Lessons from 18 months of the Harness Protocol

Eighteen months ago, Arcadia Research launched the Harness Protocol in Nigeria, focusing on the cassava supply chain. This AI-optimized food distribution network aimed to revolutionize the industrial production and distribution of cassava flour, starch, and other industrial derivatives. As the Project Manager, I've had the privilege of overseeing this groundbreaking initiative. In this article, I'll share our key insights, challenges, and successes from this transformative journey.

The Cassava Challenge

We chose to focus on cassava for several reasons. As a staple food and industrial crop in Nigeria, it presented both opportunities and challenges. Cassava's perishability and the complexity of its supply chain made it an ideal candidate for our AI and blockchain-powered solution.

Early Successes

In the first few months, we saw promising results. The Harness Protocol's predictive AI significantly reduced post-harvest losses by optimizing transportation routes and storage conditions. Our blockchain component increased transparency, allowing industrial partners to trace the origin of their cassava supplies and ensuring fair prices for farming cooperatives.

Challenges and Adaptations

However, we soon encountered unforeseen challenges. The variability of cassava quality due to different farming practices initially confounded our AI models. We had to rapidly iterate and expand our data collection to account for these variations.

Another hurdle was the initial reluctance of some stakeholders to adopt new technology. We learned the importance of extensive on-the-ground training and support, adapting our user interfaces to be more intuitive for farmers and local distributors.

Unexpected Benefits

One surprising outcome was the protocol's impact on credit access for farmers. The detailed production and transaction data generated by the system became valuable for financial institutions, enabling them to offer more favorable loans to cassava farmers.

Scaling and Expansion

As we fine-tuned the system, we began to scale. By month 12, we had expanded from our initial few partners to cover about 30% of Nigeria's industrial cassava market. This scaling revealed new challenges in data management and system responsiveness, pushing us to optimize our infrastructure.

Environmental Impact

An unexpected but welcome result was the significant reduction in carbon emissions associated with cassava transportation. By optimizing routes and reducing waste, we estimated a 15% decrease in transport-related emissions within our network.

Social and Economic Effects

Perhaps the most gratifying aspect has been the social impact. We've seen a notable increase in income stability for participating farmers. The improved efficiency has also led to more consistent supply for industrial partners, allowing them to plan and grow their operations more effectively.

Lessons for the Future

As we look to the future, several key lessons stand out:

• Flexibility is crucial: The ability to rapidly adapt our AI models and interfaces based on real-world feedback was essential.
• Local partnerships are invaluable: Our success hinged on strong relationships with local cooperatives and industrial partners.
• Technology adoption takes time: Patience and persistent support are necessary when introducing new technologies, especially in traditional sectors.
• Data quality is paramount: The accuracy of our AI predictions improved dramatically as we refined our data collection processes.
• Unexpected benefits can be significant: While we focused on supply chain optimization, the ancillary benefits in areas like credit access and emissions reduction were substantial.

Conclusion

The past 18 months of the Harness Protocol have been a journey of continuous learning and adaptation. While we've made significant strides in optimizing the cassava supply chain in Nigeria, we recognize that this is just the beginning. The lessons we've learned will be invaluable as we look to expand the protocol to other crops and regions.

As we move forward, we remain committed to our goal of using technology to foster inclusive prosperity. The Harness Protocol has shown that with the right approach, AI and blockchain can be powerful tools for positive change in agriculture and beyond.

The future looks bright, and we're excited to continue this journey, applying our learnings to create even greater impact in the years to come.