Seeds 2 Success - SC State Hackathon 26 (2nd Place)

Seeds 2 Success—recognized with 2nd Place at the SC State Hackathon 26—showcases an innovative, user-focused system designed to help young, beginning, and small (YBS) farmers quickly identify funding opportunities tailored to their unique operations. By employing a persona-driven approach centered on Michael Carter, a YBS farmer from Orangeburg County, South Carolina, this project exemplifies our commitment to engineering solutions that drive tangible impact in agricultural communities.

Project Overview:
During a hackathon, I participated in designing a user-focused system to help young, beginning, and small (YBS) row crop farmers quickly identify funding opportunities tailored to their farm operations. The project was centered around the persona of Michael Carter, a 250-acre YBS farmer in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, who balances full-time off-farm employment with managing his crops.

Objective:
The primary goal was to create a tool that automatically surfaces funding programs relevant to a farmer’s acreage, crop mix, experience, and location—minimizing the time and effort required to search for eligible programs. The system guides users step-by-step, pre-fills available information, and provides explanations for why each funding option applies.

Challenges & Approach:
Addressed the time constraints of farmers with off-farm employment by designing a fast, intuitive workflow.
Filtered programs based on location, farm size, crops, and experience, ensuring relevance and reducing unnecessary steps.
Created a guided user experience that allowed farmers to save progress and complete the process in a single session.

Skills & Competencies Demonstrated:
User research and persona development
UX/UI design and workflow optimization
Problem-solving under time constraints
Application of software solutions to real-world agricultural challenges

Outcome:
The project produced a prototype platform that effectively matches farmers to funding programs, demonstrating the ability to combine technical skills, user-centered design, and practical problem-solving under hackathon conditions. It reflects the importance of understanding user needs, iterative design, and translating real-world challenges into actionable solutions.