In a world where hunger index is climbing, blockchain is indicated to be pivotal in combating the ugly challenge in various ways. From transparent tracking of food to prevention of food waste, the distributed ledger technology proves to be a much needed tool. 5ire is a blockchain ecosystem developed to foster sustainable development. As one of the UN 2030 vision, hunger alleviation is a key agenda in sustainable development. 5ire aims to take part in reducing hunger in ways which blockchain can help to do so.
The Role of Blockchain in Fighting Hunger
The number of hungry people in the world is as much as 811 million people according to this report. Despite the collective efforts by governments and humanitarian organizations to curb hunger, the number keeps increasing. Governmental and non-governmental organizations are working together to put an end to this problem. Armed conflicts and disasters are the major causes of hunger around the world. It destabilizes a nation’s economy leaving citizens homeless and hungry.
Blockchain can be utilized in various ways to fight hunger. This technology can be used by humanitarian organizations to distribute aid to the internally displaced persons and refugees, enabling transparency and accountability. With blockchain, these organizations will be certain that their aids reach the intended person with any corrupt act along the distribution channel:
Internally Displaced Persons
People lose their source of income during.
Ways Blockchain can be used to tackle hunger
Reducing Food Waste
Despite the increasing hunger index, 14% of food produced worldwide goes into waste, according to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. This waste occurs between the point of production on-farm through the supply chain to final consumers. The process of taking food from the farm to its final destination is as rigorous as the supply chain.
Blockchain can be used to introduce transparency in the supply chain. To enable this, farmers record the quantity of raw materials in their possession on a blockchain which can be accessed by agro companies. This reduces the time it takes these companies to procure agro materials for their production process.
Blockchain can also be used to eliminate hoarding in the food supply chain. To enable this, farmers record their quantity of raw materials sold to each agro company and the time of sale. These companies on their part note the quantity of processed units realized from the purchased raw materials and the quantity sold to distributors. This enables transparency because at each point the amount of food in transit is known, exposing any attempt of hoarding.
Furthermore, with a blockchain-tracked supply chain, the source of food wasting can be located. The exact point on the supply chain in which there is delay is always known. This could be in distributor’s warehouses following a reduced demand in the market. Humanitarian organizations can always reach out to the sellers and buy at a subsidized rate before the food spoils.
Food Distribution in Refugee Camps
Blockchain can enable faster and transparent distribution of funds to internally displaced persons in refugee camps. The World Food Program experimented this use case by introducing blockchain in their distribution system. The beneficiaries buy food with vouchers which will be recorded on-chain. The food sellers get paid directly over the blockchain without an intermediary.
Similarly, philanthropists can donate funds to refugees and other people in similar need via a blockchain. The elimination of intermediaries ensures that funds reach the desired destination
Identity Management
Akin to feeding the hungry is identifying them. Most of these displaced persons have lost their personal identities. It is imperative that this unknown population is given unique identification. Beyond helping to know the size of the population, a blockchain-based identity will aid faster and seamless distribution of aid.
With the population size known, a precise estimate of the quantity of food aid required to feed them will be made. A publicly available population size will give donors the confidence to donate more because they know the size of the persons receiving the aid.
Cryptocurrency Donations
Another way in which blockchain can help combat hunger is through the use of cryptocurrency for donations. In the case of civil conflicts, central banks are shut off from the belligerent group and international payment channels might be breached in the event of global conflicts. Ukranians benefited from crypto donations during the recent Russian invasion, giving credence to the importance of distributed ledger technology in war times.
About 5ire
5ire is a blockchain ecosystem that proffers sustainable and faster alternative to the traditional economy. While driving a shift from a for-profit to a for-benefit initiative, it aims to bring about sustainability by rewarding favourable practices on-chain. Using a novel protocol, 5ire’s vision is tallied with the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.
Media ContactCompany Name: 5ireContact Person: Vilma MattilaEmail: Send EmailCountry: United KingdomWebsite: https://5ire.org
