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Inspiration
Many family-owned farms in the United States face the challenge of being sold or abandoned when the next generation doesn’t want to take over. The future of these farms is at risk, but there are people who want to continue these farming legacies. FarmForward was born to address this gap, offering a solution for farm owners and prospective farmers to connect and ensure the land stays productive.
What it does
FarmForward is a web application designed to help farm owners connect with individuals or families looking to inherit or manage a farm. The platform serves as a bridge between two groups:
- Farm Owners: Those who want to pass their farm on to someone who will maintain its legacy.
- Prospective Farmers: Individuals who want to inherit or manage a farm but lack the necessary connections or knowledge of available opportunities.
FarmForward makes it easy for farm owners to list their farms and for prospective farmers to search for opportunities, ensuring a seamless process for land transfer or management agreements.
How we built it
FarmForward was built using a combination of modern web technologies, including React for the frontend, Chakra UI for design, MongoDB for the database, and Express and NodeJS for the backend. We designed the platform to be user-friendly, ensuring both farm owners and prospective farmers could easily navigate and use the site. Our team worked collaboratively, focusing on creating a seamless user experience while building backend infrastructure for handling farm listings.
Challenges we ran into
One of the main challenges was ensuring the website was accessible to both farm owners who may not be tech-savvy and prospective farmers who may have difficulty finding opportunities. We also had to integrate a smooth communication system between the two groups to facilitate conversations around land transfer and management agreements.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We successfully built a user-friendly platform that meets the needs of both farm owners and prospective farmers. We’re particularly proud of the ability to match the right individuals to the right farms and the seamless communication tools that we’ve integrated to support the transfer process.
What we learned
We learned how to tackle real-world problems with technology, particularly around the challenges of generational farm transition and issues related to succession of farms. We also gained a deeper understanding of how to create simple yet effective user interfaces and integrate backend systems to handle data.
What's next for FarmForward
Moving forward, we aim to expand the platform’s reach, connecting more farm owners with prospective farmers across the U.S. We plan to add more features such as farm management tools, financial resources, and educational content to help prospective farmers succeed in continuing the farm's legacy.
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