Food-Block: IoT–Blockchain-Based

Framework for Agriculture Food Supply

Chain

Martin Parmar and Parth Shah

Abstract India has the second most massive agricultural food production in the
world. However, due to the shortfall of traditional agriculture food supply chain
management (SCM), India suffers significant food loss that affects the economy and
limits farmer income. Recently, blockchain has emerged as a potential substitution of
traditional food supply chain. Blockchain is a fully digitized technology that ensures
end-to-end integrity with complete transparency of data. Due to the advancement
of technology, traditional farming integrates with blockchain, Internet of Things
(IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and many other to bring significant innovation in
the agricultural and food supply process. The technologies accumulate processes and
analyze the information with minimum human intervention and with less error-prone
data. This paper carries existing research on agriculture food supply and identified the
potential of blockchain to address the issues. The paper proposed a blockchain-based
Food-Block framework with technical specifications for future system development
using IoT–blockchain integration.

Keywords Food supply chain · Blockchain · IoT–blockchain integration ·

Distributed ledger · Smart contract

1 Introduction

Advances in IoT technology have been paced in the previous decade, and presently,
there is a new expansion of technology such as blockchain and artificial intelligence
(AI). Earlier blockchain is known only for cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, which is
the first application of blockchain. A blockchain is an advanced exchange record kept
up by a system of different registering machines that do not depend on a confided

M. Parmar (B) · P. Shah

Chandubhai S. Patel Institute of Technology (CSPIT), Charotar University of Science and
Technology (CHARUSAT), Anand, Gujarat, India
e-mail: martinparmar.ce@charusat.ac.in
P. Shah
e-mail: parthshah.ce@charusat.ac.in

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 97
M. Tuba et al. (eds.), ICT Systems and Sustainability, Lecture Notes in Networks
and Systems 765, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5652-4_11
98 M. Parmar and P. Shah

outsider [1]. Distinct trade data records block regulated through express programming
stages that license the data to be transmitted, arranged, set aside, and addressed in
a coherent structure. The blockchain’s unique arrangement is such that every block
has a header in its block along with a stamp of the period, trade data, and the link to
the previous block. A hash is being made for every block and becomes implied in
the heading of the next block. Figure 1 presents brief information of each parameter
of block-header.
All the blocks maintain a single long chain. The blocks are added in a chronolog-
ical fashion after another block shown in Fig. 2. The block is validated by the miners
after finding the correct nonce given in the block-header. To find the correct nonce,
miners must invest their computing power to generate more hashrate to validate the
block among the rest of the miners. On successfully validating the block, the miner
broadcasts the correct nonce to other miners into the network. The final consent
will be given after verifying the given nonce by the miners as per the proof-of-work
(PoW) consensus mechanism. Finally, the block is added into blockchain immutably
to all distributed ledgers.

Fig. 1 Block-header

Fig. 2 Block of chain

Food-Block: IoT–Blockchain-Based Framework for Agriculture Food … 99

Fig. 3 Movements of food and money in a food supply chain

Blockchain’s main feature is that it keeps a transparent view among the network
of nodes, and it works on the agreement of the nodes [2]. The consensus algorithm
forms a critical mechanism in creating the new blocks in the blockchain network.
Consensus algorithms such as proof-of-work (PoW), proof-of-stake (PoS), and proof-
of-authority (PoA) are being used to verify nodes to be added [3].
The blockchain-based supply chain promises the reliability of traceability and
authentication and removes the intermediary person [4]. The applications of
blockchain in supply chains are extended with the assistance of the Internet of Things
(IoT) and machines providing operational data subsequently [5].

1.1 Food Supply Chain

As shown in Fig. 3, the food goes through multiple parties such as farmers, interme-
diaries, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailer, and finally, it comes in the hand of the
customer. Thus, the movement of food from the farmer to the customer and money
has a domino-like movement. The money goes in the opposite direction of the food
from the customer to the farmer, the retailer, distributor, and processor [6].

1.2 Food Safety

The safety of the food lies within the caring of food, keeping it away from contamina-
tion, and ensuring that the food saves enough supplements in it to have a good impact
of food on the person eating it [6]. Menacing food and water show that the food may
infect through the germs or contain germs that can cause illnesses or contamination
of food.
100 M. Parmar and P. Shah

1.3 Food Security

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there is food security
when all people consistently have physical, social, and financial access to adequate,
sheltered, and nutritional nourishment that meets their dietary needs and nourishment
inclinations for a functioning and solid life. Achieving this goal has proven to be
incredibly challenging due to the compassionate situations brought on by ecological
disasters, terrible political and ethnic conflicts, etc.

1.4 Food Integrity

Food sharing within the supply chain is a component of food integrity. Every stake-
holder (farmer, distributor, processor, and retailer) should provide the most precise
information possible on the products’ place of origin. This issue is extremely stressful
in China, where incredibly rapid development has created real problems with straight
imposition. By using blockchain techniques, food associations can reduce food fraud
by promptly identifying and connecting outbursts to their unique sources [6].

2 Blockchain for Food Supply Chain

The food supply chain is a combination of more than one stakeholder. The different
stakeholders in a food supply chain can be farmers, distributors, shipping compa-
nies, retailers, food processors, and finally, the consumer. Figure 4 shows how each
stakeholder interacts with blockchain by storing and retrieves information securely
[7]. Each stakeholder can verify and monitor the product into supply chain network
using blockchain.
Following are essential stakeholders that involve the different phases of supply
chain ecosystem.
• Production: Here, the production refers to the food production from the food
producers, i.e., the farmers [8]. It represents the agricultural activities and all
types of fertilizers, pesticides, and other materials used to produce the food.
• Processing of food: The food processing phase concerns the transformation of
the raw food to product, whether it can be partial or complete. The batch code is
being processed and can be stored on the block [8].
• Distribution: When the product is ready after packing, it is ready for distribution
to the sellers. In addition, there can be possibilities depending on the product that
can be stored or the approximate time it will take to reach the seller.
• Retailer: The grocer or the retailers are the buyers from distributors, which provide
the food to the end users (customers).
Food-Block: IoT–Blockchain-Based Framework for Agriculture Food … 101

Fig. 4 Food supply chain

system with blockchain

• Consumption: The consumer is the last key of this chain, who will buy the food
product/item, and can trace the details of the product from the farm to the fork.
Table 1 shows the above-listed stakeholders with their key role and issues using
conventional supply chain process. The table also highlights potential solutions from
different research papers.
Table 1 highlights following potential of blockchain.
• To address the issue of information traceability since the inception to final delivery
of the food [13].
• To provide fine open transparency to all the involving stakeholders to inspect and
monitor the food during its entire life cycle.
• Decentralized nature of blockchain brings all the participants on common plat-
forms and enforces the trust management using distributed consensus mecha-
nisms.
• To store information in persistent storage which cannot be modified by anyone.

3 Food-Block Framework

Figure 5 presents the proposed framework based on the blockchain for agricul-
ture food supply chain ecosystem. The framework consists of the following main
operations to execute the entire supply chain system.
• Registration of all stakeholders such as farmers, manufacturer, distributors,
suppliers, and end customers into blockchain network using valid crypto wallet.
• A crypto wallet generates public and private keys. All the stakeholders have their
own Account-ID as public key to make any transaction. The private key is kept
secure which is used to sign the transaction.
• Farmers store their food details into blockchain network after validating and
verifying.
102 M. Parmar and P. Shah

Table 1 Food supply chain stakeholders [9–12]

Stakeholder Role Issues Solution by blockchain
Food The creators are How to choose the Keep track of and record facts that
producer farmers, agricultural right fertilizers and cannot be changed, such as the use
businesses, and treatments, plant of pesticides, fertilizers, and the
producers of any their crops, choose water cycle
final food product the right seeds or Transparency and place
other raw materials,
decide when to
harvest, etc.
Supplier Make it possible for How to move raw Check the quality of the product
items to be materials in an while it is in transit by avoiding
transported from environment that can losses and regularly checking
fields to storage support food variables like temperature and
facilities and production while humidity
processing plants moving raw
Establish links materials quickly to
among merchants, their destination
distributors, and How to guarantee
other middlemen in producer, distributor,
the food processing and retailer
industry transparency
Food Large-scale food How to perform Exhibit a high level of trust and
processor producers sell their manual tasks such as confidence by providing clear and
products to private or packaging goods for trustworthy details about
public businesses, sale processed food products, such as
who buy them in The best way to the source of the raw ingredients,
their natural state inspect the input the input quality, the process
product’s quality is parameters, the genuineness,
crucial for this storage conditions, etc.
stakeholder Charge more for its products due
to increased visibility and trust.
Visibility will also aid in
eradicating waste and
inefficiencies
Retailer Retailers are How to examine the Maintain end-to-end visibility of
businesses that products’ the products during their full path
contact with provenance, quality, from the farm to the shelf
customers directly, and shelf life. If any Address product-related problems,
such as retail chains, harm is done to the improve chain-wide responsibility,
online merchants, customers, they may and boost customer happiness
and brick-and-mortar also be subject to
stores legal action
Consumer The final users of How to provide value Obtaining clear and dependable
food goods are for money in light of access to the cycle of food
consumer their top priority of products allows for a trusted
receiving the best environment and improved brand
products possible at experience
all costs
Food-Block: IoT–Blockchain-Based Framework for Agriculture Food … 103

Fig. 5 Food-Block blockchain framework

• Manufacturer or food processing industry can see all the details about farmers
with their products and process to purchase.
• Manufacturer forms end product and make an entry into blockchain network. All
the products will be managed into different lots.
• Distributors and supplier can see different manufacturers with products and
process to buy the products. The distributor and supplier can see the origin of
products.
• Manufacturer, distributors and suppliers can see the number of stocks held by any
stakeholders into the supply chain system.
• Retailers and customers can see the entire life cycle of the final product from
the blockchain network.

3.1 IoT–Blockchain Integration

The model presented in Fig. 6 handles data generation, analysis, and storing informa-
tion after quality check into the blockchain network [14]. The information is verified
and inspected at each and every stage such as farm fields, transportation, and finally
at retailer shop.
The data are captured using IoT devices on the fields. IoT devices bring the atom-
ization using a sensor to monitor soil conditions, crop details, water level, tempera-
ture, and past control [15]. These result in better crop analysis and increase produc-
tivity of agriculture food. Data analytics and food quality checking are performed
using advanced technology artificial intelligence and machine learning [16].
104 M. Parmar and P. Shah

Fig. 6 IoT–blockchain integration

All the information after quality testing is stored and processed through smart
contract into blockchain network. Stakeholders such as manufacturer or food proces-
sors may check the required information from blockchain. A food inspection is also
performed during transportation, especially for those foods that must maintain certain
temperature levels using sensor devices [17]. All the data are processed and stored
deterministic through a smart contract that enforces rules and regulation of handling
data [18]. Blockchain provides a complete transparent view to monitor the condition
of food during the entire lifespan of the product.

3.2 Decentralized Application Flow

Figure 7 shows technical flow of application integration with blockchain network.

There are main five components of the system.
1. Web browser with wallet integration.
2. Software interface such as UI/UX to interact with blockchain in order to store
and retrieve information.
3. Providers are kind of blockchain services offered by third party such as INFURA,
QuickNode, and Alchemy to set up blockchain network.
4. Smart contract development and testing.
5. Storing smart contract to Ethereum virtual machine or other platforms such as
Polygon and Solana.
Food-Block: IoT–Blockchain-Based Framework for Agriculture Food … 105

Fig. 7 Application integration with blockchain

Off-chain data storage IPFS is used to store the volume of information in files that
returns unique hash. The unique hash will be stored and mapped with a blockchain-
distributed ledger. This will minimize storage usage and increase the performance.

3.3 Blockchain Platforms and Electric Load Consumption

Figure 8 builds on the data generated from CCRI Crypto Sustainability API Indices.
The chart provides context for annualized electricity load and presumptively
reflects consistent electricity use at the time. The horizontal axis represents different
blockchain platforms available to develop decentralized application. The vertical axis
represents electric load in megawatt as well as electric consumption in megawatt per
hour.
All the data are based on proof-of-stack (PoS) consensus mechanisms. In case
of proof-of-work (PoW), electric load and consumption increase drastically as PoW
consumes more electric power for mining.
106 M. Parmar and P. Shah

Fig. 8 Proof-of-stack electric load consumption data

4 Conclusion

Blockchain is one of the revolutionary technologies that brings transparency, end-to-

end information tracking, and information tracing. Several studies have shown the
potential of blockchain for the use cases such as supply chain and agriculture along
with IoT integration; however, but none of the work has practical implementation of
the exact model or framework to complete technical flow with analysis. The frame-
work Food-Block is tested with five nodes, but it does not have any limit to extend
the nodes in the future as the network starts to grow. The stakeholders or the end
users can access information stored in blockchain using web or mobile applications.
For the better performance, we are not keeping all information in blockchain, but we
maintain additional information on the local storage server. In the future work, we
will test the entire blockchain network using different blockchain-based platforms
and integrate the artificial intelligence (AI) for better food quality analysis.

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