eHarvestHub — Disrupting the Agricultural Industry
A Welcome from the CEO
Hello. My name is Alvaro Ramirez, the founder and CEO. It gives me great pleasure to launch this blog and to be able to present to you our project, eHarvestHub, a blockchain-powered network whose mission is to give power and money back to our independent farmers and truckers that work tirelessly to support food supply chains across the world.
The Problem
Did you know that between 60 and 70 percent of the world’s food is produced by small farmers, and 90 percent of this is moved by independent truckers. With upwards of 9 billion transactions yearly, the agricultural sector is predicted to hit a value of 2 trillion dollars by 2019, and yet, the parties that make up its backbone see only a fraction of the profits.
The problem, as with so many industries, is in the interim process. Produce is not simply plucked out of the ground and delivered straight to the consumer’s plate, but instead pushed through layer after layer of middlemen while it’s being shipped. Each of these takes a percentage, resulting in consumers vastly overpaying for their food (with the profit being whittled away before it reaches the source). Both the farmer and the end user are disadvantaged by the need to rely on a network of trusted middlemen to move produce from point A to point B.
Planting the Seed for a Solution
I’ve been involved in the agricultural sector since childhood. Growing up in the midst of the Nicaraguan war, I worked for my friend’s father harvesting potatoes. At 13, I did some work for my brother, loading trucks with coffee and fresh produce for delivery. At the age of 15, I was sent to the US by my parents to avoid being drafted into the communist regimes’ army.
I like to think these early experiences shaped me and gave me some of the tools and vision to want to make an impact. I went on to co-found HRA, a risk mitigation startup to connect investors and homeowners (avoiding foreclosures and effectively removing banking middlemen where mortgages are concerned). Now, I’ve been inspired to harness technology in a similar manner to redefine how fresh produce travels from small farms to retail outlets.
Disrupting the Agricultural Industry
eHarvestHub aims to disrupt the supply chain by connecting parties directly. With a mission of bringing affordability and accessibility to all, it leverages the power of blockchain technology to decentralize the industry and transition it into a transparent and interconnected sector.
The deployment of distributed ledger technology in supply chains has long been considered one of its killer apps, and it’s evident why: not only does the product avoid the convoluted chain of intermediaries to connect participants in a peer-to-peer manner, but it can be meticulously tracked through date and location timestamping (the network’s immutability prevents any tampering or modification). When it comes to complying with food safety standards and other compliance requirements, tracing the provenance of the produce is made much simpler via such a system.
Helping our Farmers
Having worked with a number of farmers myself, it’s become apparent how they’re plagued with a plethora of issues that, as large food corporations have developed, have only gotten worse. There’s the inability for a sole farm to deliver large enough volume (often pushing grocers to opt for distributors as their produce source), the lack of funding for successful marketing, and little contact with truckers to fulfill their transportation needs.
eHarvestHub’s app (already available as a proof-of-concept) enables truckers to interact in real time with farmers, and for farmers to interact directly with retailers that wish to stock their produce, negotiating prices and viewing the various delivery costs. With brokerage fees eradicated, profits are guaranteed to be fairly paid to all suppliers in the chain. On the consumer end, there is a notable reduction in price as there are no third-parties to take into account.
The project proposes a native token, the EHH, to power the ecosystem. Unlike conventional bank transfers which skim fees off the top and are subject to lengthy waiting periods, a crypto token offers a near-instant alternative for peer-to-peer transactions.
Join the Movement
Blockchain technology is a revolutionary instrument that, if used correctly, can cause real disruption to the corporate domination of the space. eHarvestHub’s solution will drain the unnecessary costs from the industry to ensure that consumers are getting the best possible produce, while fostering a healthy and fair environment for those providing it.
Let’s do this together! Join our Telegram to become part of the movement and watch this space for more exciting news to come.
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