Blockchain-Based Transparency and Data Provenance in the Wine Value Chain

Abstract

The food market is changing dramatically in the last century as the world population is growing with the unprecedented pace. The wine industry is recognized as part of both agriculture and food industry, but also as a commodity. Developments in information technology and digitalization are playing a major role in the introduction of new solutions in agriculture and food production. The idea is to improve productivity of farms and vineyards, improve quality of agriculture products by optimizing irrigation, pesticide usage, and overall efficiency of the process. Furthermore, the consumer awareness about food products, its quality and origin, is on the constant rise. The information about the product throughout the whole “farm-to-fork”, or in this case “vineyard-to-glass”, value chain needs to be collected and utilized by all the participating stakeholders, in order to get a better, healthier, and more affordable product. This paper address the considerations related to implementation of a blockchain-based transparency and data provenance in the food value chain, more specifically with a focus on the wine industry.