Exploring the application of Industry 4.0 technologies in the agricultural food supply chain: A systematic literature review

Abstract

The need for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is felt across “agriculture food supply chain (AFSC)” to tackle the global demand for food items and concerns regarding food safety and security. Further, this transformation is possible due to recent advancements in I4.0 technologies, including “Internet-of-Things (IoT), Blockchain, Big Data (BD), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Cloud Computing (CC) and Cyber-Physical System (CPS)” etc. Each of these technologies has a specific role in making the AFSC eco-system smart enough to address today’s world challenges. Thus, this paper reviews these major technologies in AFSC to understand their applications and recent trends. The review is based on 146 articles from the “Scopus and Web of Science” database. The articles include peer-reviewed journals published between 2010 and 2020. The applications of reviewed technology in AFSC are analysed under five research dimensions, namely traceability and food safety, information system management, food waste, control and monitoring, decision making and agribusiness, and other miscellaneous-based applications. The study suggests that the integration of reviewed technologies can be more useful to provide low-cost solutions and empower sustainability in AFSC. Further, blockchain can emerge as a game-changer to ensure food safety and security. The current challenges and future research agenda in concerned themes are also identified to further motivate researchers to develop this area. This is the first paper that summarises the recent developments of six technologies for AFSC research.