Adelphi is Kokonut Network’s first live syntropic farm — founded and operated by sisters Yanny and Neury Hernández in Gonzalo, Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. The farm is already producing, already monitored by satellite, and already generating on-chain verified impact data at hub.kokonut.network/projects/41. This is the story of how it came to be.
The Rebirth of a Dream: Yanny and Neury Hernández
SDG 5 — Gender EqualitySDG 1 — No Poverty
Yanny and Neury Hernández, sisters and single mothers, grew up in a farming family, spending their vacations surrounded by nature at their grandparents’ countryside home. From a young age, they felt a deep connection to the land and always dreamed of returning to the countryside — to live off the land and preserve their ancestors’ legacy.
Although they were raised in the city, Yanny worked for years in the pharmaceutical industry, while Neury built a career as a professional manicurist. But their love for farming and the countryside never faded. In 2022, they took a bold step and purchased a piece of land in Gonzalo, hoping to one day retire there. However, the high cost of living in the city made it challenging to finance the cultivation of their land — a challenge that mirrors the global agricultural funding gap that Kokonut Network was created to solve.
That challenge was resolved in 2025 when Public Nouns Proposal #69 funded Adelphi’s critical infrastructure — enabling the farm to be designed as a public good from the first day of operation, rather than a privately financed return-maximizing project.
This is how “Adelphi” was born. The name comes from the Greek word for sisters — a quiet declaration of the bond between Yanny and Neury, and of the cooperative spirit that runs through everything the farm is designed to be.
A project for the community
SDG 4 — Quality EducationSDG 1 — No Poverty
Adelphi is not only meant to secure Yanny and Neury’s future — it is designed to benefit the surrounding community. The project is dedicated to producing organic and agro-ecological crops, with a focus on preserving biodiversity and regenerating the soil. It will also serve as a learning space, offering workshops and courses on sustainable practices for the local community.
Near the farm, in a region close to a batey and the Haty community, Yanny and Neury plan to invite children, the elderly, and other community members on weekends to participate in educational, recreational, and leisure activities. This space will serve as a refuge and a gathering place for those interested in learning about organic farming, environmental care, and sustainability — bridging the generational knowledge gap that has left younger rural communities disconnected from the land their grandparents worked.
Reconnecting land, soil, and species
SDG 15 — Life on Land
The project features a nursery dedicated to the conservation of endangered plant species, particularly native fruit varieties found in the Dominican Republic. Yanny and Neury employ syntropic farming methods — including biochar soil enrichment produced on-site from bamboo — to regenerate the land and preserve biodiversity, ensuring that the farm is not just a place of production, but a catalyst for positive change in the community and its surroundings.
The nursery conserves over a dozen at-risk native species — including Hispaniola palmetto, native cacao, guavaberry, and Star Apple — and distributes propagated plants free of charge to visitors and neighboring communities. Every species registered in the nursery is GPS-tracked via Silvi and included in the farm’s satellite-monitored vegetation health records.
“Adelphi” is more than just an agricultural project — it is a space for transformation, where people can reconnect with nature and embrace a healthier, more balanced way of life. Yanny and Neury are not just planting crops; they are sowing the seeds of a sustainable future, filled with hope for themselves and their community.
SDG alignment in practice
The background story of Adelphi is the most human expression of the five SDGs that the farm addresses. These aren’t theoretical commitments — they are lived realities for Yanny, Neury, and the surrounding community.| SDG | How the story embodies it |
|---|---|
| SDG 1 — No Poverty | Two single mothers creating sustainable income from land they own — breaking the cycle where productive land sits uncultivated for lack of capital |
| SDG 4 — Quality Education | The weekend community programs, workshops, and training center designed to transfer agricultural knowledge to children, the elderly, and neighboring farmers |
| SDG 5 — Gender Equality | A farm founded, owned, and operated by women — demonstrating female leadership in agriculture, land ownership, and community coordination |
| SDG 15 — Life on Land | The endangered species nursery, biochar soil regeneration, syntropic multi-strata planting, and the free distribution of native plants to neighboring communities |
Adelphi Executive Summary
The full project overview — key facts, revenue projections, framework phase, MRV stack, and all geospatial data for the farm Yanny and Neury are building.
Problem & Solution
The seven specific challenges this story responds to — economic hardship, food insecurity, gender inequality, and the other compounding problems Adelphi addresses.
Crops, Biodiversity & Infrastructure
What the farm actually produces — the endangered species nursery, biochar system, syntropic plots, poultry operation, and community education gazebo described in this story.
Sustainable Development Goals
The full SDG documentation — how each of Adelphi’s five goals is measured, reported, and verified through the Kokonut Framework.
Kokonut Vision
The network-wide vision that Adelphi embodies at the farm level — reconnecting communities to land, creating perpetual cooperative wealth, and building a model that replicates.
Kokonut Manifesto
The principles behind the public goods funding model that made Adelphi possible — and the commitment that every farm in the network is built for the community first.