Hara, Cardano aim to solve real world problems with blockchain

By Digital News Asia July 16, 2018

Hara aims to provide agricultural players with access to reliable data and transactions
In Indonesia, Cardano's Emurgo focuses on setting up a network of education centres

Hara, Cardano aim to solve real world problems with blockchain

IN THE last decade, countries all over Southeast Asia have seen rapid economic growth. However, for most of the poorer inhabitants of the region, this economic growth has not been reflected by a substantial improvement in their quality of life.

Thankfully, all over the region, organisations are coming up with creative blockchain technology solutions to directly affect the lives of those left behind.

In Indonesia, Hara is the prime example of an organisation that tries to implement blockchain technology to have real social impact. Hara is a data exchange platform focused on the agriculture and food sector that aims to provide farmers and all other agricultural players with access to reliable data and transactions.

Hara and Cardano's Emurgo hosted the Blockchain for Real World Problems event in Jakarta. Speakers from both organisations explained how they plan to use blockchain technology to tackle real problems.

"I think Hara has so much potential," said Shunsuke Murasaki, head of business development at Emurgo, "Hara has done a lot. They have already done proof of concept. I think Hara is going to bring a sort of justice, equality to farmers."

Hara's CEO Regi Wahyu gave an extensive explanation of their mission to improve the lives of billions through the use of data. He carefully laid out their business model, plan of action, and what the company has already done to reach their goals.

Most notable were the results of Hara's pilot project in Indonesia, and the list of high-profile advisors. In their pilot project, Hara collected data from farmers through an incentive mechanism -- work which has been recognised and endorsed by the local government.

Murasaki commented that Cardano's philosophy is very similar to Hara's, but tackles a different angle. "Cardano is going to provide financial stocks to people suffering from financial exclusion, and Hara does the same for farmers."

His company, Emurgo, supports the development of local ventures and helps integrate them into Cardano's blockchain platform.

The company has already set up a presence in countries like Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore to help develop the local blockchain communities.

In Indonesia, Emurgo focuses on setting up a network of education centres in cooperation with local organisations and universities in the computer sciences field, fostering enterprise solutions with blockchain technology, as well as actively seeking to partner up with local ventures that are already on the right track.

Hara, on the other hand, is creating a large network of smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector that will participate in the Hara data-exchange ecosystem.

"I think, globally that Indonesia is a key market. I think in Indonesia specifically there's a sort of tenacity and endeavouring spirit to do a lot of startups. Blockchain companies are really realising that and starting to hone in on these markets, and they're seeing projects like Hara really leading the charge and sort of carrying the flag for Indonesia," commented Steven Suhadi, chairman of the Indonesian Blockchain Association.

"The biggest opportunity that I see in the Southeast Asia region is inefficiency," says Murasaki, arguing that the implementation of blockchain technology will do away with these inefficiencies and the possibility of fraud.

In Southeast Asia, the advent of blockchain technology has unearthed possible solutions to complicated problems the world has struggled with for decades.

Both Hara and Cardano are examples of blockchain organisations who are jumping on the opportunity to improve the lives of millions, with a mission to have the biggest social impact as possible.