The Open Fields Project

About

The Open Fields Project is creating tools to help farmers monitor and manage their land without needing the internet. We focus on simple, low-cost devices that work in remote or under-resourced areas, helping communities track water, soil, weather, and crops.

Vision & Purpose

We aim to empower small-scale farmers with reliable, affordable tools that let them collect and act on local environmental data — without relying on cloud services or expensive proprietary platforms.

Our vision is a world where farmers, regardless of location or resources, have access to practical, low-power technology that helps them make smarter decisions about their land. We are building a community-driven ecosystem that values cooperation, simplicity, and usefulness over competition and profit.

Core Principles

• 🌿 Non-Profit & Community-Focused: Everything we build is for public good. Open, transparent, and created with communities in mind.
• 📡 Offline-First: Tools work without internet. Local networks, LoRa, or direct device connections are all that’s needed.
• ⚙️ Simple & Reliable: We focus on software and devices that just work, even in challenging conditions.
• 🔋 Energy-Efficient: Devices are low-power, designed to last on batteries or solar energy.
• ⚙️ Modular & Repairable: Systems are built in clear layers, easy to adapt, fix, or improve locally.
• 🔐 Private & Secure: Communities own their data. Communication is encrypted, and internet connections are optional.
• 🌍 Inclusive & Accessible: Tools are for everyone: farmers, volunteers, students, and local contributors.
• 🌾 Locally Relevant: Solutions are designed around real-world needs and constraints of developing regions.

Ethics & Approach

We build to help, not to sell.

• Free and open-source, with no hidden agendas.
• Designed for low-resource environments and modest hardware.
• Focused on reliability, accuracy, and practicality.
• Energy-conscious and sustainable.
• Open to contributions from anyone who wants to help.

GitHub

We’re still in development, but you can follow our progress or contribute:

This project is fully open-source under the GPLv3 license.