Blockchain in the Agrifood Sector: Opportunities and Challenges

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1 Blockchain in the Agrifood Sector: Opportunities and Challenges Dr Seamus O Reilly Department of Food Business & Development Cork University Business School UCC s.oreilly@ucc.ie

2 Overview 1. Intro to Blockchain 2. Food Supply Chains challenges where Blockchain might help 3. Examples of early application 4. Key questions

3 Blockchain is a distributed (shared) ledger used to track transactions (or file digital records) every time a transaction is completed (and verified) it is added as a block to the chain each block has specific information (hash) that identifies it and links it to the previous one once verified cannot be change (immutable).

4 Origins and applications Origins in Computer Science in domains of cryptography and data structures - Ralph Merkle in 1979 Application for crypto currencies e.g. Bitcoin (Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008) Open Blockchain with proof of work miners verifying transactions Main elements: Distributed ledger, Immutability, protocol Applications expanded to a variety of transactions Permissioned Blockchains for enterprise level applications How is verification done How scalable is it? Shared Traceable Transparent

5 Is it all hype? Gartner s positioning on their Hype Cycle

6 What are the opportunities to enhance supply chain management? Digitizing Global Trade with Maersk and IBM tizing-global-trade-maersk-ibm/ January 2018, Maersk and IBM announced the intention to establish a new blockchain Since the collaboration started in June 2016, multiple parties have piloted the platform including DuPont, Dow Chemical, Tetra Pak, Port Houston, Rotterdam Port Community System Portbase, the Customs Administration of the Netherlands, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.. The cost of global trade is estimated at $1.8 trillion annually with potential savings from more efficient process of ~10 percent. The cost and size of the world s trading ecosystems continues to grow in complexity.

7 Applications in logistics

8 So what can it do for us? Emphasis on Transparency Decline in consumer & citizen trust in food systems Complexity of food supply chain - Transparency can be difficult to achieve - Traceability can be complicated - Scale and bureaucracy adds cost Blockchain as a Consumer Centric - economic agency back in the hands of consumers Blockchain as a Distributed Ledger Opportunity to increase access to data and decrease costs

9 So what can it do for us? provides a unique opportunity to bring greater efficiency, transparency and traceability to the exchange of value and information in the agriculture sector. (August 2018)

10 Applications in food supply chains IBM Food Trust A group of leading companies across the global food supply chain today announced a major blockchain collaboration with IBM intended to further strengthen consumer confidence in the global food system. It can take weeks to identify the precise point of contamination, causing further illness, lost revenue and wasted product. ress_food_safety_worldwide

11 Walmart tells leafy greens suppliers to use blockchain posted by Francis Churchill, in Supply chain, Technology (CIPS) 3 October 2018 Walmart has told all its suppliers of leafy greens to sign up to its blockchain solution by this time next year. In an open letter, the retailer said it expected all suppliers of fresh leafy greens to Walmart stores and Sam s Club wholesalers to have end-to-end traceability through blockchain by the end of September Carrefour rolls out blockchain across supply chains posted by Alex Daniel, in Supply chain Technology (CIPS) 10 October 2018 planning to apply the shared ledger to its premium Quality Line range, which includes French and Norwegian chicken, salmon, eggs, milk, tomatoes and cheese, by the end of the year. The French company will use IBM s blockchain platform, Food Trust, to track the products, following the lead of Walmart, Unilever and Nestlé who are also trialling the technology.

12 Ripe.io And Its 'Blockchain Of Food' Secures $2.4 Million In Funding Forbes Sep 11, 2018, A sensor stands in a tomato field at Wards Berry Farm in Sharon, Massachusetts, U.S., on Tuesday, Oct. 24, An ex-banker at Wells Fargo & Co. and a former executive at Nasdaq Inc. decided to leave finance to start Ripe.io, which uses blockchain in agriculture, and has big aspirations to weave it through the food supply chain Blockchain technology could potentially be used to create a whole new level of transparency in the food system. The data [that s now] stuck in all the different silos throughout the [food] supply chain [can be brought] together into this magical object that we ve designed called a food bundle,

13 Arc-net and Scottish distillery in blockchain link-up with Belfast-based company achieves world first with Adelphi Ardnamurchan Distillery Thu, Oct 5, 2017, 05:21

14 Ben & Jerry s launched a blockchain initiative to let customers offset their carbon footprint at a London ice cream shop opened this summer. info.trendwatching.com While Ben & Jerry s have pledged to purchase carbon credits to offset the negative impact of each scoop, customers are also invited to offset their purchase as well by donating an additional penny. By the end of the onemonth pilot, Londoners had helped save 1,000 trees, covering the equivalent of 77 tennis courts.

15 Questions/Discussion Points Arising? Opportunities/Benefits Potential role in address need for transparency (societal & consumer issues). What are the opportunities to enhance supply chain management? What type of Blockchain is appropriate Including do I need it?! Permissioning (Private and Consortium types) How scalable is it (in-chain or off-chain)? Decisions/challenges? How is data verified? Data security If I share my data how do I know it won t be used for other purposes? Brand Integrity Authenticity Access