review · Heliyon
Blockchain and Internet of Things technologies offer notable potential to transform agricultural food supply chains across Africa by improving food safety and transparency. An evaluation of technical, economic, legal, and operational factors indicates that these digital tools can help tackle persistent challenges such as food contamination, food fraud, and wider systemic supply chain inefficiencies. However, deploying these innovations across diverse African contexts faces significant hurdles. Key obstacles include issues with technology scalability, cost-effectiveness, and the absence of adequate regulatory frameworks. For successful adoption, implementations must be context-sensitive, taking into account the wide variety of socio-economic and infrastructural realities across different nations. Strategic implementation and further targeted research are essential to navigate these operational barriers and develop secure, sustainable agricultural food systems that effectively leverage connected tracking and ledger systems.
Food fraud, contamination, and inefficiency pose persistent threats to food safety and consumer trust. By evaluating how blockchain and connected sensors could operate within African supply chains, this research highlights how emerging digital tracking tools can be adapted to practical local realities. It provides foundational guidance for developing more transparent, resilient, and secure food systems suited to varied regional infrastructures.
The work identifies potential applications in food traceability, fraud prevention, and contamination tracking for agricultural technology stakeholders, supply chain operators, and food safety regulators. However, practical deployment remains at an early, conceptual stage. Commercial rollout depends on overcoming major hurdles in cost-effectiveness, system scalability, and regulatory compliance, while developing solutions tailored to local infrastructural conditions before market-ready solutions can be broadly adopted across African supply chains.
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This review paper delves into the global agricultural food supply chains through the lens of African perspectives, examining the role of blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in transforming food traceability. It assesses the applicability and efficacy of these innovations in addressing critical issues such as food fraud, contamination, and systemic inefficiencies from an African viewpoint. By engaging in an in-depth analysis of relevant studies, this work dissects the technical, economic, legal, and operational facets of employing blockchain and IoT in the agri-food sector. The findings illuminate the transformative potential these technologies hold for enhancing food safety and transparency across supply chains. However, the review also brings to light significant hurdles related to scalability, cost-effectiveness, and regulatory frameworks that must be surmounted. Advocating for a context-sensitive application of blockchain and IoT, the paper highlights the importance of adapting these technologies to fit the diverse socio-economic and infrastructural realities prevalent in African countries. Offering valuable insights to stakeholders in agricultural technology and food safety, this comprehensive review outlines a roadmap for future research and strategic implementation efforts aimed at leveraging blockchain and IoT for the development of secure, sustainable food systems.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34584
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