Leadership role - non-profit| LiteFarm, University of British Columbia
Product
LiteFarm is an open-source farm management software that is a project under Center For Sustainable Food Systems (CSFS) in department of Land and Food Systems (LFS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). LiteFarm is a web-app that is used by farmers for record-keeping, planning and managing their farm data and by researchers as a data collection tool.
Contribution / Responsibilities:
With a high scope of responsibility as the Product Lead / Head of Product, I was the key decision maker for the project and the team.
This was a leadership role that required being strategic but also being hands-on, like a founder. The responsibilities broadly included owning product roadmap, finances, grant proposals, staffing, & collaborations with the open-source tech community. This was a role of many CXOs rolled into one - which meant I had to learn fast, be excellent at time management, be a fantastic problem solver, a valuable collaborator and a good listener.
This experience is different from the other showcased ones in the sense that while the others involved building "products", this expands the responsibility to building a non-profit "business". While stakeholder management, structural problem solving, data based decision, etc. were common across the previous roles and this one, as a Product Lead, I was also directly in-charge of hiring and firing, applying for grant funding and relationship management with external partners such as other open-source organizations, funders, NGOs, farmer organizations and more.
The mission dictates the organization culture and influences relationships. The mission was to help smallholder farmers with a tool to aid in decision making and also help further research in food security and climate change. The mission calls for a team with skill and speed, but a clear objective - to serve and empower. The lack of a corporate structure does not mean lack of accountability - we were accountable to the farmer, the planet and science. The mission resonated with many volunteers who would regularly join us from time to time and help us out in different roles.
As a leader, judgement and decision-making are often more important than business cases or product notes. Each right decision has a benefit and a wrong decision has a cost - wrong staffing can cause workloads to fluctuate, wrong projects can lead to dead ends and wasted resources. I have made more right decisions than wrong, but enough to see that wrong decisions can turn away potential partners and upset team members.
There are two main challenges from my point of view.
Who is the user?
Since the app began as a need for a tool for data collection for research, but ended up being used by farmers across the world, there is always the confusion of who the "user" is. Research thrives on detailed record keeping, religious documentation and tight control on parameters. In practice, farmers often need to take decisions that deviate from the original plan and they find little value in detailed record keeping unless they are pursuing certifications.
So, does one convince researchers to make do with fewer details or convince farmers to do more diligent record-keeping?
There is no single answer here. We have identified modules that are significantly more valuable for researchers (like soil, nutrient management) that continue to support the level of detail needed for research. We also have identified features that farmers value (finances, labor management) and actively keep them straighforward and practical.
What is the business model?
Since the project continues to be with the university, a self-sustaining business model has not been found yet. Many successful open-source products (Linux, Python, etc.) continue to thrive because of a very relevant product-market fit, a loyal userbase and industry or philanthropic funding. LiteFarm is in the process of refining their product-market fit, is building a loyal userbase in the sustainable farming niche, while trying to become financially sustainable.
There were bumps in the road to financial stability. 2025 was a year of changing priorities with regards to climate change and research funding in a major North American economy. It was a period of survival, leadership under stress and uncertainty, and many tough decisions. But the project continues to survive and adapt to the difficult phase, finding encouragement from users who offer us feedback, advisors and community who encourage us and funders who continue to believe in our work.
The userbase has grown by 54% since my stepping into the role. This is definitely a collective effort of the team, the community and our advisors. Since the growth has been organic (no paid marketing whatsoever), the continued usage and user growth is a testament to our product evolution and roadmap, which I directly influence.
Under my leadership, the team has been able to complete and deliver projects with research and industry partners, and release new product features that were very well received.