Agriculture is one of the most strategic sectors of the global economy. With the technological upheaval of recent decades, it must adapt to better play its role. A mission which implies for the actors to increase their credibility by improving their operational transparency. According to several analysts, the blockchain could make a significant contribution to this end.
The ideal blockchain technology for the sector?
Technological progress has revolutionized operational processes in the agricultural sector. To produce in quantity, effectively and efficiently, the players in this industry have had to maintain interdependent relationships. These relationships, often opaque and complex, involve the shuffling and storage of large amounts of valuable data. An operation, which regularly poses security and confidentiality problems, to which the blockchain can provide suitable solutions.
Indeed, with the great transparency that characterizes it, the blockchain is positioned as the way ideal to increase the confidence of the actors. The use of this technology should facilitate the exchange of information between the actors. In addition, it should stimulate monitoring, traceability of operations and above all, transparency.
To make this possible, data sharing based on the use of blockchain must be promoted. This, across the entire value chain, which is currently not the case. This is the opinion of researchers from the SpringerLink platform, Simone van der Burg, Leanne Wiseman and Jovana Krkeljas.
According to them, transparency in the agricultural sector “can only become a reality if farmers are willing to share their data with agribusinesses developing digital technologies.” This paradigm shift, if it becomes widespread, will have immediate positive impacts on the entire sector.
Adoption, a must?
Beyond the requirements of transparency and the economic stakes, the use of blockchain technology in the field of agriculture seems inevitable.
Some supermarket companies such as Heineken, Unilever or Walmart operationalize their activities by investing in this market. This trend is expected to strengthen over the next few years.
For the World Economic Forum (WEF), the blockchain will become essential if the agricultural industry wants “meet consumer demand for transparency and support government goals to protect citizens from fraud”.
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