Abstract
With the many promises it holds in addressing problems concerning information exchange and digital transactions in multi-actor processes, blockchain technology (BCT) has gained considerable traction in the agrifood sector. Governments, international organisations, private companies, consortia of public and private actors are launching various blockchain projects for improving transparency, traceability, and many other key issues in the agrifood sector. This has resulted in a large number of use cases. It is often unclear, however, what and how technical, social and economic aspects were considered in different usecases. Due to the novelty and elusiveness of the technology, there is no ready-to-use analytical framework or guideline yet for assessing its applicability and choosing the right technical and organisational setup. As a result, many stakeholders have to grope in the dark when designing and implementing their “blockchain application.” Based on studies of use cases worldwide and experiences in organizing different blockchain pilots in the Netherlands, this paper seeks to address this problem by providing an overview of the choices to be made at three layers of a blockchain application: the ledger, the governance structure and the ecosystem. This can serve as a reference framework for understanding different blockchain applications and choosing key parameters for new use cases in the agrifood sector. It is expected that such demystification of the blockchain will contribute to more realistic and effective application of the technology to pressing problems in agriculture and food.
Highlights
Blockchain technology seems to follow the blueprint process for a technological hype as described by Gartner’s hype cycle (Hawlitschek et al, 2020)
The aim of this paper is to provide an analytical framework for understanding and comparing different blockchain applications and choosing key parameters for new use cases in the agrifood sector
For the purpose of the present study we identified 38 use cases that have at least developed a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) application
Summary
Blockchain technology seems to follow the blueprint process for a technological hype as described by Gartner’s hype cycle (Hawlitschek et al, 2020). It is of crucial importance for the future success of the Flori-Chain that the ecosystem be extended to the majority of companies that are active in the pot plant sector, including: i) producers (about 1800 in total), ii) logistic service providers such as transporters, iii) auctions, iv) wholesalers, exporters and importers (about 1200 in total), different outlet channels including florists, supermarkets, garden and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) centers and webshops, and v) indirect actors such as authorities, pesticide residue labs, software vendors, advisors and investors (Salvini et al, 2020) For this reason, organisations with a central role in the supply chain are involved, especially Royal FloraHolland (the world’s biggest flower auction) and Floricode (industry standardization body), and an important part of the project is dedicated to prepare for scaling-up, including dissemination and promotion activities
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