Blockchain for agricultural sector: The case of South Africa

Abstract

New technologies are playing a fundamental role in the postmodern era of globalization where interpersonal interactions at the international level and the exchange of goods, services, information and capital are the basis of all activities. The agriculture sector is constantly facing numerous challenges including the steady growth of the population, climate change, the increasing number of catastrophes, the loss of biodiversity and the spread of parasites. This paper analyzes the impacts of Blockchain applications in agriculture and the food supply chain, through a survey literature review, providing the various players in the agriculture value chain with new tools and key technologies to improve production and distribution processes. To demonstrate the importance of applying the Blockchain in the agriculture sector, especially for emerging countries, the case of South Africa is examined. This focus is one of the unique aspects of this paper, which is the first to deal with this kind of solution applied to the South African context. Our findings indicate that Blockchain, in the e-agricultural context, has the potential for reshaping the entire sector, contributing also to the resolution of the food crisis. This paper discusses the overall implications, limits, challenges and potentials of these applications, from a critical point of view.

Digitalization and Future Agro-Food Supply Chain Management: A Literature-Based Implications

“…Quality challenges with big data, questionability of sustainable integration of the data, challenges in standardization of the data, and possibilities for raw data manipulation were among the data-related challenges identified [44,45,60,74,80]. The openness of the platform, technological complexities (non-friendly), difficulty in implementation in small and medium agro-food enterprises, difficulties in coordinating with partners of different sizes (agro-business size compatibility), and compatibility and complementarities of the technologies with existing technologies were other challenges mentioned in this category [44,64,94,104].…”

“…Other challenges mentioned concerned consumers' user interface and digital mindset, competencies and involvement; lack of availability of skilled human resources in agro-food enterprises (particularly SMEs); lack of awareness about the technology in the sector, and lack of proper training platforms for educating nonspecialized people. Some papers identified challenges to the reputation of the system due to fear of unethical behavior and of decentralization, challenges in accepting the new normal, as digitalization could change the way people work, and consumer misunderstanding and lack of trust in the technology [41,42,44,47,53,54,61,70,81,91,94,96,103].…”

An Extensive Blockchain Based Applications Survey: Tools, Frameworks, Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions

“…Mavilia et al [79] analyzed the effect of BC applications in the food supply chain and agriculture by surveying the literature review. They provided key technologies and new tools to different agriculture value chain stakeholders to increase production and improve distribution processes.…”

Implementing Agricultural Policies: Driving Sustainable Growth in the Farming Sector in Indonesia

“…The agricultural sector plays a vital role in the Indonesian economy, employing a significant portion of the population and contributing to the country's food security (Putra et al, 2021;Ridha et al, 2017;Setiyowati et al, 2018;Wicaksono & Fitriyani, 2020;Wijayanti, 2021). However, this sector faces several challenges that hinder its growth and sustainability (Alobid et al, 2022;Mavilia & Pisani, 2022;Shumakova et al, 2021). In recent years, issues such as low productivity, land degradation, limited access to modern farming technologies, and the adverse effects of climate change have posed significant threats to the farming sector in Indonesia.…”