Farmers in rural Africa often face unfair pricing due to middlemen who control the supply chain.
- Farmers sell crops at extremely low prices.
- Buyers in cities pay much higher amounts.
- Farmers remain poor, while food insecurity increases.
CropTrust is a Web3-powered agricultural marketplace that connects farmers directly to buyers (restaurants, traders, households).
Using blockchain, smart contracts, and stablecoins, we ensure: ✅ Fair pricing for farmers ✅ Transparency for buyers ✅ Trustless escrow payments without middlemen
- 👨🌾 Farmer Listings – Farmers post crops (name, quantity, price, location, photos).
- 🛒 Marketplace – Buyers browse listings with transparent on-chain pricing.
- 💳 Stablecoin Payments – USDT/USDC/CELO ensure inflation-proof payments.
- 🔒 Escrow System – Smart contract locks funds until delivery is confirmed.
- ⭐ Reputation System – Ratings and reviews build trust between farmers and buyers.
- Farmer signs up with wallet (MetaMask, Celo, Trust Wallet).
- Farmer lists crops (e.g., 50kg Yams – 80 USDT).
- Listing stored on Blockchain + IPFS.
- Farmer stakes a small deposit to prevent fake listings.
- Waits for buyer.
- Buyer visits marketplace via web app.
- Browses available crops (with details, location, ratings).
- Selects desired produce → clicks Buy Now.
- Purchase Initiated – Buyer pays in stablecoin → Smart contract locks funds in escrow.
- Delivery – Farmer delivers crops OR buyer arranges pickup.
- Delivery Confirmation – Buyer confirms → Funds released to farmer’s wallet.
- Auto-Release (Failsafe) – If buyer forgets, escrow auto-releases after 48hrs.
- Disputes (Future Upgrade) – DAO/arbitrators resolve disputes fairly.
| Blocker | Risk | Fix / Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| 💰 Stablecoin Availability | Farmers prefer fiat | On/off ramps (Celo, Binance P2P, Paystack) |
| 📦 Delivery | Who ensures delivery? | Phase 1 = farmer/buyer arrange; Phase 2 = logistics partnerships (GIG, Kobo360) |
| ⏳ Escrow Deadlock | Buyer fails to confirm | Auto-release after 48hrs + DAO arbitration |
| 🥔 Crop Quality | Buyer may complain | Reputation system + photo proof stored on IPFS |
| 🔐 Wallet Complexity | Farmers may struggle | Simplified onboarding + farmer education |
| ⚖️ Fake Listings | Scammers post crops | Stake deposit + optional KYC for large trades |
| ⚡ Gas Fees | Ethereum too expensive | Deploy on Celo / Polygon / Base with meta-transactions |
- ✅ Trustless → No middlemen needed
- ✅ Protection → Farmers guaranteed payment, buyers guaranteed delivery
- ✅ Transparency → All transactions verifiable on-chain
- ✅ Automation → Smart contracts enforce fairness
| Feature | Gonana (Web2) | Farmcrowdy (Web2) | CropTrust (Web3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmer-to-buyer | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (investment model) | ✅ Yes |
| Escrow protection | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Stablecoin payments | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Transparency | ❌ Limited | ❌ Limited | ✅ On-chain |
| Middlemen | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ None |
| Dispute resolution | Centralized | Centralized | DAO / Arbitration |
| Scalability | ❌ Limited | ❌ Limited | ✅ Borderless (Africa-wide) |
🎯 Solves a real African problem – middlemen cutting farmer income. 🔗 Practical Web3 use case – escrow + stablecoin payments. 🌍 Supports financial inclusion – direct, borderless payments. 🗣 Simple pitch:
“CropTrust helps farmers earn more by selling directly to buyers using blockchain.”
- Frontend: React + TailwindCSS
- Backend: Node.js / Express
- Smart Contracts: Solidity (Deployed on Celo/Polygon/Base)
- Storage: IPFS (crop images + proof)
- Payments: USDT / USDC / CELO stablecoins
- Wallets: MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Celo Extension
# Clone repo
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/croptrust.git
cd croptrust
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Run frontend
npm run dev
# Deploy contracts (Hardhat/Foundry)
npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network celoMIT License © 2025 CropTrust
✨ If you’re hacking with this, remember: Farmers feed the world, let’s feed the farmers first. 🌍👨🌾