Terms of Service

By accessing or using the FarmRoots platform ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and FarmRoots ("we," "us," or "our"), governed by the laws of the State of Washington and applicable federal law.

These Terms incorporate and comply with the Washington Consumer Protection Act (RCW 19.86), which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts in trade or commerce.

You must be at least 18 years old to use FarmRoots. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years of age
• You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
• You will use the Service in compliance with these Terms and all applicable laws
• All information you provide is accurate and complete

FarmRoots is an online marketplace and community platform that facilitates connections between retiring or transitioning farmers, aspiring farmers, mentors, and agricultural learners. The Service includes:

• Farm opportunity and transition listings
• Farmer and seeker profile directories
• Mentorship matching
• Private messaging between users
• Community forums
• Educational resources
• Newsletter subscription

FarmRoots is a platform intermediary only. We do not broker, guarantee, or endorse any transaction, opportunity, or relationship between users. Any agreements entered into between users are solely between those parties.

To access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete registration information
• Maintain the security and confidentiality of your account credentials
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that have been inactive for an extended period.

Your Responsibility: You are solely responsible for all content, listings, messages, forum posts, and other material you submit to the Service ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you represent that you own or have the necessary rights to post it, and that it does not violate any applicable law or third-party rights.

License to FarmRoots: By posting User Content, you grant FarmRoots a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your User Content solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the Service.

Prohibited Content: You may not post content that:

• Is false, misleading, or fraudulent
• Infringes any intellectual property or privacy rights
• Is defamatory, harassing, threatening, or abusive
• Violates any federal, Washington state, or local law
• Contains spam, malware, or unauthorized advertising
• Discloses another person's private information without consent

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of applicable law
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features of the Service
• Scrape, crawl, or otherwise harvest data from the Service without written permission
• Use automated systems or bots to access the Service
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Engage in any conduct that restricts or inhibits any other user's enjoyment of the Service
• Post fraudulent farm listings or opportunity postings

FarmRoots provides tools for farmers to post listings and for seekers to apply. You acknowledge that:

• FarmRoots does not verify the accuracy of listings or the identity of all users (except where verification is explicitly confirmed)
• FarmRoots is not a party to any agreement, lease, employment arrangement, or transaction between users
• You are solely responsible for conducting due diligence before entering into any agreement with another user
• FarmRoots is not responsible for any loss or damage arising from transactions between users

Farm succession and land transactions may involve complex legal arrangements. We strongly recommend consulting a licensed attorney before entering into any binding agreement.

The FarmRoots messaging system is provided to facilitate legitimate communication between users in connection with platform activities. You agree not to use messaging to:

• Send spam, solicitations, or unsolicited commercial messages
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users
• Share illegal content or engage in fraudulent activity

We reserve the right to monitor communications for safety and compliance purposes and to remove content that violates these Terms.

All content on FarmRoots not submitted by users — including logos, design, text, graphics, and software — is owned by FarmRoots and protected by U.S. copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without our written consent.

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY WASHINGTON LAW AND APPLICABLE FEDERAL LAW, FARMROOTS AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM THESE TERMS OR USE OF THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100.00).

Nothing in this Section limits liability that cannot be excluded under Washington's Consumer Protection Act or other non-waivable statutory protections.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless FarmRoots and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms; or (d) your violation of any rights of another user or third party.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Washington State, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in such courts.

Before filing any legal claim, you agree to contact us at support@farmroots.app and provide a written description of the dispute to allow for informal resolution within 30 days.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause or notice, if we determine that you have violated these Terms or applicable law. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Sections 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 survive termination.

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will provide notice of material changes by posting the updated Terms on the platform and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after such notice constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Service.

• Entire Agreement: These Terms and our Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and FarmRoots regarding the Service
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force
• Waiver: Failure to enforce any provision does not constitute a waiver of our rights
• Assignment: You may not assign your rights under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign our rights without restriction
• CAN-SPAM Compliance: All marketing emails from FarmRoots comply with the CAN-SPAM Act. You may opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" in any email or contacting us directly

For questions about these Terms, please contact:

• Email: support@farmroots.app