Boston, August 8, 2022 - Algorand Foundation is delighted to partner with Boston University and Hello Tractor to develop an application where local farmers can share access to tractors. Under the leadership of Professor John Greenacre from Boston University the team is working on developing a blockchain-based solution to connect tractor owners with farmers and operators.
“The world faces a serious food shortage: we must increase food production by nearly 60% to feed the world’s population by 2050. We cannot do so on current technology, as most of the world's farmers rely on hand tools to plow their land. ,” explains Greenacre. “With support from the Algorand Foundation, Hello Tractor's blockchain technology can radically improve the lives of African farmers and, by extension, help feed our world. The team at Boston University is grateful to the support of Algorand Foundation and excited to begin working on this project.”
This project is the first to combine blockchain technology and contract theory to help firms ‘leapfrog’ institutional and infrastructure problems in Africa and other developing countries and drive the formation of pro-poor, inclusive digital ecosystems.
Matt Keller, Head of Impact at Algorand Foundation, underlines “The collaboration between the Algorand Foundation, Boston University, and Hello Tractor brings together the best in blockchain technology, the best in academic research, and the best in on-the-ground solutions to the many barriers facing small stakeholder farmers in Nigeria, Kenya, and beyond. I look forward to witnessing the results, and I’m excited to be part of a team where each partner really does bring something unique to the table.”
Will J. Tomlinson, Director of the Boston University Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL) and project partner, noted: “We, at SAIL, are excited about the opportunity to have a meaningful and tangible impact on agricultural practices in regions of Africa. Through software development, we get a chance to change lives, while also expanding our internal know-how within our Privacy & Security domain of expertise.”
Algorand Foundation is supporting this cutting-edge social impact project for the next two years. To find out more about this initiative, please visit gdpcenter.org/HelloTractorProject
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