Evenly Distributing a Future of Abundance — Flux “Proof of Impact”
Our planet will be required to support nearly 10 Billion people by mid-century. The commonly accepted paradigm is that there is simply not enough resources to feed so many people without clearing more forests; that Earth simply cannot feed so many sustainably, is no longer accurate. Thankfully, as with doomsday prophecies on energy and environmental degradation, technology is at hand to save the day. (I’ve always enjoyed being an optimist and as an entrepreneur, there’s really no other option for maintaining sanity!)
The majority of farmers around the world, especially in developing economies, operate well below the efficiency levels of data-driven large scale, mostly automated farms in the West. Historically, small-scale independent (sustenance) farmers, who produce and feed 70% of the world (per FAO), have not enjoyed easy access to these insights, technologies, or economics of scale.
The Flux Protocol project proposes to solve these issues though a combination of blockchain technology, affordable sensors, and an open data co-op, that will optimize and disseminate the data and resources for transitioning the world from what is food scarcity for many (~3 Billion underserved) to a future of abundance — for all.
The emergence of blockchain technology, low-cost sensors, and distributed AI in the form of the “Perception Engine” enables Flux to democratize access to the world’s best plant data and insights. The Flux Protocol and FLUX token will incentivize experts and farmers to participate in the Flux data co-op in return for actionable ‘recipes’ which will optimize their location-specific crops and to maximize yields, not to mention help alleviate losses due to poor planning.
The time it would traditionally take an emerging technology such as the Flux Protocol to reach global adoption at a scale of 1 Billion farmers is far too slow. Farmers from the mountainous tea growing regions of Sri Lanka, to family farms in arid Ethiopia deserve to have equal access to the benefits of the Flux Protocol as an urban farmer in Boulder. It’s time to accelerate that adoption curve.
This accelerated adoption will be made possible by our Proof of Impact program and its side-car fund, which endeavors to unlock and evenly distribute the future of abundance to all through solutions enabled by Flux.
Behind the scenes, Kylen McClintock has been designing and leading the development of our Proof of Impact program over the last several months. I’m proud to announce he will now be leading the charge on this front. He brings a unique background that blends humanitarian and mechanical engineering and dove head first into the Blockchain world with the unwavering belief that this new technology will be the most powerful force for social and environmental good in the history of humanity. He is also the Co-Director of Blockchain for Sustainable Development (a new non-profit); he started the Crypto Tuesday for Social Good meetup in Colorado (in partnership with our friends at Crypto Oracle and Flux advisor, Lou Kerner); and transitioned his previous startup AirBespoke into a social venture to put an end to poaching globally.
The Flux plan calls for an allocation 10% of FLUX tokens to this new initiative with the express goal of accelerating adoption of the Flux Protocol and solutions built on top of it directly into the hands of a billion smallholder farmers around the planet by 2028. Our Proof of Impact program gives the best data-driven practices and advanced farming tools to the families it will impact the most. This Proof of Impact Fund is borne out of Flux’s core belief that the intrinsic value of its token should derive from the real world impact it creates. We anticipate this program will resonate with a majority supporters of Flux and excite those who’ve long lobbied for initiatives and NGOs seeking to move the needle on global agricultural efficiency while improving the livelihoods of farmers.
“I have seen firsthand that agricultural science has enormous potential to increase the yields of small farmers and lift them out of hunger and poverty.” — Bill Gates.
To that end, Flux is seeking to develop partnerships with ambitious NGOs, governments, and social impact entities globally who are equally as committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goal: ‘Ending Hunger by 2030’. In addition to the impact created for the local farmers, Flux impact partners will receive valuable data that helps inform the successful design and implementation of their related projects.
Traditional market incentives will spur the growth of myriad applications to be built on top of the Flux Protocol — both hardware and services; spanning use cases as diverse as increasing market transparency for goat herders in Somalia, to an optimized seed and fertilizer delivery service and supply-side applications for Indian farmers. Proof of Impact exists to incentivize the growth of relevant applications benefiting regions where return on investment has traditionally been less predictable.
A list of high-impact project and applications will be posted soon and continually updated with spotlights on the innovators behind them and their missions.
The direct insights an individual farmer receives are only the tip of the iceberg. According to the World Economic Forum, adoption of optimal seed genetics for a hyper-local growing context can increase profits by an estimated 68%; optimal irrigation can increase yields by 90%; education on fertilizer use increases yields by an average of 61%; and access to market information further increases income by up to 30%. Together these transformative effects are sure to be nothing short of life changing for the vast majority of sustenance farmers globally.
Increasing income levels via improving harvests directly affects how much that family can spend on education, sanitation, and healthcare. Improving crop outcomes floats all boats. Creating a future of global food abundance will impact all areas of our lives: health, wealth, education, quality time with our friends and families, and interactions with our natural world.
Together we can do better than just ending objective hunger by 2030. Flux Proof of Impact is our commitment to unlocking a future of true abundance — for all of us, in all aspects of our lives, and on all corners of the globe!
I welcome you to join us in this journey at fluxtoken.io. Our vision is audacious, yet increasingly necessary and timely. Together we can achieve our shared vision of abundance; whether directly on the Flux team, or through any of the other fine projects and NGOs with impact hard-wired into their DNA. Please let me know your thoughts.
