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AIMS Agriculture and Food

2021, Volume 6, Issue 2: 560-577. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2021033
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Research article Special Issues

Exploring opportunities and challenges to the adoption of blockchain technology in the fresh produce value chain

  • 1.
    Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, viale Giuseppe Fanin 50, 40127, Bologna, Italy
  • 2.
    Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, LN6 7TS, Lincoln, UK
  • Received: 05 January 2021 Accepted: 29 April 2021 Published: 06 May 2021

  • This study investigates the attitudes and perceptions of businesses and consumers towards the application of Blockchain technology (BCT) to fresh produce supply chains. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups (FG) were performed with fresh produce company managers and consumers, respectively. The fresh produce sector, in this context, concerns the fresh and chill chain, value-added vegetables, fruits and salads and the ingredients of these used in further food value-added processes and products. A total of five themes were identified as factors influencing BCT adoption: the novelty of the technology, supply chain characteristics, open data issues, cost-benefit analysis, and role of public stakeholders. From these, twelve sub-themes were developed and discussed. Findings provide a framework with opportunities and challenges that the fresh produce system must face in adopting decentralised systems for managing supply chain data like BCT.

    Citation: Ralph Kwadwo Osei, Marco Medici, Martin Hingley, Maurizio Canavari. Exploring opportunities and challenges to the adoption of blockchain technology in the fresh produce value chain[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2021, 6(2): 560-577. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2021033

    Related Papers:

  • This study investigates the attitudes and perceptions of businesses and consumers towards the application of Blockchain technology (BCT) to fresh produce supply chains. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups (FG) were performed with fresh produce company managers and consumers, respectively. The fresh produce sector, in this context, concerns the fresh and chill chain, value-added vegetables, fruits and salads and the ingredients of these used in further food value-added processes and products. A total of five themes were identified as factors influencing BCT adoption: the novelty of the technology, supply chain characteristics, open data issues, cost-benefit analysis, and role of public stakeholders. From these, twelve sub-themes were developed and discussed. Findings provide a framework with opportunities and challenges that the fresh produce system must face in adopting decentralised systems for managing supply chain data like BCT.


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