Hot on the heels of our recent story about Abbey Parks’ i-Grow program in the UK comes word of another remote farming offering, this time in Bulgaria. Now gearing up for its official launch, Farmhopping is a network of operating farms that users can part-own and manage using an interactive web platform.

Targeting both would-be virtual farmers and already-operating real-world farmers with sustainable farms to share, Farmhopping allows users to buy animals online from its network of farms around the world. Then, as owners of the animals, they get to make key farm-management decisions such as when to milk the animals or sell their wool, for example, and whether to keep or sell to other users the young animals that are born over the course of the year. Farmhopping features a game-like interface that teaches about farm management through an interactive and engaging routine based on farming activities carried out in the real world. The site’s participating real-world farmers, meanwhile, reward users for their achievements with different offline privileges, including free stays on the farm and the opportunity to consume their own organic produce and learn how to take care of their animals in person.

A large part of Farmhopping’s overriding motivation is to help support sustainable farms. Through its upcoming service, users’ monthly fees will help cover farms’ expenditures for feed and labor, thus allowing farms to focus on protecting endangered livestock species – one of Farmhopping’s high-level goals. Consumers, meanwhile, will learn about farming and sustainable practices. Agricultural entrepreneurs in other parts of the globe: a win-win proposition to help bring to your part of the world?

Website: www.farmhopping.com
Contact: info@farmhopping.com

Undoubtedly inspired by MyFootballClub, which assembled 50,000 football fans to buy a British football club, a professional Bulgarian basketball team is now looking for sponsorship from a crowd of fans.

While MyFootballClub first collected enough money from its members and then selected a team to buy, ten-year-old Start is taking a pro-active approach by asking basketball fans to fund an existing team. Start is seeking a minimum of 10,000 people—in Bulgaria and elsewhere—who are willing to sign up before May 1st, 2008, pledging to pay BGN 40 (EUR 20 / USD 30) each if enough other members register to do the same.

Once the money has been collected, the team will organize a basketball camp and try-outs. Training sessions will be filmed and broadcast on nashiaotbor.com, allowing crowdfunders to help spot and vote for talented new players. Akin to MyFootballClub’s setup, members will virtually manage the team, voting online on key decisions concerning players and coaches. Will be interesting to see how this one pans out, and how many other sports teams start looking for crowds of benefactors!

Website: www.nashiaotbor.com
Contact: pscstart@nashiaotbor.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen