Float
Funding lab for open agroecological technologies
An open ag tech ecosystem priorization and resource allocation process
An open ag tech ecosystem priorization and resource allocation process
Funding lab for open agroecological technologies
Float
The industrial agriculture system is caught in a vicious cycle, driven by technology and innovation that prioritize efficiency and productivity gains at the cost of broader environmental, social, and economic health.
But what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Underpinning current agricultural technologies is an investment model that mirrors the extractive tendencies of industrial farming.
Without changing the upstream incentives that drive conventional innovation we can assume that emerging technologies will continue to lock-in the current system.
Breaking the cycle
Funding lab for open agroecological technologies
Float
An open ag tech ecosystem priorization and resource allocation process
Exploring an alternative ecosystem
To foster technologies and innovations that are both effective and responsive to land stewards, regenerative farmers, and agroecology movements, there is a need for new models of resourcing and collaboration that support the open ag tech ecosystem.
To foster technologies and innovations that are both effective and responsive to land stewards, regenerative farmers, and agroecology movements, there is a need for new models of resourcing and collaboration that support the open ag tech ecosystem.
What would this look like? Over the past year, with support from The 11th Hour Project, a diverse cohort of practitioners began to explore the contours of an emerging, alternative innovation ecosystem.
Bringing together technologists, farmers, civil society, and funders from across food systems, decentralized web innovation and ag tech movements, the focus of these convenings was to better understand the collective needs of the community and articulate alternative approaches to resourcing agricultural innovation.
Breaking the cycle
The industrial agriculture system is caught in a vicious cycle, driven by technology and innovation that prioritize efficiency and productivity gains at the cost of broader environmental, social, and economic health.
But what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Underpinning current agricultural technologies is an investment model that mirrors the extractive tendencies of industrial farming.
Without changing the upstream incentives that drive conventional innovation we can assume that emerging technologies will continue to lock-in the current system.
To foster technologies and innovations that are both effective and responsive to land stewards, regenerative farmers, and agroecology movements, there is a need for new models of resourcing and collaboration that support the open ag tech ecosystem.
What would this look like? Over the past year, with support from The 11th Hour Project, a diverse cohort of practitioners began to explore the contours of an emerging, alternative innovation ecosystem.
Bringing together technologists, farmers, civil society, and funders, the focus of these convenings was to better understand the collective needs of the community and articulate alternative approaches to resourcing agricultural innovation.
Exploring an alternative ecosystem
Breaking the cycle
The industrial agriculture system is caught in a vicious cycle, driven by technology and innovation that prioritize efficiency and productivity gains at the cost of broader environmental, social, and economic health.
But what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Underpinning current agricultural technologies is an investment model that mirrors the extractive tendencies of industrial farming.
Without changing the upstream incentives that drive conventional innovation we can assume that emerging technologies will continue to lock-in the current system.
Exploring an alternative ecosystem
To foster technologies and innovations that are both effective and responsive to land stewards, regenerative farmers, and agroecology movements, there is a need for new models of resourcing and collaboration that support the open ag tech ecosystem.
What would this look like? Over the past year, with support from The 11th Hour Project, a diverse cohort of practitioners began to explore the contours of an emerging, alternative innovation ecosystem.
Bringing together technologists, farmers, civil society, and funders from across food systems, decentralized web innovation and ag tech movements, the focus of these convenings was to better understand the collective needs of the community and articulate alternative approaches to resourcing agricultural innovation.
The funding lab for open agroecological technologies - Float - is one of the initiatives that emerged from these convenings.
The funding lab for open agroecological technologies [Float] emerged from these convenings
Explore the convenings
The funding lab for open agroecological technologies - Float - is one of the initiatives that emerged from these convenings.
The funding lab for open agroecological technologies [Float] emerged from these convenings
Explore the convenings
The funding lab for open agroecological technologies - Float - is one of the initiatives that emerged from these convenings.
The funding lab for open agroecological technologies [Float] emerged from these convenings
Explore the convenings
What would happen if the community collectively defined the problem, collaborated with peers to develop informed solutions, and then decided on how best to resource them?
Float is an experiment in community-led prioritisation and resource allocation that aims to bridge the needs and expertise of agroecological farmers with developers, civil society actors, designers, and technologists.
Float is launching a Round 0 - an experimental community-led, collaborative innovation fund to explore new models of resourcing agroecological technologies.
What is Float?
We’ve drawn inspiration from place based communities doing co-budgeting and gifting circles, pathbreaking funders exploring participatory grant making, and open-source networks that push the boundaries of decentralized collective resources processes through emerging technological infrastructure.
Participatory funding is not new and over the last year we’ve been exploring the deep roots of community-led resource management, long established participatory funds, and emerging patterns of democratic funding for networked ecosystems.
Deep roots
What is Float?
What would happen if the community collectively defined the problem, collaborated with peers to develop informed solutions, and then decided on how best to resource them?
Float is an experiment in community-led prioritisation and resource allocation that aims to bridge the needs and expertise of agroecological farmers with developers, civil society actors, designers, and technologists.
Float is launching a Round 0 - an experimental community-led, collaborative innovation fund to explore new models of resourcing agroecological technologies.
Participatory funding is not new and over the last year we’ve been exploring the deep roots of community-led resource management, long established participatory funds, and emerging patterns of democratic funding for networked ecosystems.
We’ve drawn inspiration from place based communities doing co-budgeting and gifting circles, pathbreaking funders exploring participatory grant making, and open-source networks that push the boundaries of decentralized collective resources processes through emerging technological infrastructure.
Think of it like collabathon meets participatory funding.
Float is launching Round 0 to experiment with new, democratic models of resourcing agroecological technologies.
What is Float?
What would happen if the community collectively defined the problem, collaborated with peers to develop informed solutions, and then decided on how best to resource them?
Float is an experiment in community-led prioritisation and resource allocation that aims to bridge the needs and expertise of agroecological farmers with developers, civil society actors, designers, and technologists.
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Participatory funding is not new and over the last year we’ve been exploring the deep roots of community-led resource management, long established participatory funds, and emerging patterns of democratic funding for networked ecosystems.
Participatory funding is not new and over the last year we’ve been exploring the deep roots of community-led resource management, long established participatory funds, and emerging patterns of democratic funding for networked ecosystems.
We’ve drawn inspiration from place based communities doing co-budgeting and gifting circles, pathbreaking funders exploring participatory grant making, and open-source networks that push the boundaries of decentralized collective resources processes through emerging technological infrastructure.
Values - practicing commoning in action
Collaboration
Openness
Anchored in agroecology
Play
Goals - generate collective commons across interdependent scales
Catalyze impactful, real-world projects and initiatives
Support the ecosystem, deepen relations, and bridge movements
Develop protocols and patterns that can be remixed and reproduced
Values - practicing commoning in action
Collaboration
Openness
Anchored in agroecology
Play
Goals - generate collective commons across interdependent scales
Catalyze impactful, real-world projects and initiatives
Support the ecosystem, deepen relations, and bridge movements
Develop protocols and patterns that can be remixed and reproduced
Float's values and goals
Values - practicing commoning in action
Collaboration
Openness
Anchored in agroecology
Play
Goals - generate collective commons across interdependent scales
Catalyze impactful, real-world projects and initiatives
Support the ecosystem, deepen relations, and bridge movements
Develop protocols and patterns that can be remixed and reproduced
Float's values and goals
An adaptive process
We are designing Float as an evolving, hourglass-shaped protocol that begins with broad community ideation, funnels to a decision point, and then expands for project implementation and ongoing support, continuously evolving based on feedback.
This adaptive approach is facilitated by an aligned tech stack, such as Polis for community needs assessment, Hylo for communication and ideation, and Open Collective for financial transparency.
Stay tuned for updates on how to participate
An adaptive process
We are designing Float as an evolving, hourglass-shaped protocol that begins with broad community ideation, funnels to a decision point, and then expands for project implementation and ongoing support, continuously evolving based on feedback.
This adaptive approach is facilitated by an aligned tech stack, such as Polis for community needs assessment, Hylo for communication and ideation, and Open Collective for financial transparency.
Stay tuned for updates on how to participate