Blockchain provider BlockApps collaborated with Bayer Crop Science to develop its TraceHarvest Network, a food traceability platform that tracks crops from purchasing the seed. Bayer has been an active user of the network for the past two years in the U.S. and Brazil.
The Ethereum-based solution differentiates itself from other agricultural supply chain blockchains by tracking seeds prior to planting. That includes where they are from and where they were bought.
Manual tracking of data in the agriculture sector is costly and inefficient, putting businesses at greater risk of compliance violations in the supply chain, especially with international trading involved. Farmers are subject to numerous compliance requirements such as the impact of pesticides on the environment, whether they can use genetically modified seeds and sustainable farming practices.
TraceHarvest aims to optimize farmers and business operations by enabling them to bring products to markets faster and safely through tracing compliance in production with international regulations. The network is open to all supply chain participants such as manufacturers, distributors and technology providers.
“Using TraceHarvest in production has allowed us to drive operational efficiencies, create value and have greater visibility, transparency and compliance throughout the entire food supply and value chain,” said Michael Pareles, Digital Strategy and Growth Lead at Bayer Crop Science.
BlockApps claims the network is highly scalable and allows members to add business processes, use cases and tech integrations onto the same platform.
Going forward, BlockAppps envisions the platform could be used for carbon offsetting crediting and food safety recalls. Furthermore, it claims that data sharing on the network can be used to drive and reward sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.
Meanwhile, Bayer has a partnership with Ant Group for blockchain solutions in the Asian food industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is exploring the use of blockchain for tracing regulatory compliance for organic agriculture.