Key Takeaways:
The platform uses blockchain technology to simplify trade processes and reduce administrative delays. Stablecoin transactions help lower traditional payment fees in cross-border exchanges. Digitizing land records may improve transparency in property ownership and support new financing methods.Slow payments, disjointed legal systems, and inconsistent access to financing continue to plague the agricultural trade, particularly in regions of Asia and Africa where producers frequently find it difficult to compete on an equal basis in international markets.
Many of the mechanisms underlying the food trade are antiquated and unadaptable, despite growing demands for efficiency and transparency.
In an interview with Cryptonews, AgriDex co-founder and CEO Henry Duckworth explained how the company is working to close those gaps using blockchain tools like stablecoins and RWA.
AgriDex is building a blockchain-based marketplace that integrates stablecoins for cross-border payments, digital contracts governed by English company law, and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization to support land trading and ownership in emerging markets.
How AgriDex Uses Stablecoins and RWA to Simplify Trade
Duckworth explained that the platform’s initial mission is to reduce friction in cross-border agriculture by streamlining documentation and settlement.
His experience as a commodities trader—and as the son of a farmer—influences AgriDex’s focus on both financial infrastructure and agricultural fairness.
“They like friction, that’s why they exist,” he said. “So we set out on building the system that was all about removing friction.”
“It started with payments because that’s the best way to test the largest amount of information,” Duckworth said.
AgriDex is expanding into a broader digital agriculture marketplace, adding credit and insurance tools.
It currently operates in Southern Africa, parts of Europe, and North America, targeting high-friction regions where small producers struggle to reach global buyers.
In one early use case, the platform facilitated a Zambian farmland sale using Ricardian smart contracts and USDC for settlement. This approach eliminated multiple currency conversions and reduced legal fees.
“Pieces of documentation and you have a reduction in cost in legal fees,” Duckworth said. “You don’t need to go into multiple different unnecessary currencies. You can have one singular mechanism for settlement.”
AgriDex uses Ricardian contracts governed by English company law, which Duckworth said provides a consistent legal framework for buyers and sellers—from Zambia to the Netherlands—to resolve disputes.
That legal clarity, he argues, builds the trust programmable systems need.
Land RWA Tokenization and Digital Contracts in Agriculture
While AgriDex remains B2B for now, Duckworth said the long-term vision is more consumer-facing.
“A huge thing for me being the son of a farmer and growing up around agricultural production is I want food more and more to be able to tell a story,” he said.
“We’re increasingly in a sort of lower trust environment,” he continued. “I want to be able to provide the story and the timelines of how these foods got to you.”
“It’s you being able to go into your supermarket, being able to scan the code on a packet of strawberries, and it can tell you the story of the farmer from the production point until it arrived with you,” Duckworth explained.
He also views land tokenization as a key step in unlocking capital for smallholders in emerging markets.
AgriDex is working to digitize land ownership records in countries like Zambia, where formal title remains out of reach for many.
“Tens of millions of small scale landholders across Africa. Very few of them have real equitable titles. It’s not particularly hard to produce, but there hasn’t been an instrument for doing it,” he said. “There’s been either degrading paper copies or simply people doing it by memory. By using blockchain, I think that there’s a great next step in enshrining equity.”
Fractional land ownership—supported by on-chain records and legal recognition—could create new financing options for farmers.
Duckworth believes land, once recorded and tokenized, can operate as an asset class, circulating capital back into local economies.
By incorporating RWA into its platform, AgriDex supports tangible asset management, allowing for more secure and traceable transactions across borders.
Looking ahead, AgriDex’s broader strategy ties into blockchain’s potential beyond financial tools.
While most blockchain development has focused on finance, its potential in supply chains and land systems remains underexplored.
In many emerging markets, ownership is informal, records are fragile, and payments are slow—conditions where blockchain could offer more than just efficiency.
AgriDex is one of several projects testing whether transparency and enforceability can be embedded into the trade of physical goods.
If these tools gain traction, they could shift how value is assigned—not only to crops and land, but to the people who grow and hold them.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
They combine legal language and code, making agreements enforceable in court and readable by software. AgriDex uses them under English law to simplify and secure cross-border deals.
Most regions lack digital land records. Platforms have to digitize titles, prove ownership, and work within uneven legal systems.
It gives small farmers more leverage and control of their own produce and allows consumers to support transparent, verifiable supply chains.
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