What does it take for a community to design and build their digital tools?
This talk is thought to bring reflections on what we talk about when we talk about sovereign digital tools, and the characteristics of a community that host the flourishing of such technologies. We'll present an example in Brazilian context, and open a little space for discussions on the topic.

How do small-scale agroecological farmers successfully incorporate and govern their own technologies? This session bridges the vital social dimensions of decentralized tech with real-world, grassroots applications. Drawing from her work in Brazil, Nadia Coelho Pontes will open the session by unpacking the human, cultural, and community elements required to build digital infrastructure that truly serves local needs. The session will then transition into case studies from Luke Smith (Origin Co-op), Tamisha Lee (Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers), and Abdallah Nyangason (African Bee Consultants), who will share their firsthand experiences building community-led solutions across different global contexts.
Finally, all presenters will converge for a 30-minute interactive discussion, inviting attendees to synthesize the learnings and reflect on their own contexts and regions.

In the face of increasing climate disasters, social unrest, and the collapse of long-held economic systems, people around the globe have been building innovative solutions that empower, engage, and protect their communities - providing alternatives that are both locally relevant and globally applicable.

This conversation invites practitioners working across countries and contexts doing the work to be in community with one another, share what's working, what we're learning, and where the challenges lie.

Together, we'll explore what is truly required for community designed, owned, and governed infrastructure to effectively mitigate the growing effects of climate, social, and economic rupture, and approaches to scale.