Blockchain technology and the sustainable development goals

Blockchain is an emerging technology from the Fourth Industrial Revolution that has the potential to be applied to different sectors and address issues related to sustainability. However, research on Blockchain has tended to focus on its technical characteristics, with no studies analysing its positive and negative impact on sustainability. This article presents an analysis of how this technology can help to achieve each one of the different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), along with a series of case examples that can serve as a model; as well as an identification of the negative impacts that the Blockchain has for sustainability. The findings of this study are useful for engineers, since they identify the technological aspects of BC that need to be improved; for company managers, since they can appreciate the positive impact that this new technology could have on sustainability if it is applied correctly; and for politicians, to whom it poses a series of challenges and the need to carry out regulatory reforms

Digital and circular technologies for climate-smart and sustainable agriculture: The case of Vietnamese coffee

\ua9 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.This comprehensive article addresses the pressing challenges confronting the global agriculture, primarily driven by climate change and resource constraints. With a focus on promoting climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices, the study explores the transformative potential of emerging technologies, e.g., the innovative use of digital technologies like Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain, showcasing real-world examples of their benefits, and circular technologies, e.g., waste-to-value practices. The challenges of population growth, climate change, environmental impact, and the plight of smallholder farmers are elucidated. Climate-Smart Agriculture initiatives supported by the World Bank Group demonstrate practical efforts in addressing these challenges, aligning with sustainable development goals. Here, we introduce an innovative and smart agriculture (INNSA) platform for the creation and operation of sustainable coffee value chain in Vietnam as a case of study. Thought-provoking questions for future research conclude the review, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. In summary, this article provides a compelling case for adopting sustainable agricultural practices through digital and circular technologies, offering a roadmap for global agriculture\u27s transformation and resilience in the face of climate change

Efficiency and Sustainability of the Distributed Renewable Hybrid Power Systems Based on the Energy Internet, Blockchain Technology and Smart Contracts

The climate changes that are visible today are a challenge for the global research community. In this context, renewable energy sources, fuel cell systems, and other energy generating sources must be optimally combined and connected to the grid system using advanced energy transaction methods. As this book presents the latest solutions in the implementation of fuel cell and renewable energy in mobile and stationary applications such as hybrid and microgrid power systems based on energy internet, blockchain technology, and smart contracts, we hope that they are of interest to readers working in the related fields mentioned above

Automatic Field Monitoring and Detection of Plant Diseases Using IoT

This research presents a GSM-based system for automatic plant disease diagnosis and describes its use in the creation of ACPS. Traditional farming methods were largely ineffective against microbial diseases. In addition, farmers can't keep up with the ever-changing nature of infections, so a reliable disease forecasting system is essential. To circumvent this, we employ a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model that has been trained to examine the crop image recorded by a health maintenance system. The solar sensor node is in charge of taking pictures, sensing continuously, and automating smartly. An agricultural robot is sometimes known as an agribot or agbot. An autonomous robot with agricultural applications. It helps the farmer improve crop productivity while decreasing the need for manual labour. In the future, these agricultural robots could replace human labour in a variety of farming tasks, including tilling, planting, and harvesting. These agricultural robots will manage pests and diseases as well as perform tasks like weeding. In order to keep an eye on the crops and streamline the irrigation process, this system is equipped with disease prediction technology for plants and intelligent irrigation controls. The energy required to provide disease prediction and irrigation systems separately is reduced by combining them in this project

AI models for recommendation

Ponencia presentada en EMAI2021, West Bengal, India, 4/4/2021[EN]Today, the industries of all European countries face common challenges: improving resource efficiency, becoming more environmentally friendly, mitigating climate change, improving the digitization in all segments of the value chain and improving transparency and safety, providing consumers with detailed information and ensuring the safety and quality of the final product. Growing concerns about environmental and social issues are pushing the demands of stakeholders (customers, workers, shareholders, consumers, etc.) and the public towards more sustainable processes and products. Sustainability is closely linked to climate change: the introduction of sustainable measures, both by consumers and producers, is inherently a measure against climate change

Digital Transformation for Sustainable Future - Agriculture 4.0: A review

In the last few years, while the COVID-19 pandemic affects food supply chains around the world, the agriculture sector also has faced many global problems, such as global warming, environmental pollution, climate change, and weather disasters. It has known that technological opportunities are available for human beings to get out of these predicaments, solving the interconnections between food-water-energy- climate nexus, and achieving agricultural transformation from traditional to digital.The aim of this review is to gain holistic solutions in a systematic view, based on water-energy-food resources to agricultural digital transformation that will play role in sustainable development. The transition from primitive to digital is given with road maps covering agricultural and industrial revolutions at four stages on timeline. Digital agriculture combined under precision agriculture and Agriculture 4.0 are handled based on domains covering monitoring, control, prediction, and logistics. Digital technologies are explained with application examples such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, decision support systems, etc. Wearable sensor technologies, real-time monitoring systems tracking whole conditions of animals in livestock, the IoT-based irrigation and fertilization systems that help enhance the efficiency of irrigation processes and minimize water and fertilizer losses in agricultural fields and greenhouses, blockchain-based electronic agriculture, and solutions based on drones and robotics that reduce herbicide and pesticide use are handled systematically. Moreover, renewable energy technologies to be provided synergy between technologies such as agrivoltaics and aquavoltaics combining food and energy production in rural are explained, besides solar-powered pivot and drip irrigation systems and environmental monitoring systems. As a result, for a sustainable future, technological innovations that increase crop productivity and improve crop quality, protect the environment, provide efficient resource use and decrease input costs can help us facing in agriculture of today overwhelm many the economic, social, and environmental challenges

DIGITISING AGRIFOOD Pathways and Challenges. November 2019

As climate change increasingly poses an existential risk for the Earth, scientists and policymakers turn to agriculture and food as areas for urgent and bold action, which need to return within acceptable Planet Boundaries. The links between agriculture, biodiversity and climate change have become so evident that scientists propose a Great Food Transformation towards a healthy diet by 2050 as a major way to save the planet. Achieving these milestones, however, is not easy, both based on current indicators and on the gloomy state of global dialogue in this domain. This is why digital technologies such as wireless connectivity, the Internet of Things, Arti cial Intelligence and blockchain can and should come to the rescue. This report looks at the many ways in which digital solutions can be implemented on the ground to help the agrifood chain transform itself to achieve more sustainability. Together with the solution, we identify obstacles, challenges, gaps and possible policy recommendations. Action items are addressed at the European Union both as an actor of change at home, and in global governance, and are spread across ten areas, from boosting connectivity and data governance to actions aimed at empowering small farmers and end users