The importance of standardization in nursery management and production: a blockchain approach

During the last few years, the agricultural sector has been increasing the use of technological solutions. Recently, the experts of the sector introduced the term Smart Agriculture when technologies like Internet of Things, sensors, location systems, robots and artificial intelligence are used in farms. The goal of Smart Agriculture is to obtain greater efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness while increasing the quality and quantity of the crops. The main purpose of nurseries is to produce plants which, due to their genetic, morphological, physiological and health characteristics, can guarantee adaptability, rooting and growth. To grow quality fruits, it is necessary to start from quality plants. Quality production is achieved when all components of the nursery supply chain work in synergy. To achieve high quality agricultural production in fruit, vegetable and flower fields, appropriate agronomic choices, such as using plants that are certified from a genetic and health point of view, need to be implemented. To guarantee greater profitability to the farmers, once a quality agricultural product has been obtained, it is necessary to enhance it by certifying its origin while disseminating the methods used to produce it. For these reasons, it is essential to follow agronomic standards that can give the product a quality certification. By using blockchain solutions, producers can significantly increase the transparency and the traceability of the supply chain, and ultimately, they will be able to increase the commercial value of their products. For example, blockchain solutions can improve the growth of crops, save water consumption, reduce the time of monitoring operations, improve delivery times, maintain a persistent quality while minimizing human errors. This article will highlight the importance of standardization while using blockchain solutions. Standardization is a key step in the certification of the nursery sector.