Blockchain in agricultural value chains of developing economies – progress, challenges, and future pathways

W. J. de Lange, M. van der Merwe, K. Takawira and C. J. van Rooyen

Agrekon, 2025, vol. 64, issue 2, 130-148

Abstract: Blockchain technology has been evolving with widespread applications where it enables timestamping and transfer of goods based on cryptographic proof instead of trust. This allows parties to transact without a trusted third party, which lowers transaction costs and supports efficient trade. Although sharing almost tamper-proof records is a significant benefit of blockchain, several authors caution against presenting the technology as a silver bullet for authenticity-related challenges. We review agricultural applications of the technology in developing economies to reflect on the ability and readiness of blockchain to authenticate/verify credence quality attributes in agricultural value chains of these economies. We found that developing economies are still well served by centralised, digital cloud-based data storage, which does not require the decentralisation capability provided by blockchain. The application of blockchain for agriculture in these economies therefore depend on fast-tracking the digitisation of agricultural value chains. We highlight the physical transformation of agricultural commodities as a major challenge to blockchain in general and list some research priorities for successful uptake in the future.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/03031853.2025.2495245

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