Origin and History of AI, IoT and Blockchain Technology and their Pertinence in Food Supply Chain Management

In a world where hunger and malnourishment are still a matter of concern, food loss, wastage, and its timely availability must be addressed immediately. Based on an extensive literature review and secondary data, this manuscript has tried to come up with holistic, contemporary solutions for food supply chain management. Against this backdrop, tools viz., IoT, AI, and blockchain will not only manage food loss, wastage, and timely availability but also revamp transparency, food quality and safety. IoT architecture offers tracking solutions through measurement, network, service, and application layers using various sensors and WiFi-connected devices. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things are becoming significant facilitators of supply chain management (SCM) optimization. The adoption of AI technology has been associated with a 15% reduction in logistics costs, a 35% reduction in inventory levels, and a 65% increase in customer service levels. It assists in demand forecasting, enhanced safety, cost saving, boosting revenue, and chiefly on-time delivery. Block Chain Technology (BCT) system can be programmed to record and track food supply chain transactions. Chhattisgarh in India has developed the Centralized Online RealTime Electronic Public Distribution System (CORE-PDS) and has become a model state in the ‘Public Distribution System (PDS)’. Unfortunately, Chhattisgarh’s model fell prey to scams viz., bogus ration cards, irregularities in rice stock, and poor quality rice and salt samples collected, which were unsuitable for human consumption because of no mid-term audit and monitoring. The chapter concludes that all these anomalies would not have happened to such an extent or have been addressed timely if the technological trinity viz., IoT, AI, and Blockchain, had been incorporated judiciously into the PDS system. 

Keywords: Blockchain, Chhattisgarh’s PDS Model, Food Supply Chain, Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs).