Blockchain Technology in Agri-Food Supply Chains
摘要
The agricultural food (agri-food) supply chain is a composite web that involves numerous stakeholders, from producers and processors to distributors, retailers, and customers. Even though it is a key part in world’s food security and trade, it is plagued by various challenges like food fraud, safety concerns, ineptitudes, and an absence of transparency. To fill these lacunas and address key obstacles, blockchain technology has grown as a transformative answer due to its decentralized, immutable, and transparent nature. The integration and application of blockchain technology into agri-food supply chains possess the capacity to transform food safety, traceability, and transaction automation and improve trust among stakeholders. By utilizing the immutable and decentralized features of blockchain, stakeholders can follow and trace food commodities from farm to fork, guaranteeing authenticity and reducing threats correlated with contamination or fraud. It can even be seamlessly integrated with complementary technologies including the artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and large-scale data analytics to further augment food safety and supply chain efficiency. Real-life applications, for instance IBM Food Trust and Walmart’s blockchain initiatives, demonstrate how the technology can be successfully leveraged to strengthen supply chain resilience. Despite its promise, blockchain adoption in the agri-food supply sector is not without difficulties such as scalability hurdles, implementation expenses, regulatory barriers, and resistance from traditional industry players. By providing a comprehensive analysis, this chapter critically examines these challenges while outlining future trends, policy developments, and potential opportunities for stakeholders in the agri-food industry that might further drive blockchain’s adoption in the agri-food industry.