Blockchain-Enabled Circular Agri-food Systems: Advances and Applications

Abstract

The threat to global agri-food systems has been on the rise due to climate change, environmental degradation, and resource inefficiencies. This study examines the potential of blockchain technology, combined with digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to facilitate the transition to more circular and sustainable agri-food systems. The discussion relates the decentralized, immutable data model of blockchain to the concepts of the circular economy (CE) to enhance transparency, accountability, and value generation throughout agricultural production, clean energy generation, and resource recovery. The potential of blockchain to remove information asymmetry, lower transaction fees, and secure data integrity is used to support new nutrient recycling mechanisms, renewable energy trading, and carbon credit markets. The successful application of blockchain-driven models in Europe, India, Africa, and Latin America has proven the resource efficiency, sustainable biomass feedstocks, and smallholder empowerment using fair and automated payment systems. The socio-economic dimensions are also addressed, and the emphasis is on inclusiveness, fair distribution of benefits, and compatibility of regulations in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study finds that blockchain-enabled circular agri-food systems provide a credible, data-driven solution to a sustainable environment and socio-economic transformation.