# The Nursery: from your need to a working service > The Nursery is how Farmer1st builds what your supply chain needs and the platform doesn't yet offer. We explore your need, assemble existing modules, build the missing piece and refine it with you in real field conditions. The prototype you test becomes the product — promoted, not rewritten — and runs on the same farmer-controlled network. Not a frozen SaaS: modular services you switch on, and whatever is missing we build on the same platform. ## How does the Nursery work? Three steps, one team, and the same platform from the first sketch to the service your teams use every day. 1. **Explore** — We map your supply chain, your obligations and the gap between them — in your words, with the people who will use the service. 2. **Prototype** — We assemble existing modules and build the missing piece. You use it on real farmers and plots, and we adjust. 3. **Deploy** — The prototype is promoted to product on the same network as everything else, and keeps being refined with you. > We don't make you rebuild the road. We build the last stretch you need, with you. ## Why is a Nursery prototype different from a proof of concept? A proof of concept is usually thrown away. A Nursery prototype is built on the production platform from day one. - **The prototype is the product** — What you test is what you keep. When it fits, it is promoted to product — never rewritten from scratch by another team. - **Fast, low-cost iteration** — Because most of the service already exists as modules, each iteration changes only the part that is specific to you. We iterate until the service fits your real need. - **No need to rebuild the road** — Farmer registry, plots, consent, field apps, geo checks and reporting are reused. Your budget goes to what makes your case different. - **Built for your context** — Your commodity, your origins, your risk policy, your languages and your field organisation — not a generic template. ## How do you make sure it works in the field? The first mile is not an office. Every prototype is tested where it will be used. - **Works without coverage** — Registration, mapping, surveys and training run offline and synchronise when a connection returns. - **Weak and intermittent networks** — Sync is designed for slow, unstable connections and partial uploads. - **Real GPS, real plots** — Polygon capture and checks are tested on actual plots, with the accuracy of the devices your agents carry. - **The phones people really use** — Tested on the entry-level Android devices common in the field, in the languages of the people using them. ## What do we deliver with each release? 1. **A working service** — Deployed on the platform, connected to your data and to the modules you already use. 2. **Release notes** — What changed, why, and what it means for your teams — documented for every release. 3. **Bilingual user guides** — Step-by-step guides for field agents, supervisors and managers, in English and in the working language of your teams. 4. **Your feedback loop** — A direct line to the team that built it, so the next iteration starts from what your users actually saw. ## The Nursery starts when you tell us what you need. A 10-minute conversation with our scoping assistant gives us enough to come back with a first sketch of your service. No obligation. Describe your need, get a prototype: https://farmer1st.org/en/get-a-prototype/ ## Frequently asked questions ### What happens to the prototype once it works? It is promoted to product. The prototype runs on the production platform from the start, so there is no rewrite, no migration and no second project — the service you tested is the one your teams keep using. ### How much does a Nursery prototype cost? It depends on what already exists and what is specific to you. Because most of a service reuses existing modules, iterations are small and low-cost. We discuss scope and pricing once we understand your need. ### How long does it take? We don't promise a timeline before we understand the need. Reusing existing modules is what keeps each iteration short; the scoping conversation tells us how much is new. ### Who owns what the Nursery builds? Your data stays yours and farmers keep control of theirs. The service runs on the Farmer1st platform so it benefits from shared improvements. Commercial terms are agreed with you before building. ### How do we start? Describe your need to our [scoping assistant](/get-a-prototype/). It takes about 10 minutes, and we come back with a first sketch of your service.