CROPLINK: INTELLIGENT, SECURE AND TRANSPARENT AGRICULTURE MARKETPLACE

Abstract

Agricultural production is a key sector of this economy; it provides food sources, jobs & income to millions of people. Farmers have numerous marketing difficulties despite their critical role within the agricultural industry. One issue common within the agricultural industry is the issue of unfair prices – farmers largely rely on middlemen and often receive less than the agreed price for their product(s). Due to the lack o visibility between farmers & buyers, there are issues for farmers due to unreliable suppliers. Farmers also face problems as they try to determine who will provide them with a reliable supply of produce. Buyers are also unable to identify viable suppliers for their crops and can not identify the quality of the products because of poor transparency regarding crop quality provided by the farmer. In addition to all of the problems listed above, communication between farmers and buyers in traditional markets is often delayed; resulting in errors and inefficiencies when conducting transactions using manual processes. CropLink addresses each one of these issues; providing a single, intelligent, secure, and transparent marketplace for the agricultural industry. The system links buyers and sellers of agricultural produce (the farmers) directly. It decreases the requirements of middle-men in trade of crop. Farmers register on the platform for free. Farmers add their crop to the platform with extensive searchable information. Farmers will enter the type, variety, quantity, and quality of the crop from their farms along with what they believe to be the expected price of the crop. Buyers are able to easily identify what crops can be purchased. Buyers can search and filter the crops in the marketplace. Buyers can compare prices of the same crops from multiple farmers. The system facilitates the fair discovery of a price for crops. The system promotes fair competition within the market of crops sold. The system provides users with verified user access. Only verified users will have the ability and availability to access all features of the marketplace. The system will provide an indelible record of each transaction conducted through the system.The digital records illustrate transparency and accountability of transactions.The system will retain a record of all transactions for reference in the future.The retention of these records can be used for reference in the event of disputes arising.The system permits buyers and sellers to communicate directly with each other.Through this method of communication, buyers and sellers will reach agreements to purchase and sell crops, and thereby limit the potential for miscommunication during negotiation.The system provides updates on the availability of crops on a continual basis.
This update ensures that buyers have the information required to effectively plan the purchase of crops prior to when they must purchase them.The Platform Provides An Inclusive Opportunity For All Users To Use Their Resources To Build Their Business.

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