IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Magazine - October 2022 - 40

where the latest facilities and technologies have not
been introduced. Also, the people in developing or
developed states are using old implements for the cultivation
of fields as they do have not complete knowledge
about the benefits of using machines. But one of
the problems, besides the shortage of machines, is that
the area for cultivation is too small. Because of these
small units, permission is not granted for the use of
such machines [11].
Inadequate Transport Facilities
Transport facilities are one of the major problems why
Indian agriculture suffers greatly. Currently, lakhs of villages
still exist where the connectivity with main roads is
inadequate. Bullock carts are used by farmers, and they
cannot be used in the rainy season [12]. Because of the
lack of proper connectivity, good roads, and nearby markets,
farmers are unable to reach the main markets with
their products and have to sell them to the middlemen or
in the local markets.
Inadequate Monetary Support
Every start-up or business requires capital for the management
and growth of the business. In the same way, farming
also requires an investment of money. But because they
are selling their products at throwaway prices, farmers are
unable to invest. So monetary support is also a task for the
government to undertake. It could introduce some scheme
that could help the farmers in that way.
The Proposed Methodology
Distributed ledger and blockchain technologies in
agriculture are reengineering several current farming
processes, from tracing the origin of food, to tracking
customer demand, to settling transactions, and even
creating new marketplaces. Given the fast development
of blockchain technology, it is essential to keep abreast
of its breakthroughs and advancements in the agricultural
industry if one wants to remain one step ahead of
the competitors. Here, we have proposed a framework
according to our different research objectives, as ex -
plained in the last section.
Proposed New Model to Improve Food Safety and
Quality Control Using Blockchain Technology
Tracing the food supply chain is essential for determining
the source of food. It makes certain that the food that
is provided is safe to consume. However, the existing
management of the food supply chain makes it difficult
for food producers and merchants to verify the provenance
of the food they sell to consumers. But it has
become feasible, thanks to the development of the blockchain,
to instill confidence and openness in the food supply
chain network, thereby assuring the safety of food
for all consumers. Figure 2 shows the proposed architecture
to Improved food safety and quality control using
blockchain technology.
How might the blockchain-based food supply chain help
Application
Layer
Consumer
Complete Information
of Food Supply Chain
Activity
to minimize the incidence of food fraud? The following
methods may assist in decreasing food
fraud in the food supply chain using the
blockchain technology:
◆ Step 1: IoT sensors generate data, or
farmers store data, as appropriate.
◆ Step 2: Harvested crops are transported
to food-processing businesses.
◆ Step 3: Processed foods are distributed
to retailers and wholesalers.
Blockchain
Layer
Smart Contract
Digital Flow
Layer
Physical Flow
Layer
Farmer Processor Distributor Retailer Customer
Figure 2. A proposed architecture to improve food safety and quality
control using blockchain technology.
40 IEEE SYSTEMS, MAN, & CYBERNETICS MAGAZINE October 2022
Step 1: IoT sensors generate data,
or farmers store data, as appropriate
The use of sensors in smart farming, as
stated in use case 2 (Improved food safety
and quality control), allows for the generation
of critical information about the crops
that are planted in the fields. Assume that
the farmers do not use technologically
based approaches. Then, by using their
mobile application, they may record critical
information, such as crop quality, kind
of seed, and the meteorological circumstances
under which crops were seeded. A
distributed storage platform, such as
InterPlanetary File System, is used to
◆ Step 4: Consumers can track the supply
chain from start to finish.
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