Deforestation with Dimitra – Two thousand years ago, 80 percent of Western Europe was classified as a forest. Today, that number is only 34 percent. Deforestation affects everyone on this planet. It is responsible for approximately 10 percent of global warming. Without trying to tackle deforestation, it is impossible to combat global warming.

Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land. Furthermore, industrial agriculture accounts for a colossal 85 percent of deforestation worldwide. Slash-and-burn agriculture is just one example contributing to deforestation. It occurs when a farmer burns down trees on their land, allowing the ash to fertilize the land for crops. Despite the fact that this may be sustainable for the farmers for a short period, they have to repeat it as the soil only remains fertile for a couple of years. It is not a sustainable farming method for the planet in the long run. Moreover, it causes long-term harm to the environment.

Subheading

When farmers are clearing trees to make room for agriculture practices like logging, oil palm, rubber tree plantations, and cattle ranching, the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere increases. Trees play a significant role in the atmosphere because they take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, locking it into their wood. When farmers burn the trees, they release this carbon dioxide into the air. As the number of trees continues to decrease, an increasing amount of greenhouse gas collects in the atmosphere. Consequently, this accelerates global warming. In addition to the environmental repercussions listed above, deforestation threatens leaves soil more prone to erosion and forest fires and threatens biodiversity.

The EU is limiting the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide to help combat the effects of climate change. The new regulation sets strict mandatory due diligence rules. These rules apply to companies that want to place relevant products on the EU market or export them. Once it becomes law, traders and operators have eighteen months to adjust to the regulations. Smaller-scale companies will have two years to adapt.

Traders and operators must prove that the products do not originate on land deforested after the 31st of December 2020. On top of deforestation, operators will need to verify their production complies with the local laws of the producing country.

Examples of these products include:
Palm Oil
Cattle
Soy
Coffee
Cocoa
Timber
Rubber
Beef
Chocolate
Furniture
Paper

Deforestation with Dimitra

The metrics will be based on an evaluation of crop-specific criteria, regional or country-specific regulations, as well as EU-specified criteria. When considering the criteria, the metrics set by the EU will be used as the baseline standard. Any other criteria, be it regional, country-specific, or produce-specific, will be taken into account based on the highest of the two standards. If a specific country’s criteria are different or have different components, measurements from both will be taken into account. The higher standards will be considered the primary metric.

Farmers around the globe are adjusting their farming practices to adhere to these new environmentally conscious changes. Farmers have to substantiate their farming practices to allow for the export of produce. Otherwise, the importer will face fines of up to four percent of their annual EU turnover.
Apart from avoiding deforestation to make way for farmland, planting new trees can make farms more sustainable. Some crops like coffee and cocoa grow very well under the shade of large trees. In addition, fruit-bearing shade trees can provide additional income for farmers. Nevertheless, reducing deforestation doesn’t start and end with the farmers. Influential commodity trading companies are crucial to reducing farmers’ pressure to produce more.

Dimitra offers a Deforestation Certification Module as an upgrade to its Connected Farmer and Livestock Guru platforms making deforestation evaluation accessible to combat the climate crisis. The deforestation module makes it possible for producers and traders to prove their goods are unrelated to deforestation. Additionally, it helps regulatory authorities confirm compliance. GPS Track and trace is required to prove compliance with the new EU regulations by being able to show that the product was registered and came directly from the farm.

Subheading

Origin farms are, by definition, everything in the surrounding geo-fence so that the system can continuously monitor land use via satellite. When products are being verified, the regulatory authority can trace the product back to its origin farm. Then an assessment can be made if any trees were lost to make way for planting crops. Users also can create a year-over-year user-generated report based on data from their designated geofence inputs for an additional fee.

This technology can impact any party within the agricultural chain. For instance, farmers and cooperatives can consolidate the information on their farms, and governments can provide better compliance and standardized assessment for the buyers and producers of affected products. Moreover, all of this data is written to an enterprise-grade blockchain to provide transparency and take advantage of the blockchain’s security and immutable ledger. On top of that, Dimitra adds other values of importance to the EU, including the responsible use of pesticides, waters, and soils, and respect for humans, including labor rights.

With Dimitra’s ability to fully automate the capture of deforestation, calculating the loss and coverage with year-over-year reporting, farmers, cooperatives, and governments can improve the accuracy of their information. In addition, they can help combat deforestation while trying to make an impact on climate change. Working towards this goal is crucial to improve the state of the environment globally. In fact, it is an estimation by the assessment from the European Commission that at least 71,920 hectares (278 sq miles) of forest annually – (around 100,000 football pitches) will be under protection with this law. Consequently, it is also an estimation that global carbon emissions will drop by 31.9 million.

Deforestation is a leading cause of climate change, as it decimates the world’s forests which are critical to life on earth. If deforestation continues at its current rate, the planet risks having only 10% of forested land left by 2030.

Globally, one of the leading drivers of deforestation is agriculture. To make more room for commercial crops such as soy beans, coffee, cattle, and cocoa, trees are consistently removed in large quantities.

In recent years, major governments have responded to this crisis by drafting and new deforestation laws for international food importation. Now nations are limiting operators of deforested land from profiting off of exportation.

Inevitable change is on the horizon for farmers and food companies worldwide. As a result, new innovative technology solutions emerge to help them navigate these necessary changes.

Impacts of Deforestation Worldwide

Deforestation is the planned, mass clearing of forested land. Unfortunately, large areas of forest around the world are cleared every day to expand farm lands and obtain materials for commodification. Industrial farming is responsible for 85% of deforestation worldwide — a number that must be addressed and reversed to ensure food security and relieve the effects of climate change.

A 2021 report showed that 3.75 million hectares of rain forest were destroyed in the tropics that year. Some of the biggest consequences of deforestation include high levels of carbon dioxide release. Threats to bio diversity, species endangerment and extinction, and soil erosion. This is not a good picture for agriculture or populations around the world.

Many environmental and political organizations have urged leaders of G7 (Group of Seven) — seven of the world’s largest countries — to take responsible action toward combating climate change. In 2022, 141 countries came together and signed a pact to eradicate deforestation by 2030. The EU is one of the first to take serious action.

Europe’s World-Changing Response to Deforestation

Leading a response to the deforestation crisis, the EU is having a law that effectively bans products made of the major crops linked to deforestation:

With this new law, trade companies will be required to provide proof that there is no deforestation in their production process after December 31, 2020. This is a pivotal time for CPG companies, global and regional importers, and farmers everywhere — especially those who trade into the EU.

The EU has given companies an 18 month period to adjust, change suppliers, and reverse deforestation ties before facing the consequences. Smaller companies will have up to two years to adjust. Traders and operators are now making efforts to arrange new methods of operation.

It’s important to consider that this change isn’t impacting companies alone. Farmers worldwide that supply these companies with goods must also heed the call to adjust their practices. With mandates to practice farming in more environmentally responsible ways. There’s no longer room for farms of any size to continue deforestation if they want to remain legally operational.

How are Satellites Used to Detect Deforested Land?

Countries with out standing deforestation issues, such as Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, and Indonesia, have cross government cooperatives and farmers’ organizations to collaborate against harmful land practices. National and global organizations turn to satellites to observe forest and land statuses.

Satellites have been used for several decades to monitor forested land changes over time. In 1997, the Global Forest Watch was established as a network of research and non profit organization committed to monitoring and tracking illegal deforestation throughout the world. Today, satellite imaging has grown more and more advanced. Geofencing soft ware has also become a widely used tool in land observation. Together, the two capture deforestation activity in virtually any area of the world.

Although satellite and geo fencing technology advancements have helped track deforestation on every continent, there has yet to be a tool developed that effectively analyzes, compares, and integrates results with monitor methods such as Track and Trace.

Agricultural technology company, Dimitra, now offers an up graded solution. In addition to its existing platforms, such as the Connected Farmer Platform, the Dimitra Deforestation Compliance module now produces reliable satellite deforestation certificates. Their mission is timely: make data and reporting accessible to all as the world responds to changing regulations.

New Deforestation Compliance Monitoring in Action – Detect Deforestation with Satellite

With Dimitra’s well standing relationships with agricultural and government organizations, they’ve been working with Brazil to innovate deforestation compliance soft ware — with big results.

The figure below exemplifies a case study of their new deforestation module. This was one of the first results that revealed the deforested area in Parana, Brazil. The yellow spots in the image below indicate growth between the set date range of December 2020 to December 2022.

Dimitra’s new satellite deforestation calculator helps farmers and buyers around the globe access accurate data about deforestation activity. Here’s how it works.

Then, a corresponding machine learning model classifies every pixel of the images as either a forest or non forest pixel (each pixel indicates 10 square meters of land). The differences between these pixels are calculated and compared between two customizable dates. The platform high lights deforested areas and new forest areas within the farm’s geofence and perimeters.

Collected satellite data contains terrain and heat map imagery which are used together to generate a visual, color coded model of farm land. Module users can select a farm’s coordinates to view and compare the following:

• Dark green: Forest detection
• Light green: New forest area, meaning forests that are currently present but were not present during the set “start date”
• Red: Deforested area, meaning forests that are not currently present but were present during the set “start date”

Users can move the toggle to view before, after, and current comparisons as well as overlay images directly within the platform.

A combination of satellite analyses, AI, mobile technology, and block chain technology gives operators the ability to detect proof of deforestation. They can use this platform to prove compliance, reduce the risk of fraud, and verify past and present forest progress on their farm.

Dimitra Deforestation Module: Solutions for Global Agricultural Change

The Dimitra Deforestation Compliance platform allows farmers, traders, and producers to give proof of non deforested sources of their crops. It’s a key resource for importers and companies to certify their compliance with the new laws if they hope to continue to trade into the EU.

Satellite Accuracy – Detect Deforestation with Satellite

Using satellite and machine learning, the platform does more than just detect deforestation of a plot of land. It also generates a certificate of compliance written to the block chain. This secure block chain report presents an immutable time stamp, preventing reports.

Why is this block chain technology significant? When several countries tried to implement a similar deforestation ban, some farmers would continue to operate and increase deforested land but pretend to follow the law through measures. For example, they would go to another farm location to ship their product out of, which would wrongfully signal GPS data to avoid a penalty.

With the Dimitra Deforestation Compliance module, certifications can indicate:

• Whether or not a crop was grown on the reported farm
• If the amount of crop being shipped was grown on the farm
• How often the farmer(s) were present on the reported farm, based on mobile GPS data

Greater satellite accuracy, combined with integrations of other AgTech solutions, provide a comprehensive web3 report for certification and compliance.

Request for Deforestation Reports

With this platform, people can request deforestation reports and receive the results for a small price. Farmers or producers can sign up for a monthly subscription to receive and interpret ongoing reports, where all data is written to the block chain to be shared with organizations or companies.

When Dimitra receives a certification request from a customer, they collect payment and subsequently pay the necessary government filing fees and expenses. 

Additionally, if someone orders a report but wants an official interpretation from our PhD agronomists and forestry experts. Dimitra can evaluate the report and produce a final reading with explanations.

GPS Track and Trace

The Dimitra module also does Track and Trace — an ideal solution to verify vehicle, shipment, and other farming activities.

This software based tracking model can determine whether or not reports are honest and reliable. Effectively, this eliminates those who attempt to work around the regulations by farming or shipping from unreported neighboring areas.

Certifications

Deforestation Compliance certificates show a color coded image of the geofenced farm. Colors indicate the following:

• Tree cover loss (red)
• Tree cover gain (light green)
• Total tree cover (green)

The certificate also shows necessary compliance details, including:

• Verified GPS location hits
• Crop compliance percentage
• Total hectares of land registered
• Connected Farmer app usage

Each certificate has a block chain hash and QR code for easily sharing deforestation information.

Farmers can submit other relevant reporting details such as time lines for the exportation of their crops or product. Instances of natural disasters such as floods or fires, farm adjustments, and tree loss due to pests or disease.

All these details are vital for reporting and certification, as new regulations allow zero deforestation associated with reported farms.

Preparing for Compliance: Next Steps for Farmers and Producers

As leaders in the space, Dimitra recognizes that farmers should not need to go out of business. That’s why they’ve dedicated their mission to helping farmers have a way to substantiate their operation. And if there’s any way to improve farming practices or protect the land from deforestation. Now is the time to start making changes. Fortunately, Dimitra offers plenty of viable digital solutions that help.

Dimitra and Ahprocafe add value to local coffee with Connected Coffee Module

January 30th, 2023

BELIZE CITY, BELIZE — Dimitra Incorporated, a global Agtech company on a mission to make its technology available to farmers globally, is working with Ahprocafe, a coffee association in Honduras that has more than 1o0,000 associated farmers and dozens of local cooperatives. They bring state-of-the-art technology to coffee farmers, specifically traceability, adding value to  the local coffee locally.

Honduras coffee

Globally, people consume 166.6 million 60kg bags of coffee a year, and Honduras is the fifth-largest coffee producer in the world, contributing to that. In fact, they are also the main coffee producer in Central America. This can be attested to as the country provides unique conditions for cultivating superior qualities of coffee. 

Some of these unique conditions are due to the altitude of crops, the artisan processes to which the beans are subject, and the preservation of the genetic purity of many of its beans. So, it makes sense that Honduras, which once only grew coffee as a family crop, is destined to make an impact in the international market.

Currently, coffee holds the greatest weight in the country’s exports and, consequently, the one that generates the most foreign exchange.

Although Honduras has good productivity per hectare, there is still room to evolve. Particularly in pest management and reducing climate change effects, ensuring constant productivity, and increasing financial security for the farmers. 

Traceability for coffee

The bottom line is that more attention than ever is on the supply chain. When farmers can provide traceability for their products, they reach consumers’ new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. 

Dimitra and Ahprocafe provide traceability for the coffee grown in Honduras. By implementing Dimitra’s Connected Coffee Module in as many cooperatives as possible.

This module provides real-time track and trace on coffee beans throughout different levels of the supply chain. Ensuring farmers’ operations are transparent and credible – attracting more customers looking for safe, premium quality coffee.

Data collection 

In addition to providing traceability and therefore increasing the value of coffee under Ahprocafe’s umbrella. Data is continuously collected to help the farmers predict, prevent and reduce losses due to pests, diseases, and climate change. 

Combining satellite technology and advanced agronomic data with AI, coffee farmers will receive customized recommendations to improve their farming techniques, forecast harvests, manage ripening timelines, and more. Most importantly, the data goes into creating reports for the farmers, helping them make informed decisions.

Calvin Funez, Dimitra’s Partner in Honduras, says, “We are excited to announce our alliance with AHPROCAFE, the first and largest coffee union organization in Honduras, as we have come together to provide state-of-the-art technology to small farmers in the country, helping them increase their yield, reduce costs, and provide traceability to their farms.”
Manfredo Villanueva, Ahprocafe’s General Manager, stated, “Ahprocafe seeks to strengthen the business capacity of affiliated coffee cooperatives, generate initiatives that allow us training support and potential market spaces, as well as develop marketing capacity through technical and technological strengthening. Within this framework, we faithfully believe that the alliance with Dimitra will allow us to achieve our objectives”.