The proposed solution is a first step in developing a supply-chain that incentivizes independent landowners and community organizations to cultivate industrial hemp on land contaminated by toxic waste and heavy metals pollution. The hemp plant can survive and thrive while absorbing extremely high levels of toxins and pollutants. Although the plants grown for this purpose are technically toxic, they can still be harvested safely and converted into sustainable biomass electricity (or used for other industrial purposes). While it's cleaning the soil, hemp also cleans the air! According to James Vosper, CEO of GoodEarth Resources:

"One hectare (2.47 acres) of industrial hemp can absorb 22 tonnes of CO2 per hectare. It is possible to grow to 2 crops per year so absorption is doubled. Hemp's rapid growth (grows to 4 metres in 100 days) makes it one of the fastest CO2-to-biomass conversion tools available, more efficient than agro-forestry. Biomass is produced by the photosynthetic conversion of atmospheric carbon. The carbon uptake of hemp can be accurately validated annually by calculations derived from dry weight yield. This yield is checked at the weighbridge for commercial reasons prior to processing. Highly accurate figures for total biomass yield and carbon uptake can then be made, giving a level of certainty not available through any other natural carbon absorption process."

Hemp has the potential to revitalize soil, clean the air, and generate sustainable economic benefits for cultivators. Due to the relatively recent decriminalization of the hemp plant in the United States, there's a dearth of quality field data demonstrating the effectiveness of its phytoremedial power. Cultivators would be encouraged to collect soil data demonstrating hemp's utility for soil remediation.

The proposed solution addresses the Miscellaneous challenge in that it doesn't fit neatly into the other categories, yet it seeks to use Cardano technology to innovate. The world's soil contamination problem can be addressed in a unique and effective way via blockchain solutions made accessible to everyone by the Cardano toolset.

Building a decentralized network of hemp cultivators, hemp processors, and biomass energy producers would necessitate future Project Catalyst proposals in challenge categories similar to the following Fund8 Challenges: Open-Source Development, DApps and Integrations, Business Solutions (B2B & B2C), New Member Onboarding, Improve and Grow Auditability.

The requested funds will be used as rewards to kickstart an open and transparent community project driven by the missions/goals of ecological restoration, soil data curation, sustainable agriculture, and economic empowerment at a local level.

The main challenges or risks to this strategy is the vast scope of the concept and the different regulations in various localities. These can be mitigated by focusing efforts on specific counties within the US that meet two criteria:

A) High levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, iron, nickel, lead, mercury, and manganese in the soil and/or groundwater

B) Existing infrastructure for safe and efficient processing of hemp within a reasonable distance from cultivation site

The near-term goal of this proposal is to generate the framework for a sustainable and scalable carbon neutral hemp supply-chain by offering rewards for the best solutions to the following 5 challenges:

A) deciding regions of focus ($1,000)

B) incentivizing the gathering of soil and air quality data ($1,000)

C) rewarding responsible and transparent hemp processing ($1,000)

D) quantifying environmental impact of the supply-chain ($1,000)

E) creating value and utility from new ecological data ($1,000)

After these challenges have been satisfactorily addressed, the chosen solutions will be assembled into a project litepaper.

In a Discord specific to this project, each of the five aforementioned challenges will be open for submissions from the community. A vote will be held for members of the Discord server to decide which proposed solutions should be adopted and which early contributors should be rewarded. This approach will ensure the initial iteration of the supply-chain takes an approach that is broadly supported by the Cardano Community. The vote will be broken down into the five categories, with the most popular solution for each rewarding its proposer with a $1,000 reward for their time and energy.

The idea is to use this initial funding to draw in interested developers and build a sturdy framework for continued, effective Project Catalyst development.

Van Michael - Cardano420 [WEED] Stakepool

My goal is to contribute to the Cardano ecosystem by helping channel the limitless energy and ideas of the Cardano Community into feasible projects that combine blockchain and cannabis! This proposal seeks to fund the early stages of building a roster of developers and thinkers who can guide this concept far into the future!

The progress and development of the project will be measured in several ways:

Solution proposals: We want as many different ideas as possible for solutions to the five specific challenges

Voter turnout: Success in the early stages of the project means having a high rate of participation in the decision-making process for distribution of funds

Litepaper: After voting is complete, the chosen solutions will be presented to the Community in litepaper form for further discussion and input.

The success criteria in this funding period are the transparent and democratic development of a litepaper that offers solutions to the challenges faced by a nascent, blockchain-based carbon neutral hemp supply-chain project in the United States. Involving the Community to the highest degree possible will greatly contribute to the odds of long-term success for the project.

This is the first Project Catalyst Proposal I have submitted.