Please describe your proposed solution.
<u>INTRODUCTION</u>
Since the 1986 Doi Moi economic reforms, Vietnam has undergone waves of rapid development in the interest of modernization. However, this explosive growth has left many rural and indigenous communities outside of the nation's socioeconomic development and newly emerging markets.
Decreasing production costs have led to a proliferation of imitation and knock-off products. As a result, local communities are in need of ways to market traditional goods and adequately verify their origins.
<u>PROJECT SOLUTION</u>
Overview: EcoFarm Traceability. Develop product-traceability infrastructure using Cardano metadata for agricultural and cultural-heritage products. Implement QR Codes containing quality-assurance, cultural, & historical information.
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Phase 1: Data Collection & Documentation. Working alongside local communities, I will conduct interviews about local products to collect information relating to their type, uses, indigenous terminology, history, and cultural significance. These will be conducted in the local Cham language, and then afterwards translated into Vietnamese and English. I will also document these products using photography and video for incorporation into the Lotus Link database in Phase 2.
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Phase 2: Database Building & Workshops. Using the data collected during phase 1, I will work with colleagues from the Cardano community to build native assets with rich metadata descriptions. In total, this Lotus Link database will consist of at least 100 unique assets for different local products. During this phase, we will hold in-person minting workshops to teach members of the local community how to create their own native assets on Cardano. We expect these to be bi-weekly with different groups from the community.
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Phase 3: Implementation & Documentation. During the final phase, we will work with the local community to produce product labeling containing QR codes. These will link to each product as a native asset on Cardano, with metadata descriptions that account for their origin, history, and cultural significance. The full database of assets will also be available as a dedicated website for everyone to explore. In this final phase, we will use images and videos from the previous phases to create promotional and educational videos about the project. These will be paired with a written handbook explaining the project, implementation, and a guide for others seeking to utilize Cardano for similar applications in the agricultural and heritage-tourism industries.
<u>LOCATION</u>
The location for this project is Sen Caraih Lotus Farm in Ninh Thuan Province Vietnam. Established in 2017, this farm has served as a local hub for agricultural products, eco-tourism experiences, and cultural-heritage immersion.
As this area of Vietnam is home to the indigenous Cham minority group, Sen Caraih is a place working to develop and maintain the cultural heritage of agriculture, indigenous medicine, hand-made pottery, and traditional textiles.
<u>PRODUCTS</u>
Traditional Medicine
Local Cham communities in Ninh Thuan Province maintain long histories traditional medicine. Many of these medical uses are unknown to western science, and their integration into a blockchain database will help both the preservation and dissemination of this indigenous knowledge.
Traditional Foods
Local food types include various plants like lotus flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other consumable products. Many of these are easily imitated in local markets, and Lotus Link solutions will contribute to the necessary quality assurance for these products.
Traditional Pottery
Cham pottery is a special type of pottery, distinguished as the oldest pottery in mainland Southeast Asia. Made by hand without the use of a kiln, the database documentation of these products will help to provide the first English-language catalogue of these wares, and ensure their authenticity in markets where imitation products persist.
Traditional Textiles
Traditional Cham weaving is done by hand with a loom, and produces products for people to wear during ceremonies and other special events. The various textile patterns and methods of weaving are not properly documented, and the Lotus Link database solution will provide needed quality assurance.
<u>ENCODING</u>
Metadata for the Lotus Link database will begin using the 721 standard for native assets on Cardano. Each entry for local products will contain, at minimum:
- NAME
- PHYSICAL PROPERTIES & PROVENIENCE
- HISTORY
- CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
- PRODUCTION PROCESS
A sample template for entires in the Lotus Link Database is as follows,
{
"721": {
"6812312c933ecdff44d0522095bdeaaa7b1c4ce6037079d1395350f7": {
"Product": {
"Product Name": [
"Sakaya",
"Translated into Vietnamese",
"Translated into English"
],
"Properties": [
"Here is the list of properties",
"that will be available in three languages",
"and describe the raw materials used."
],
"Product: History ": [
"Here is the background information",
"for the product's history.",
"Sources for this data will come from",
"local manuscripts and interviews,",
"as well as other scholarly sources"
],
"Product: Cultural Significance": [
"Here is the cultural information",
"for the product's local meaning.",
"Sources for this data will come from",
"local manuscripts and interviews,",
"as well as other scholarly sources"
],
"Product: Production": [
"Here is a description of the process",
"for the product's production.",
"Sources for this data will come from",
"local manuscripts and interviews,",
"as well as other scholarly sources"
],
"Lotus Link": {
"Full Online Database": "https://lotuslink.io/"
},
"creative Developers": "Lotus Link, by The Alexandria Project",
"files": [
{
"mediaType": "image/gif",
"name": "Image of the Product",
"src": "ipfs://QmUS3CjJH7gQ6schZByXybsRAUgxsSLT3TxPevefVgoh3Y"
},
{
"mediaType": "video/MP$",
"name": "Short Video Clip about the Product",
"src": "ipfs://Qmc9tJjJU7pbXpogW73HRUANPeHUNyb5a9JLZLE9nJ6D9A"
},
{
"mediaType": "audio/mpeg",
"name": "Audio Description of Product",
"src": "ipfs://Qmc9tJjJU7pbXpogW73HRUANPeHUNyb5a9JLZLE9nJ6D9A"
}
],
"image": "ipfs://QmdyEqRiT2NbTw9Jhhu2Cpwc6MXb12JRyjKHLJstpW6nFx",
"mediaType": "image/jpeg",
"name": "Sakaya - Traditional Sweet Cakes"
}
}
}
}
<u>DATABASE</u>
As each product is recorded on the blockchain, these entries will be available on popular Cardano blockchain exploring platforms like pool.pm and pxl.page. During Phase 2, this will be entered into a database built by the team, making an individual page for each entry, and a database explorer for people to view Lotus Link in human-readable and more intuitive ways.
<u>PRODUCT IMPLEMENTATION</u>
The final phase of the project will focus on printing labels for each of the products in the Lotus Link database, complete with QR codes that provide a direct link to that product's entry in the database.
<u>BROADER CONTRIBUTIONS</u>
This project helps to made a substantial contribution to local economies in developing nations using the Cardano blockchain. Members from the community will be able to author data entries for their local products, utilize a reliable infrastructure for this information, and increase their participation in a Web3 world powered by Cardano. Quality assured, authentically secure.
Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.
<u>RAISING AWARENESS</u>
Lotus Link will help to raise awareness of Cardano and blockchain among local communities throughout Vietnam. From workshop participants to consumers of these local goods, all will be invited to explore the processes of building and participating in our ecosystem.
<u>EAST-ASIAN PARTICIPATION</u>
Half of our team is based locally in Vietnam, and this will be their first time participating in a Cardano project. Likewise, workshop participants will also be first-time users of the ecosystem, and we are well suited to help facilitate this on-boarding process.
<u>IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THOSE IN EAST ASIA</u>
This project seeks to make a direct contribution to the economic livelihoods of communities in Vietnam. With improved quality assurance and product traceability, they will be able to improve the successes of local agricultural and cultural-heritage business.
<u>ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS </u>
This project places the environment front-and-center with respect to importance, and seek to promote the sustainable and equitable cultivation of local goods based on traditional methods of farming and material production.
<u>PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY</u>
Through the project's workshops, handbook, and promotional media, it is designed to be sustaining over time for local community members who want to implement Lotus Link for their own purposes using Cardano native assets.
What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?
<u>INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RISKS</u>
The main risks associated with this project are those associated with regular international travel. Personal injury, theft, or premature death are possibilities, and relevant precautions will be maintained, especially with respect to recording and computational equipment while abroad. Data will be backed up regularly and secured as soon as it is collected.
<u>OPERATIONAL RISKS</u>
Operational risks include delays in data collection due to scheduling conflicts with members of the local community. To mitigate this, I have arranged with the owners of this farm to set up meetings with numerous family members and others from the community. This will help to ensure a regular schedule of data collection during Phase 1.
<u>TECHNICAL RISKS</u>
Technical risks include unforeseen internet outages in rural areas, especially during the database building during Phase 2, and media production during phase 3. To mitigate this, I have already arranged a working space in neighboring Phan Rang City that can be used at any time. In addition, members of the team working in the United States will have access to the database of materials, and will be able to continue working on contributions to the project.