Blockchain for Food Supply Chain: Trust, Traceability, and Transparency Enhancement, How Can Africa Benefit?

To put it simply, blockchain is a digital ledger that records the transactions of a decentralized network in which all participants control the databases, and no one can alter the transaction history. From a technical standpoint, a blockchain is a chain of data blocks connected by cryptographic hashes; these blocks contain transaction information and are themselves composed of a header and body; the header stores data from the previous block as well as a timestamp, a Nonce, and the Merkle root, while the body stores confirmed transactions. Trust, transparency, decentralization, and security are just a few of the numerous features of blockchain that make it an innovative and precise technology capable of addressing a wide range of issues. This chapter makes use of an experimental design and a comprehensive literature review to investigate the role of blockchain technology in the food supply chain. The study analyzed how Africa could benefit from the use of blockchain technology to increase trust, traceability, and transparency in the food supply chain. Finally, suggestions for what the African government can do to make use of blockchain technology are rounded up in this chapter.