Traceability Model of Plantation Agricultural Products Based on Blockchain and InterPlanetary File System
Journal Title: Smart Agriculture - Year 2023, Vol 5, Issue 4
Abstract
[Objective]The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a peer-to-peer distributed file system, aiming to establish a global, open, and decentralized network for storage and sharing. Combining the IPFS and blockchain technology could alleviate the pressure on blockchain storage. The distinct features of the supply chain for agricultural products in the plantation industry, including extended production cycles, multiple, heterogeneous data sources, and relatively fragmented production, which can readily result in information gaps and opacity throughout the supply chain; in the traceability process of agricultural products, there are issues with sensitive data being prone to leakage and a lack of security, and the supply chain of plantation agricultural products is long, and the traceability data is often stored in multiple blocks, which requires frequent block tracing operations during tracing, resulting in low efficiency. Consequently, the aim of this study is to fully encapsulate the decentralized nature of blockchain, safeguard the privacy of sensitive data, and alleviate the storage strain of blockchain.[Method]A traceability model for plantation-based agricultural products was developed, leveraging the hyperledger fabric consortium chain and the IPFS. Based on data type, traceability data was categorized into structured and unstructured data. Given that blockchain ledgers were not optimized for direct storage of unstructured data, such as images and videos, to alleviate the storage strain on the blockchain, unstructured data was persisted in the IPFS, while structured data remains within the blockchain ledger. Based on data privacy categories, traceability data was categorized into public data and sensitive data. Public data was stored in the public ledger of hyperledger fabric, while sensitive data was stored in the private data collection of hyperledger fabric. This method allowed for efficient data access while maintaining data security, enhancing the efficiency of traceability. Hyperledger Fabric was the foundational platform for the development of the prototype system. The front-end website was based on the TCP/IP protocol stack. The website visualization was implemented through the React framework. Smart contracts were crafted using the Java programming language. The performance of the application layer interface was tested using the testing tool Postman.[Conclusions and Discussions]The blockchain-based plantation agricultural product traceability system was structured into a five-tiered architecture, starting from the top: the application layer, gateway layer, contract layer, consensus layer, and data storage layer. The primary service providers at the application layer were the enterprises and consumers involved in each stage of the traceability process. The gateway layer served as the middleware between users and the blockchain, primarily providing interface support for the front-end interface of the application layer. The contract layer mainly included smart contracts for planting, processing, warehousing, transportation, and sales. The consensus layer used the EtcdRaft consensus algorithm. The data storage layer was divided into the on-chain storage layer of the blockchain ledger and the off-chain storage layer of the IPFS cluster. In terms of data types, each piece of traceability data was categorized into structured data items and unstructured data items. Unstructured data was stored in the Interstellar File System cluster, and the returned content identifiers were integrated with the structured data items into the blockchain nodes within the traceability system. In the realm of data privacy, smart contracts were employed to segregate public and sensitive data, with public data directly integrating onto the blockchain, and sensitive data, adhering to predefined sharing policies, being stored in a private dataset designated by hyperledger fabric. In terms of user queries, consumers could retrieve product traceability information via a traceability system overseen by a reputable authority. The developed model website consisted of three parts: a login section, an agricultural product circulation information management and user data management section for enterprises in various links, and a traceability data query section for consumers. When using synchronous and asynchronous Application Program Interfaces, the average data on-chain latency was 2 138.9 and 37.6 ms, respectively, and the average data query latency was 12.3 ms. Blockchain, as the foundational data storage technology, enhances the credibility and transaction efficiency in agricultural product traceability.[Conclusions]This study designed and implemented a plantation agricultural product traceability model leveraging blockchain technology's private dataset and the IPFS cluster. This model ensured secure sharing and storage of traceability data, particularly sensitive data, across all stages. Compared to traditional centralized traceability models, it enhanced the reliability of the traceability data. Based on the evaluation through experimental systems, the traceability model proposed in this study effectively safeguarded the privacy of sensitive data in enterprises. Additionally, it offered high efficiency in data linking and querying. Applicable to the real-world traceability environment of plantation agricultural products, it showed potential for widespread application and promotion, offering fresh insights for designing blockchain traceability models in this sector. The model is still in its experimental phase and lacks applications across various types of crops in the farming industry. The subsequent step is to apply the model in real-world scenarios, continually enhance its efficiency, refine the model, advance the practical application of blockchain technology, and lay the foundation for agricultural modernization.
Authors and Affiliations
CHEN Dandan,ZHANG Lijie,JIANG Shuangfeng,ZHANG En,ZHANG Jie,ZHAO Qing,ZHENG Guoqing,LI Guoqiang,
Keywords
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