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Blockchain for AgriFood Online Course Module 4 4.2 Blockchain in Agri Supply Chains

Watch and learn

Before we learn about excellent examples of  blockchain in action in agri supply chains, please take 4.5 minutes which shows how Infosys blockchain can help to create a trusted network and enable stakeholders' transactions through smart contracts.

Agricultural supply chain involves complex interconnected processes between various stakeholders. The typical challenges include tracking provenance and Place of origin, tracing custodian information, lack of trust & transparency between stakeholders leading to potential delays in downstream decision making.

1.1 Let’s meet Iberchain

IMPLEMENTATION OF Blockchain Technology in the meat value chain labelled as Iberian 100% Autochthonous Breed

Spotlight on Iberchain, Spain

The agri-food industry is the largest industrial subsector in the Spanish economy2 (Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, 2021). According to key reports, it is in need of renewal and requires a thorough digital transformation. Additionally, the firms in the sector are small compared to its European counterparts,which increases their difficulty to compete on a larger scale.

The IBERCHAIN Operational Group | Grupo Operativo IBERCHAIN was founded to tackle to food fraud and the need to improve the traceability of meat.  With the implementation of a differentiated quality brand (100% native Iberian breed), and the technology that has established itself as the most reliable and effective today: the Blockchain,  it is now possible to identify 100% Iberian pig without margin of error.

The Problem that affected the consumer and the producer to the same extent: fraud. Only 13% of the total Iberian pigs produced in Spain correspond to 100% Iberian pigs. The rest are pigs crossed with another non-Iberian breed although they are called Iberian.

High-precision verification controls

Verification controls are made on the slaughter line from an intelligent measurement system that integrates two technologies: 

  1. the microelectronic bioimpedance which through a non-destructive function obtains a pattern of the electrical properties of the meat tissue 
  2. NIRS technology which acts through a beam of light that is scattered by the meat piece and is collected again by the device. The difference between the emitted and reflected image generates a unique spectrum that makes it possible to distinguish the purity of the sample.

Blockchain as an anti-fraud technology

Once this double check has been carried out, it is the turn of the blockchain technology implemented by Cedesa Digital. The data collected in the production chain is recorded and validated to create an anti-fraud database of maximum security and total independence. This guarantees the traceability of the meats, an essential requirement to incorporate a new quality brand, 100% native Iberian breed.

This process serves to strengthen the reliability of the production chain and restore consumer confidence. It will also consolidate the prestige of Iberian in Spain and in the world. This is a giant step for the sector that opens the door to any producer and other food sectors. The Operational Group also pays special attention to demanding livestock practices that are more respectful of the natural environment, the Dehesa, counting on internal advice from the scientific community and private companies specialized in the matter.

1.2 Let’s meet Alpha Estate Winery, Greece

A blockchain message in a bottle

(a Blockchain) Message in a bottle (of wine)

Since 1997, Alpha Estate has operated as a state-of-the-art wine making experience and 220 ha privately owned vineyard in Greece, exporting to more than 30 countries around the globe.  It is a vertically integrated 45-person SME, implementing cutting-edge sustainable viticulture.

It’s first experience of blockchain was an ECA Blockchain Event in Luxembourg in November 2018, leading to  receiving EU support. 

Source:  EU Blockchain Observatory | Online Workshop | November 23th 2020

A bottle of unique wine is:

  • A “primary information” (from the ecosystem and the grapes of an area)
  • “secured” into a bottle  that can last through time
  • More appealing to new ages/markets (gen Y and Z)
  • Truth Certified
  • Finally provide to the “end beneficiary” the “pleasure” and “utility” of this “preservation

Source:  EU Blockchain Observatory | Online Workshop | November 23th 2020

For Alpha Estate, the advantages of blockchain are:

  • Direct 1 to 1 connection between winemaker and final consumer
  • Advanced loyalty opportunities (traceability, geolocation)
  • Mediator-free markets
  • Real-time market survey
  • “Securely” interconnected customers
  • From vineyard-to-shelf intact info provided
  • Not just  for consumers but evangelists of the experience

And the Challenges/Bottlenecks:

  • No ready-to-use (out of the box) machinery
  • «Hand-made» solutions – Increased initial costs
  • Issues when trying to scale up the approach to all products
  • Difficult capacity building inside the company
  • Lack of Blockchain providers (with proven expertise)

1.3 Let’s meet Polish Premium Beef and other examples

Pilot Project on use of Blockchain and IoT Technologies

Polish Premium Beef was a pilot project on the use of blockchain and IoT technologies in cooperation between farmers, processors and advisers in high quality beef production.

Polish Premium Bief Pilot Project - Agreco | PDF | Sustainability | Foods (scribd.com)

From Oranges to Juice

In Brazil, Albert Heijn works with the orange groves of LDC Juice where the fruit is harvested. The oranges are picked by hand on the plantations and collected in large nets. In this step, the following certificates, controls and data are verified and added to the blockchain

  • Harvest period
  • Location and name of plantation
  • Rainforest Alliance Certificate
  • Responsible and ethical working conditions

Read more Juicy details: Albert Heijn uses blockchain to make orange juice production transparent | Ahold Delhaize

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