A review on understanding blockchain technology in global supply chains; opportunities and challenges for agribusinesses

The present study was conducted to systematically investigate blockchain technology adopted in global supply chains, its potential opportunities and challenges of implementation. The Mendeley database was used to gather English papers on the blockchain domain. Descriptive finding s from the review showed that research on the topic was predominant in 2020, which could be attributed to the COVID-19 outbreak. Also, transparency, trust-building and traceability were the most acknowledged benefits of blockchain technology in supply chains. Despite these benefits, some underlying challenges impeding blockchain implementation include the high cost of adoption, limited knowledge on blockchain architecture, and lack of formal laws and regulations of blockchain platforms. Therefore, it is recommended that intense education and capacity-building training should be channelled to supply-chain firms. Further, government and stakeholders should focus on scaling the blockchain-enabled supply chain to ensure the continuous distribution of goods and services in the wake of any unforeseen pandemic such as COVID-19. As such, research targeted at investigating small-scale agribusinesses' readiness to accept blockchain technology would be necessary.