The ClusterFarm℠ objectives are to increase availability of fresh, locally grown produce and to reduce speculative planting, leading to better nutrition for consumers and better economic outcomes for growers.

A cluster consists of

1. a few local farms growing complementary crops, e.g., a group of a dozen microgreens producers might grow generic salad mix, pea shoots, radish varieties and broccoli.
   
2. members of a buyer community (households or distributors), who can place orders for delivery through an online purchasing system.
   

Every producer can see every new order and "claim" it, thus making a loose contract in which the grower promises to grow and the buyer promises to buy. Standard pricing and quality assurance measures let both parties anticipate both the true price and an expectation of value. The buyer makes a down payment on the crop, roughly equal to the cost of time and materials. The grower accepts the order and puts the seeds into propagation and confirms the date of delivery, based on the standard growth cycle of the species. The payment is held by ClusterFarm pending harvest.

At each stage of growth, the grower updates the status of the crop, keeping the buy informed.

Upon harvest, the buyer is charged the balance of the price and the grower delivers the product, either directly or via the cluster.

Prior purchases are remembered for easy repetition. To enhance security, buyers' financial information is not retained; a third party payment processor handles all monetary transactions.

There are, of course, other details. Stay tuned for a demonstration version in spring 2024.

Thanks for your interest!