Where AgTech MeetsConservation Impact

What is this session about?

How GRO:FARM's LandConnect platform uses AI-powered compliance guidance and direct USDA/NRCS integration to simplify access to $3.5B+ in annual federal conservation funding. We examine the technical and business challenges of building a two-sided marketplace that connects landowners with vetted contractors across rural and urban landscapes — including county-level matching, milestone-based escrow payments, and navigating legacy government systems.

What will attendees walk away with?

A concrete playbook for designing regulated marketplaces in government-funded sectors, including proven patterns for AI compliance layers, hyperlocal service matching, and trust-building payment structures that work in fragmented markets.

Why is this idea important now?

The 2024 Farm Bill expansion, growing climate legislation, and a 15% year-over-year increase in conservation spending are creating unprecedented demand for technology that connects landowners with federal resources. The window for platforms that bridge AgTech and GovTech is open now — and closing fast as incumbents take notice.

What is this session about?

How FieldNotes bridges the persistent gap between academic research and on-the-ground conservation practice. We cover the architecture of a research-to-practice platform with ORCID integration, peer review workflows, and institutional white-labeling — while keeping content accessible to non-academic audiences. We also challenge conventional email engagement metrics and present data on why click-through rate, not open rate, should be the gold standard for research dissemination.

What will attendees walk away with?

Practical frameworks for building scalable institutional portals, reliable researcher identity verification, and modern engagement measurement — along with a clear understanding of which dissemination strategies actually move research into practice.

Why is this idea important now?

Billions are invested annually in conservation and agricultural research, yet findings routinely fail to reach the practitioners and land managers who need them. As funding agencies increasingly require evidence of real-world impact, platforms that can demonstrably close the knowledge transfer gap are becoming essential infrastructure for universities, extension services, and research institutions.

What is this session about?

How MyGro Carbon is building a transparent carbon credit marketplace using IoT sensor integration for real-time sequestration monitoring, third-party verification workflows, and Community-Based Organization (CBO) partnerships to ensure equitable access. We walk through the technical architecture of our St. Louis pilot program, geographic traceability for bundled credits, and ESG reporting dashboards that create value for corporate buyers.

What will attendees walk away with?

A technical blueprint for IoT-verified carbon credit generation, practical strategies for CBO enrollment that center equity, and an honest assessment of what works — and what does not — in building urban and rural carbon offset programs from the ground up.

Why is this idea important now?

The voluntary carbon market faces a deepening trust crisis at the very moment corporate ESG commitments and regulatory pressure are accelerating demand. Markets need verifiable, traceable, community-centered solutions, and the projects that establish credible verification standards today will define the industry for the next decade.

What is this session about?

The engineering decisions behind building three interconnected platforms — a conservation marketplace, research forum, and carbon exchange — on shared infrastructure using React, TypeScript, Supabase, and Edge Functions. We examine how the GRO:FARM ecosystem serves five distinct user types with role-based experiences, real-time collaboration, and cross-platform data sharing, all from a single codebase.

What will attendees walk away with?

Battle-tested patterns for multi-tenant, role-based architecture; practical guidance on when to share code across platforms versus when to diverge; and actionable gamification design strategies that drive meaningful engagement rather than vanity metrics.

Why is this idea important now?

Fragmented, underserved markets — agriculture, conservation, rural services — are increasingly looking to platform technology for solutions, but off-the-shelf SaaS patterns designed for urban consumer markets do not translate. Engineers building for these sectors need purpose-built architectural approaches, and the playbook is still being written.