Application of Blockchain Technology in the Agri-Food System: A Systematic Bibliometric Analysis and Policy Imperatives

Blockchain technology (BCT), since its emergence touted to be disruptive, is gaining momentum especially in the agri-food system owing to its multiple benefits. In the paper, we attempted to conduct a systematic bibliometric analysis of the BCT in the agri-food system. The analysis comprises the list of countries and institutions that conducted research on BCT in the agriculture, growth trend analysis in research publications, bibliographic coupling of journals, countries and institutions researching on BCT. This bibliometric analysis discovered that many researchers have started exploring the implementation of BCT in agriculture sector and its application to resolve various issues in internet of things (IoT). China, the USA and India were the highly active countries in BCT research and publication, however, India is having very a limited research collaboration with other countries as compared to China and the USA. The keyword analysis indicates the role of BCT in order to maintain the transparency of supply chain by means of protecting privacy of personal data of the core members. The analysis indicates that, inter alia, BCT offers multiple benefits and scope in the agri-food system in terms of enabling food safety and traceability, timely and transparent payment mechanism, record keeping, efficient supply chain management, and, warranting credit as well as insurance in the agri-food system. The paper also discusses the opportunities and challenges at the forefront followed by policy implications targeted for different stakeholders. Future research should aim to formulate policies in order to encourage implications of BCT in agricultural supply chain along with incorporating blockchain as a fragile sector in agriculture for ensuring undistorted competition among the stakeholders.