LiteFarm se utiliza como herramienta de investigación, recopilación de datos y
visualización en múltiples proyectos globales de sostenibilidad agrícola. Los datos recolectados por agricultores y socios de investigación apoyan la investigación participativa y colaborativa sobre agroecología y agroecosistemas diversificados, tecnologías agrícolas de código abierto y bienes digitales públicos, resiliencia climática, y justicia social y ecológica en los sistemas agrícolas.
1. University Incubated Innovation
LiteFarm was developed at the University of British Columbia (UBC) as an open-source platform supporting sustainable agriculture around the world.
As the project grows, we are exploring how LiteFarm could potentially transition to being stewarded by the broader community that uses, contributes to, and benefits from it.
The "Exit to Community" Project examines governance, ownership, and organizational models that could support LiteFarm's long-term sustainability while preserving its mission, values, and commitment to serving farmers and agricultural communities.
Why Explore an Exit to Community?
University-based projects often face challenges related to long-term funding, staffing, and governance. While UBC has played a critical role in LiteFarm's development, the project has evolved into a global platform with users, contributors, researchers, and partners across many regions. An Exit to Community approach seeks to ensure that decision-making and stewardship can increasingly reflect the needs of the communities that rely on it.
2. LiteFarm's Current Operating Model
LiteFarm currently operates under a de facto Benevolent
Dictatorship governance model (Fig. 1), a common earlystage pattern in open-source projects incubated within academic institutions. Currently, most major decisions are made by a small team at UBC (UBC Faculty, staff and specific contractors), in consultation with an external advisory group of research and farming organisation collaborators and open ag-tech ecosystem contributors who help build and maintain the platform.
This structure has so far enabled the project to move quickly and coherently in alignment with LiteFarm’s original vision. However, it also means that decision-making and accountability for the project is concentrated, within, and therefore highly reliant on, a small group of decision-makers. While the project draws heavily on input from farmers, researchers, and contributors around the world, the core direction—technical priorities, strategic choices, and governance—still flows from this central group. As LiteFarm grows, especially as more institutions and farmers adopt it, it requires a stronger structure to sustain trust and participation across the wider community and avoid compromising it's longevity due to outsized dependence on the current UBC-based team.
3. Exit Pathways and Implementation Scenarios
The Full Project Report outlines eight potential exit pathways most aligned with LiteFarm’s mission, growth, and long-term sustainability. We also reviewed Open Source Software Governance Case Studies to inform the report. Each pathway includes precedents, tradeoffs, and concrete implementation considerations to guide decision-making:
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Pathway A1: Status Quo - Remain within the University
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Pathway B1: Establish an Independent Organization
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Pathway B2: Integrate into an Existing Umbrella Organization
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Pathway B3: Support the Development of an Open Ag Tech Consortium
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Pathway B4: Hybrid: Purpose Bound-Trust + Non Profit Operator
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Pathway C1: Perpetual Purpose Trust
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Pathway C2: Public Benefit Corporation
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Pathway C3: LLC/Corporation
These options can be combined or sequenced over time. The report also provides a checklist to assure goal alignment and guide understanding of trade-offs.
LiteFarm is a core contributor to a globally emerging ecosystem of open agricultural technologies that share code, standards, and governance models to support a resilient and equitable agricultural technology network of interoperable digital public goods (DPGs). DPGs refer to open-source software, data, and standards that are freely accessible, reusable, and openly governed for public benefit. As a digital public good, LiteFarm advances equitable, resilient food systems worldwide, while also addressing gaps in research transparency and global collaboration. Through this project, we are actively consulting and rethinking LiteFarm's governance and will transparently communicate governance decisions with the community once they are realized.
4. Open Source Software Case Studies
The case studies illustrate a diverse range of open source projects and ecosystems with a focus on governance models, sustainability, licensing, and lessons. Each case study outlines how decisions are made, how the project is funded, what licensing strategy is used, and key challenges or takeaways.
The case studies cards all follow a similar structure (Image 5), reviewing legal structure, pathway, funding source, governance, licensing strategy and insights, providing a comprehensive view of the options available to continue our mission.
The cards also include an overview of the licenses presented in the case studies. Licenses verify competency, ensure public safety, enforce legal compliance, and protect users or consumers. They guarantee that organizations have met strict standards, reducing risks, maintaining trust, and preventing financial or legal penalties.
Project Contributors: Rithikha Rajamohan, Anna Lynton, Divya Chayanam, Hannah Wittman
Funded By
