Figure 6: A system overview for automating the Soybean traceability using Ethereum Smart Contracts11.
This blockchain framework encompasses seven entities- seed companies, farmers, grain elevators (where grains are monitored for quality), grain processor (converts grain to final product), distributor, retailer and customer. Identifiers such as serialized Global Trade Identification Numbers (GTIN) or equivalents, which include the specific company prefix, are used to identify soybean seeds sold by seed companies. In the agricultural product supply chain, standard identifiers facilitate digital connectivity and tracking capabilities of products and transactions. Farmers buy seeds from seed companies and plant them. The farmer records the details of the crop growth in the decentralized file system, IPFS, at regular intervals. Smart contracts store the IPFS hash of the crop growth images and the time-stamped crop growth images11). Apart from ensuring supply chain transparency, smart contracts can be deployed to ensure that food items meet certain environmental or social criteria (such as criteria related to sustainability)45.
However, smart contracts are by no means a silver bullet. Smart contract failures have already occurred. These contracts have been further classified as prodigal, suicide, and greedy. Prodigal contracts are those that have fallen into the hands of hackers, rerouting the Ethers in this instance. This fraud resulted in crypto-currencies reaching a fraudulent address and becoming the property of the fraudster who was placed between the contracting party and the crypto-intended currency’s recipient. Suicide contracts are those that are terminated when the attacker activates an exit requirement. It is possible that an exit clause has been implemented incorrectly, as has already occurred, and the resulting consequences are swift. Under the guise of a legal act, the incorrect party ends up with all the encrypted funds associated with the smart contract. Additionally, it should be noted that insufficient protection of the information contained in one of these contracts results in funds being transferred to unauthorised locations. Greedy contracts may be the result of poor practice or miswriting, but the fact remains that the contracting party will lose legitimacy in order to receive its encrypted currency. It becomes uncontrollable and terminates the contract. This is an illustration of economic loss as a result of a vulnerability failure46and could easily undermine agricultural sustainability blockchain applications.
Potential Role of Geospatial Data
The data requirements for establishing agricultural commodity provenance, tracking growing and processing conditions along with ensuring food safety standards are being met needs are fulfilled using technological solutions including the Internet-of-Things (IoT), RFID technology and geospatial products among others.