Dimitra CeDeFi Loans: In the Farmers Shoes

The Problem

Smallholder farmers face a crisis of scarcity, their resources are ever-diminishing and their needs are ever-growing. Small, multi-generational farms are responsible for feeding local communities around the globe. As the climate crisis escalates this situation, an existing environment of tension reaches a new level of severity. Impoverished farmers are faced with impossible circumstances and have no recourse or funds to dig themselves out. This is a problem that demands a solution.

Agricultural development is one of the most powerful mechanisms to ending extreme poverty. Compared to other sectors, it is two to four times more effective in raising the incomes and the living standards amongst the poor. Smallholder farmers that have access to better financial support have opportunities to increase their profits and increase overall productivity on their farms. Dimitra can help provide this support.

As an example, let’s take Joshua Reyes, a smallholder farmer in the Philippines. Joshua and his family will plant, tend to, and harvest a full crop load of rice from their two hectares of land every viable season. Unfortunately, the effects of the latest typhoon Rai caused Joshua’s family farm to be impacted by severe flooding, and they lost all their crops and the few livestock they had. The country’s agriculture ministry estimates farming and fishing took a $230 million hit, severely impacting the communities affected. This is not an uncommon situation. As climate disasters become increasingly common, more farmers are at risk of being affected in the coming decades. In many cases, humanitarian aid is available to cover the immediate survival needs of the community, but it is not always sustainable for long-term recovery. Dimitra’s CeDeFi agricultural loan system can provide Joshua and farmers like him with more opportunities and allow him to have a second chance to feed his family this coming season.

Walking through the Loan Process

So what happens now? Farmers like Joshua that have access to Dimitra’s Connected Farmer Platform will have the ability to submit an online application for a loan to help get their farm back on track through the finance module. All farmers who apply for the loan must be members of a cooperative, government, or a non-government organization in a country that Dimitra currently operates in. Once the loan is approved, funds will be automatically transferred to Joshua as USDT or another stable coin. By partnering with local banks, lending institutions, and in-country partners, set up jointly by Dimitra and the cooperatives, farmers will have increased access to cash to make their businesses prosper.

Joshua will have the chance to use the loan to assist in buying crops, seeds, fertilizers, services, chemicals, or general tools to help with his farming needs next season. For the loan approval and monitoring, farmers will have to use the app and enter specific data about their farm location, soil preparation, planting, and plant care throughout the season. With the farm location, Dimitra can monitor crop performance via satellite imagery and look at the past 15 years of crop performance on the same land. Dimitra’s teams will analyze the data submitted to help Joshua get the most out of his crop yields, mitigate potential risks, and regularly provide him with actionable insights. Finally, the farmer will repay the loan after the crops are harvested.

The Lasting Global Impact

The Dimitra CeDefi loan program is underpinned by the Dimitra Token ($DMTR), which drives the ecosystem within the Dimitra platform. The Dimitra token is like the “gas” within the engine of the Dimitra ecosystem, and Dimitra token investors act as the “gas” providers, helping to make a difference in the Dimitra ecosystem and in the lives of many. $DMTR token staking is also another way to provide financial yield opportunities to participants in the rapidly growing world of decentralized public crypto-economics.

The Dimitra CeDefi loan program is an example of multiple technologies being used to open new doors for smallholder farmers in ways that were not possible before. The CeDefi program helps leverage banking and integrates sectors that previously had no connection. Farmers may not have the means to transfer crypto to money. Still, the Dimitra application and its partnerships with lenders and banks will allow for this opportunity of integrating agriculture and cryptocurrency.

Making a lasting impact on the lives of farmers and creating a more sustainable future for farmers like Joshua Reyes is Dimitra’s goal. Dimitra aims to reach 100 million smallholder farmers with the Connected Farmer application in 4 years. The Dimitra Platform enables farmers to use advanced technology and provide real actionable data. It also helps break the cycle of poverty, enrich farmers’ lives, and increase crop yields and healthier livestock.

Join our mission of creating a more sustainable future in agriculture.

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