Blockchain for Sustainable Agri-Food Systems

Blockchain technology and blockchain-based information systems could transform the entire food industry by improving the food value chain integrity, and by contributing to ensuring safety, traceability, and authenticity. By using Blockchain, all the stakeholders in the food value chain could access key information, which can help to increase trust and confidence in food production, from farm to fork. Additionally, Blockchain technology can contribute to add value, as well as to balance market pricing, give additional information to stakeholders related to the sustainability of a specific food value chain, or support claims such as organic, superior quality, or fair trade. However, the real usefulness and full implementation of Blockchain in the different food value chains requires a careful analysis and balance of the consumer’s perspectives, companies’ expectations, and implementation costs. This is particularly relevant considering a large number of family businesses and SMEs in the agri-food arena.

This Research Topic aims to put the interaction of Blockchain technology and the agri-food sector into perspective, with a particular emphasis on novel applications based on nanosensors and nanomaterials. Regarding the complexity of the agri-food ecosystem, it is important to highlight both the current and future Blockchain applications in the agro-food industry as well as their respective impacts, challenges, limitations, and opportunities that this technology can bring to this complex ecosystem with multiple layers and players involved.

This Research Topic aims to gather the latest research results concerning blockchain technology and its application in the food and agriculture sectors. Researchers, experts, and scholars from both industry and academia are encouraged to present their recent results and research directions in this area. Both theoretical and experimental submissions are encouraged. Studies on the real-world application of blockchain technologies as solutions to food chain integrity and consumer trust are especially welcomed.

We welcome reviews, research articles, and short communication related to the applications of Blockchain technology for the agri-food systems.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Supply chain traceability and transparency with product analysis data (food, water, etc.)
• Blockchain use cases focusing on product analysis data and Blockchain
• Data models and standardisation for connecting product analysis data to Blockchain
• New devices (e.g. sensors / materials) connected to Blockchain

Keywords: Food System, Internet of things, Traceability, Blockchain, Sensors

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.